Nurturing Curious Minds has confirmed local and international keynote and panel speakers who will share engaging research on critical thinking.
Keynote Speakers
Our symposium will feature two keynote speakers who have done extensive research in the field of Critical Thinking. Please find information on them below.
Dr. Patricia Alexander is a Distinguished University Professor, the Jean Mullan Professor of Literacy, and a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland, where she heads the Disciplined Reading and Learning Research Laboratory. She is a member of the National Academy of Education, and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the Society for Text and Discourse. Dr. Alexander’s areas of expertise include learning, expertise development, relational reasoning, critical-analytic thinking, and medium and multimedia effects on learning. Named one of the five most influential educational psychologists over the past decade, Dr. Alexander’s honors include the Oscar S. Causey Award for outstanding contributions to literacy research from the Literacy Research Association, the Career Achievement in Educational Psychology from APA Division 15, and the Sylvia Scribner Career Award from AERA Division C. She has published over 350 articles, books, chapters, and monographs in the area of learning and instruction and presented over 400 papers or invited addresses at national and international conferences. She serves on the editorial boards for 12 leading educational journals.
Assistant Professor Nadya Shaznay Patel
Nadya has over twenty years of experience as an educator, researcher and trainer. With a passion for Critical Design Futures (CDF) Thinking, she regularly facilitates workshops to develop learners’ critical competence, design dexterity and futures flexibility for innovation. Committed to bridging the research-practice gap, she engages industry partners in applied research projects, leveraging her expertise in learning and development and interest in GenAI applications. Nadya graduated with a Doctor in Education from University College London in 2015, and a Master’s degree in Digital Management from Teesside University in 2024 is a testament to her unwavering commitment to lifelong learning. Her research interests include CDF Thinking, GenAI in learning and development, transdisciplinarity, and empathetic, dialogic communication. A teacher-researcher at heart, Nadya endeavours to remain at the forefront of transformational pedagogical approaches that leverage emerging technologies and transdisciplinary learning.
Panel Speakers
(forthcoming)