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The 35Th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking The 35th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Educational Reform Cultivating World Justice and Freedom of Thought Through Educational and Social Reform July 2015 “…it is essential that we foster a new conception of self-identity, both individually and collectively, and a new practical sense of the value of self-disciplined, openminded thought. As long as we continue to feel threatened by those who think differently from us, we will listen seriously only to those who start from our premises, who validate our prejudices, and who end up with our conclusions.” — RICHARD PAUL, 1989 This year’s program is dedicated to Richard Paul. 2 The 35th International Conference on Critical Thinking ©2015 Foundation for Critical Thinking Press www.criticalthinking.org ©2015 Foundation for Critical Thinking Press www.criticalthinking.org The 35th International Conference on Critical Thinking 1 f Proceedings of the 35th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Educational Reform July 25 - 30, 2015 g ©2015 Foundation for Critical Thinking Press www.criticalthinking.org ©2015 Foundation for Critical Thinking Press www.criticalthinking.org 2 The 35th International Conference on Critical Thinking From Past Conferences Henry Steele Neil Postman Commanger at the 2nd Conference at the 1st Conference Edward Glaser Carol Tavris at the 4th Conference at the 7th Conference David Perkins Matthew Lipman George Hanford at the 7th Conference at the 10th Conference at the 10th Conference ©2015 Foundation for Critical Thinking Press www.criticalthinking.org ©2015 Foundation for Critical Thinking Press www.criticalthinking.org The 35th International Conference on Critical Thinking 3 Dedication to Richard Paul The proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Critical Thinking are dedicated to Richard William Paul, who has dedicated his life to the advancement of fairminded critical thinking across the world. For more than half a century, Paul has worked to develop, cultivate, and enrich a strong-sense conception of critical thinking and has argued for its central place throughout education and society. Paul places competent and committed ethical reasoning at the heart of a substantive conception of critical thinking, and of critical societies. Richard Paul’s work is intimately linked with the Socratic tradition, and – being based in natural languages – is accessible to all humans, thinking within any field of study and working through any problem in human life. Our hope is that some day all people across the globe will have access to the first principles in critical thinking illuminated in the Paulian Framework for Critical Thinking, and that through these principles, we (the people) can collectively create a far more fairminded world. We honor Paul for the intellectual discipline through which he has lived his life, and from which his ideas have sprung. He has taken us to greater depths of knowledge in, and understanding of, the roots and foundations of critical thinking than perhaps any other previous thinker in history – and he has illuminated the paths to unlimited implications of these foundations. The task lies with us to further explore these paths. ©2015 Foundation for Critical Thinking Press www.criticalthinking.org ©2015 Foundation for Critical Thinking Press www.criticalthinking.org 4 The 35th International Conference on Critical Thinking Table of Contents Dedication to Richard Paul ....................................................................................................... 3 Introduction to the Conference ............................................................................................ 6 Graphic Illustrations That Illuminate a Rich Conception of Critical Thinking ........................................................................................................... 8 Conference Overview .................................................................................................................... 13 Conference at a Glance ........................................................................................................... 14 Preconference Schedule ......................................................................................................... 20 Conference Schedule ............................................................................................................... 21 Focal Session Presenters ......................................................................................................... 23 Guest Focal Session Presenters ........................................................................................... 24 About Richard Paul .......................................................................................................................... 26 Bertrand Russell Distinguished Scholars Critical Thinking Series .......... 29 Bertrand Russell Scholars Previously Honored ............................................................ 32 Russell Scholars Named and Honored Posthumously ............................................ 33 John Stuart Mill as Second Bertrand Russell Scholar Named Posthumously ....................................................................................................... 34 Bertrand Russell Distinguished Scholar for the 35th International Conference: Daniel Ellsberg ............................................................................................ 38 Critical Societies, its Barriers, and the Advancement of Human Freedoms… by Linda Elder .......................................................... 41 Conference Sessions and Events Preconference Sessions Descriptions ............................................................................... 51 Focal Sessions Descriptions ................................................................................................... 55 Bertrand Russell Scholars Program .................................................................................... 64 Roundtable Discussions .......................................................................................................... 67 Concurrent Sessions Program .............................................................................................. 70 Concurrent Sessions and Roundtable Discussions Presenter Information ........................................................................................................ 99 Evening Social: Celebrating Through Art, Literature, Music, and Conviviality ......................................................................................................103 Fostering Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum Must Be Given Priority in Education ....................................................................................105 ©2015 Foundation for Critical Thinking Press www.criticalthinking.org ©2015 Foundation for Critical Thinking Press www.criticalthinking.org The 35th International Conference on Critical Thinking 5 Table of Contents, cont. History and Outreach of the Foundation for Critical Thinking Theoretical Development, Scholarship, and Research .............................................107 Conferences, Academies, and Workshops ..................................................................... 108 On-Site Professional Development Programs ..............................................................108 Testing and Assessment Tools in Critical Thinking .................................................... 108 Publication and Dissemination of Books and Instructional Materials .............. 110 Dynamic Website - Free Resources for Educators at All Levels ........................... 110 Translations of Our Work – Dozens of Languages ..................................................... 110 Institutions Using Our Approach – A Sampling .......................................................... 110 General Conference Information Important Announcements .......................................................................................................... 119 Answers to Frequently Asked Questions ............................................................................... 120 Foundation for Critical Thinking Books and Guides ......................................................... 122 Ralph Nader and Linda Elder at the 34th International Conference The quote on the front cover can be found in Richard Paul’s anthology: Critical Thinking: What Every Person Needs To Survive in a Rapidly Changing World, Tomales, CA: FCT Press. The portraits of Richard Paul in this program were drawn by Linda Elder. [Graphite on acid-free paper.] ©2015 Foundation for Critical Thinking Press www.criticalthinking.org ©2015 Foundation for Critical Thinking Press www.criticalthinking.org 6 The 35th International Conference on Critical Thinking Introduction to the Conference The Center and Foundation for Critical Thinking have together hosted critical thinking academies and conferences for thirty-five years. During that time, we have played a key role in defining, structuring, assessing, improving, and advancing the principles and best practices of fairminded critical thought in education and society. Our annual conference offers a unique venue for improving our understanding of critical thinking, as well as our ability to foster it more substantively in the classroom and in all aspects of our work and life. Throughout our work we emphasize the importance of fostering a substantive conception of critical thinking. Such a conception not only highlights the qualities
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