Countess: Critical Thinking: Gurus of Critical Thinking

Big 6 Approach

What Is the "Big 6 Approach" to Critical Thinking?
Developed by Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, the "Big 6" approach to critical thinking includes: Task Definition, Information Seeking Strategies, Location and Access, Use of Information, Synthesis, Evaluation.
Applying Big6™ Skills, AASL Standards and ISTE NETS to Internet Research

Project Information Literacy

Directed by Dr. Alison J. Head and Dr. Michael Eisenberg, Project Information Literacy (PIL) is an “ongoing research project, based in the University of Washington's Information School (that is) currently collecting data from early adults enrolled in community colleges and public and private colleges and universities in the U.S.” Its goal is to “understand how early adults conceptualize and operationalize research activities for course work and "everyday life" use and especially how they resolve issues of credibility, authority, relevance, and currency in the digital age.”

Project Information Literacy
Web site includes list of publications, podcasts and webcasts, and several videos, such as "The Student Discussion Groups" and "Understanding Information Literacy through the Lens of the Student Experience."

Linda Elder

Dr. Linda Elder is President of the Foundation for Critical Thinking and Executive Director of the Center for Critical Thinking.

The Critical Thinking Community
Sponsors the International Critical Thinking Conference, billed as "the World's Oldest Conference on Critical Thinking," the Foundation and Center for Critical Thinking's mission is to provide education to primary schools through colleges by presenting publications, conferences, workshops and professional development programs. Emphasis is on instructional strategies, Socratic questioning, critical reading/writing, higher order thinking, assessment, research, quality enhancement and standards.

Richard Paul

Dr. Richard Paul is the Director of Research and Professional Development at the Center for Critical Thinking and Chair of the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking.

National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking
"The goal of the NCECT is to articulate, preserve, and foster intellectual standards in critical thinking research, scholarship, and instruction. The NCECT is a creation of the Foundation for Critical Thinking. The council presently consists of about 8,000 leading educators."

Michael Eisenberg

“Mike Eisenberg is the founding dean of the Information School at the University of Washington. During his tenure (1998-2006), (he) transformed the unit from a single graduate degree into a broad-based information school with a wide range of research and academic programs, including an undergraduate degree in informatics, masters degrees in information management and library and information science, and a doctorate degree in information science.” With colleague Bob Berkowitz, he created the "Big 6 Approach" to critical thinking.

Michael Eisenberg

Gerald M. Nosich

"Dr. Gerald Nosich is a noted authority on critical thinking and has given more than 200 workshops on all aspects of teaching critical thinking ... He is the author of Reasons and Arguments (Wadsworth, 1982). His second book, Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum, has been translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. (He) is an associate of the Center and the Foundation for Critical Thinking. He is a professor at Buffalo State University."

Gerald M. Nosich

Enoch Hale

“Dr. Enoch Hale is a Fellow of the Foundation and Center for Critical Thinking

Dr. Hale holds a B.A. degree in intellectual and social history, a Masters degree in liberal arts and sciences, a secondary single subject credential in social science, and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis on critical thinking and educational reform.”

The Critical Thinking Community