About the Authors




Sharon Bailin


Sharon Bailin is a Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University and is a Principal of the Critical Inquiry Group. She has written extensively on critical thinking and on creativity, and is the author of the award-winning book, Achieving Extraordinary Ends: An Essay on Creativity. Bailin is one of the originators of a conception of critical thinking which has formed the foundation of a major curriculum project for K- 12 schools both in North America and internationally. She has also directed Masters programs on critical thinking for educators. Bailin’s work on critical thinking and on creativity has been presented in Italy, Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, Mexico, Chile, the Netherlands, Greece, and England. Bailin is a Past President of the Philosophy of Education Society (of North America) and of the Association for Informal Logic and Critical Thinking. In addition to her academic pursuits, she also has a background in theater and the arts.

Mark Battersby


Mark Battersby is a Professor Emeritus of Capilano University, where he has taught courses in critical thinking since 1978, and is a Principal of the Critical Inquiry Group. He has also taught critical thinking at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and Stanford University. Battersby is the founder of the British Columbia Association for Critical Thinking Research and Instruction and has written and presented extensively on the subject of critical thinking and informal logic. He also led a provincial curriculum reform project promoting the use learning outcomes in higher education. In addition to informal logic and argumentation theory, his research interests include philosophy of science, statistics, and political and environmental philosophy. The second edition of his book on critical thinking about statistical and scientific information, Is That a Fact?, was published in 2016.