About Our Blog Leaders
Dr. Linda Elder, Senior Fellow
Dr. Linda Elder is an educational psychologist and a prominent authority on critical thinking. She is President of the Foundation for Critical Thinking and Executive Director of the Center for Critical Thinking. Dr. Elder has taught psychology and critical thinking at the college level and has given presentations to more than 50,000 educators at all levels. She has co-authored four books, including Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Learning and Your Life, Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Professional and Personal Life, and 30 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living. She has co-authored 24 Thinker’s Guides on critical thinking.
Dr. Elder has also developed an original stage theory of critical thinking development. Concerned with understanding and illuminating the relationship between thinking and affect, and the barriers to critical thinking, Dr. Elder has placed these issues at the center of her thinking and her work.
With experience in both administration and the classroom, Dr. Elder understands firsthand the problems facing educators. She is a dynamic presenter who reaches her audience on a person-to-person level.
Dr. Linda Elder is an educational psychologist and a prominent authority on critical thinking. She is President of the Foundation for Critical Thinking and Executive Director of the Center for Critical Thinking. Dr. Elder has taught psychology and critical thinking at the college level and has given presentations to more than 50,000 educators at all levels. She has co-authored four books, including Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Learning and Your Life, Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Professional and Personal Life, and 30 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living. She has co-authored 24 Thinker’s Guides on critical thinking.
Dr. Elder has also developed an original stage theory of critical thinking development. Concerned with understanding and illuminating the relationship between thinking and affect, and the barriers to critical thinking, Dr. Elder has placed these issues at the center of her thinking and her work.
With experience in both administration and the classroom, Dr. Elder understands firsthand the problems facing educators. She is a dynamic presenter who reaches her audience on a person-to-person level.
Dr. Richard Paul, Senior Fellow, 1990-2015
This blog includes writings and interviews from throughout the life and career of Dr. Richard Paul. Dr. Paul was Director of Research and Professional Development at the Center for Critical Thinking, and was Chair of the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking. His body of work, including eight books and over 200 articles, established him as an internationally-recognized authority on critical thinking. In addition to writing books for every grade level, he experimented extensively with teaching tactics and strategies, and with devising (among other things) novel ways to engage students in rigorous self-assessment.
Dr. Paul received four degrees and gave lectures on critical thinking at many universities in both the United States and abroad, including Harvard, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois, and the Universities of Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, British Columbia, Toronto, and Amsterdam. He taught beginning and advanced courses in critical thinking at the university level for over 20 years.
Paul received numerous honors and awards in his lifetime, including Distinguished Philosopher (Council for Philosophical Studies, 1987), O.C. Tanner Lecturer in Humanities (Utah State University, 1986), Lansdown Visiting Scholar (University of Victoria, 1987), and the Alfred Korsybski Memorial Lecturer (Institute for General Semantics, 1987). His views on critical thinking have been canvassed in the New York Times, Education Week, The Chronicle of Higher Education, American Teacher, Reader’s Digest, Educational Leadership, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report. Dr. Paul’s wide-ranging knowledge, practical strategies, and enthusiasm made him highly sought-after as a presenter and keynote speaker.
This blog includes writings and interviews from throughout the life and career of Dr. Richard Paul. Dr. Paul was Director of Research and Professional Development at the Center for Critical Thinking, and was Chair of the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking. His body of work, including eight books and over 200 articles, established him as an internationally-recognized authority on critical thinking. In addition to writing books for every grade level, he experimented extensively with teaching tactics and strategies, and with devising (among other things) novel ways to engage students in rigorous self-assessment.
Dr. Paul received four degrees and gave lectures on critical thinking at many universities in both the United States and abroad, including Harvard, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois, and the Universities of Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, British Columbia, Toronto, and Amsterdam. He taught beginning and advanced courses in critical thinking at the university level for over 20 years.
Paul received numerous honors and awards in his lifetime, including Distinguished Philosopher (Council for Philosophical Studies, 1987), O.C. Tanner Lecturer in Humanities (Utah State University, 1986), Lansdown Visiting Scholar (University of Victoria, 1987), and the Alfred Korsybski Memorial Lecturer (Institute for General Semantics, 1987). His views on critical thinking have been canvassed in the New York Times, Education Week, The Chronicle of Higher Education, American Teacher, Reader’s Digest, Educational Leadership, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report. Dr. Paul’s wide-ranging knowledge, practical strategies, and enthusiasm made him highly sought-after as a presenter and keynote speaker.