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| You will note that, unlike most academic conferences, the International Conference on Critical Thinking requires intellectual work of all participants in all sessions. One cannot learn critical thinking without doing critical thinking and one cannot do critical thinking without doing intellectual work. Therefore, look forward to dynamic interactions with others at the conference as you read, write, think the ideas of critical thinking into your thinking. |
Critical thinking concepts and tools are the essential core of all well-conceived instruction. They define the ultimate goals of education.
Taking ownership of these goals is the crucial first step in educational reform.
The second step consists in contextualizing the goals. This entails creating strategies for bringing critical thinking into the teaching of every subject.
The third step consists in documenting results.
Own, contextualize, document---keys to success
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| CONFERENCE MENU | ||
Day One: Taking Initial Ownership of the Foundations of Critical Thinking
The first day of the conference will focus on the fundamentals of critical thinking. This session will lay the foundation for all other conference sessions. It will introduce you to the essential conceptual sets in critical thinking – namely, how to analyze thinking, how to assess it, and how to develop and foster intellectual virtues or dispositions.
One conceptual set that we will focus on is the elements of reasoning, or parts of thinking. The elements or parts of reasoning are those essential dimensions of reasoning that are present whenever and wherever reasoning occurs —independent of whether we are reasoning well or poorly. Working together, these elements shape reasoning and provide a general logic to the use of thought. They are presupposed in every subject, discipline, and domain of human thought.
A second conceptual set we will focus on is universal intellectual standards. One of the fundamentals of critical thinking is the ability to assess reasoning. To be skilled at assessment requires that we consistently take apart thinking and examine the parts with respect to standards of quality. We do this using criteria based on clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logicalness, and significance. Critical thinkers recognize that, whenever they are reasoning, they reason to some purpose (element of reasoning). Implicit goals are built into their thought processes. But their reasoning is improved when they are clear (intellectual standard) about that purpose or goal. Similarly, to reason well, they need to know that, consciously or unconsciously, they are using relevant (intellectual standard) information (element of reasoning) in their in thinking. Furthermore, their reasoning improves if and when they make sure that the information they are using is accurate (intellectual standard).
A third conceptual set in critical thinking is intellectual virtues or traits. Critical thinking does not entail merely intellectual skills. It is a way of orienting oneself in the world. It is a way of approaching problems that differs significantly from that which is typical in human life. People may have critical thinking skills and abilities, and yet still be unable to enter viewpoints with which they disagree. They may have critical thinking abilities, and yet still be unable to analyze the beliefs that guide their behavior. They may have critical thinking abilities, and yet be unable to distinguish between what they know and what they don’t know, to persevere through difficult problems and issues, to think fairmindedly, to stand alone against the crowd. Thus, in developing as a thinker, and fostering critical thinking abilities in others, it is important to develop intellectual virtues – the virtues of fairmindedness, intellectual humility, intellectual perseverance, intellectual courage, intellectual empathy, intellectual autonomy, intellectual integrity, and confidence in reason.
A process will be modeled through-out the day that will exemplify the essential ingredients of teaching for ownership: modeling thinking, requiring thinking, testing thinking.
Each registrant, working under the direction of a facilitator, will engage in repeating cycles of reciprocal teaching and assessment focused on the foundational concepts and principles of critical thinking. These sessions will be facilitated by Dr. Richard Paul, Dr. Linda Elder, and Dr. Gerald Nosich. In addition, there will be an advanced session for returning registrants.
The “Advanced Ownership” Session will focus participants on the task of constructing a glossary of critical thinking concepts — which they subsequently assess by comparing their formulations to model formulations. The session is advanced in that it assumes that participants have (previous to the conference) developed the ability to orally state, explain, and exemplify basic critical thinking concepts (namely the elements of reasoning, intellectual standards and intellectual virtues). For example, one of the activities in the basic session might be to state and explain ORALLY what an inference is (after hearing it explained by the facilitator). The advanced group, on the other hand, would be expected to state, explain, and exemplify what an inference is IN WRITING (so clearly, accurately, and precisely that it would be adequate for insertion in a Critical Thinking Glossary of fundamental concepts.)
Day Two: Contextualization
(The contextualization process begins)
Participants will choose one from the following selections:
This session is based in the idea that substantive teaching and learning can occur only when students take ownership of the most basic principles and concepts of the subject. The teaching strategies recommended are rooted in a vision of instruction implied by critical thinking and an analysis of the weaknesses typically found in most traditional didactic lecture/quiz/test formats of instruction. The session will utilize the Thinker’s Guide on How to Improve Student Learning, which highlights strategies that require students to think actively within the concepts and principles of the subject. An important uniqueness of this session is that it will be facilitated by an insightful student skilled in critical thinking and will thus highlight a student perspective on teaching and learning.
Teaching Critical Thinking in the Professional Fields . . . Richard Paul
Everyday professionals make decisions that have important implications for human and animal life – medical professionals, engineers, social workers, lawyers, judges, prosecutors, activists, and many others. Critical thinking is essential to thinking well within all the professions. This session will thus explore the concepts, principles, and tools that critical thinking brings to the professions.
Infusing Critical Thinking into Elementary Instruction: Part One . . . Suzanne Borman and Joel Levine
This session will provide teachers with strategies for fostering critical thinking at the elementary level. Special emphasis will be placed on helping students understand what it means to be a fair-minded critical thinker and how they can achieve this goal by learning to take their thinking apart, evaluate it and then improve it. To this end, Drs. Borman and Levine will focus on strategies for teaching elementary students the Elements of Thinking and the Universal Intellectual Standards and how to use these concepts to evaluate thinking. Participants will have an opportunity to develop learning activities designed to foster student comprehension of specific critical thinking concepts.
(The contextualization process continues)
Educated persons are skilled at and routinely engage in close reading and substantive writing. If we have the ability to read closely, to comprehend and apply what we read, we can — in principle — master a subject from books alone, without benefit of lectures or class discussion. Indeed, if we read widely and skillfully, we may become educated through reading alone. Skilled readers do this through the process of intellectually interacting with the authors they read as they read. They actively question. They come to understand what they read by paraphrasing, elaborating, exemplifying, and illustrating what they read. They make connections as they read. They evaluate as they read. They bring important ideas into their thinking as they read.
The critical habit of thought, if usual in society, will pervade all its mores, because it is a way of taking up the problems of life. Men educated in it cannot be stampeded by stump orators ... They are slow to believe. They can hold things as possible or probable in all degrees, without certainty and without pain. They can wait for evidence and weigh evidence, uninfluenced by the emphasis or confidence with which assertions are made on one side or the other. They can resist appeals to their dearest prejudices and all kinds of cajolery. Education in the critical faculty is the only education of which it can be truly said that it makes good citizens.William Graham Sumner, Folkways, 1906
It is becoming increasingly clear that the survival and well-being of humans largely depends on our ability to work together successfully and productively, to reach out to one another, to help one another. Yet, problems of nationalism and ethnocentrism are pervasive across the world. People are raised to see their country, or their group, as better than other countries or groups. They tend to favor the groups to which they belong. This is a natural tendency of the human mind. And it is a tendency fostered within most, if not all, cultures across the world.
Teaching Critical Thinking in the Social Disciplines . . . Linda Elder
The social disciplines include academic courses that foster understanding of the individuals, groups and institutions that make up human society. They study how humans live together in groups in such a way that their dealings with one another affect their common welfare. In this session, we focus on fostering critical thinking within the social disciplines – within history, anthropology, geography, economics, political science, psychology and sociology .
Painting, sculpture, architecture, dance, music, drama, and literature as art forms are all attempts to create something that goes beyond simple skill or demonstrable knowledge. They represent modes of seeking to express what is “beautiful,” “deep,” “insightful,” and/or “profound” in nature or in human life. They attempt to transcend or transform the “ordinary,” “obvious,” or mundane. In this session, we focus on fostering critical thinking within the arts and humanities, including those mentioned above, as well as philosophy and religious studies.
Building on the foundational concepts covered in the first session, this session will continue to focus on infusing critical thinking in elementary instruction throughout the curriculum and within student relationships. Participants will be engaged in applying the elements of reasoning and intellectual standards within content areas including math, language arts, and social studies. Classroom management issues will also be addressed through application of critical thinking strategies.
Day Three/Four
Documenting Results, Assessment, & Testing
Day Three
Day Three: Morning
(Invited concurrent sessions)
Participants will select from concurrent sessions at the conference. These sessions focus on contextualization and documentation of critical thinking foundations. All concurrent sessions are invited.
(The focus on assessment begins)
Critical Thinking Concept Test . . . Gerald Nosich
A new machine-scorable Foundation for Critical Thinking test focused on assessing one’s knowledge of basic critical thinking concepts will be discussed. Participants will take and then score the test.
The first two levels of the Critical Thinking Reading and Writing Test will be the focus of this session. Participants will get practice in these two levels of reading and writing.
A Foundation for Critical Thinking machine-scorable test focused on determining the extent to which students are likely to think fairmindedly, to think empathically, to consider alternate ways of looking at complex issues will be the focus of this session. Participants will take and then score the test.
Instructional strategies and methods for effective peer assessment will be the focus of this session.
Strategies for identifying and dealing with the barriers that all of us face in progressing as thinkers will be the focus of this session.
The focus of this session will be on multiple ways of assessing students’ ability to think critically. Measurement strategies designed to foster student learning and growth in these areas will be considered. Participants will have an opportunity to participate in developing assessment strategies which allow students alternative ways to demonstrate what they have learned.
Participants will choose one selection from each 1 ½ hour session. Each selection is repeated so that participants can attend more sessions.
Critical Thinking Reading and Writing Test: Levels One-Two . . . Enoch Hale
The first two levels of the Critical Thinking Reading and Writing test will be the focus of this session. Participants will get practice in these two levels of reading and writing.
Peer Assessment . . . Linda Elder
Instructional strategies and methods for effective peer assessment will be the focus of this session.
Assessing Critical Thinking Skills at the Elementary Level…Joel Levine and Suzanne Borman
The focus of this session will be on multiple ways of assessing students’ ability to think critically. Measurement strategies designed to foster student learning and growth in these areas will be considered. Participants will have an opportunity to participate in developing assessment strategies which allow students alternative ways to demonstrate what they have learned.
(The focus on assessment continues)
(Participants will choose one selection from each 1 ½ hour session.
Each selection is repeated so that participants can attend more sessions.)
Analytic Reasoning Test . . . Gerald Nosich
A new machine-scorable Foundation for Critical Thinking test focused on assessing one’s ability to analyze reasoning will be the focus of this session. Participants will take and score the test.
Critical Thinking Competency Standards . . . Enoch Hale
A Guide for Educators to Critical Thinking Competency Standards are the focus of this session – which includes critical thinking standards, principles, performance indicators and outcomes with a scoring rubric.
Participants will choose one selection from each 1 ½ hour session.
Each selection is repeated so that participants can attend more sessions.
Critical Thinking Reading and Writing Test:
Levels Three-Four and International Critical Thinking Test…Richard Paul
The first third and fourth levels of the Critical Thinking Reading and Writing Test, as well as the International Critical Thinking Test, will be the focus of this session. The overlapping nature of these two tests will be discussed. Participants will get brief practice in analyzing and assessing reasoning, the two main processes targeted in these tests.
Analytic Reasoning Test…Gerald Nosich
A new machine-scorable Foundation for Critical Thinking test focused on assessing one’s ability to analyze reasoning will be the focus of this session. Participants will take and score the test.
Critical Thinking Competency Standards . . . Enoch Hale
A Guide for Educators to Critical Thinking Competency Standards are the focus of this session – which includes critical thinking standards, principles, performance indicators and outcomes with a scoring rubric.
Identifying and Dealing With Your Bad Habits of Mind . . . Rush Cosgrove
All of us engage in bad habits of thought, habits which are often powerful barriers to our development as thinkers. This session offers suggestions for beginning to identify and deal with those barriers.
