12th International Conference on Thinking

Karin Morrison supports this belief and feels that there are real, tangible results to be garnered from ICOT. "We have brought together some of the most intelligent people on the face of the earth, a group of people who are motivated and inspirational, with the aim of utilising their creative minds to throw around new ideas, challenge our beliefs and develop philosophies across many parts of our lives to carry us through the 21st Century.

"The conference is about thinkers, marketers and 'doers' not only philosophers and ponderers," said Ms. Morrison.

While Melbourne is home to the 12th International Conference on Thinking, this prestigious event has a rich and colourful history, spanning over the last 25 years.

Beginning in 1978 as the "Conference on Cognitive Process Instruction" and hosted by Jack Lochhead* and the University of Massachusetts, the continually evolving nature of the conference has started to take shape, four years later becoming the "First International Conference of Thinking", held in 1982 at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji which explored a variety of topics and issues across a broad spectrum of disciplines.

Following the success of the Fiji Conference, David Perkin and Inabeth Miller from the Graduate School at Harvard University took up the mantle of the "Second International Conference on Thinking" focusing on five key areas: cognition/cognitive development; epistemology/critical thinking; educational issues/facts; educational programs; and problem solving/technology.

From here, every two or so years saw an International Conference on Thinking being held in places such as Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Singapore and Townsville, Australia.

Coordinated by an International Standing Committee, the Thinking Conferences are a meeting of thinkers and people of action from across the globe. They have consistently attracted world leaders from all levels of government, community organisations, business, academia, education, health, science, sustainability & environment.

Now in its 12th incarnation, speakers attending the 12th International Conference on Thinking do so at their own cost, with the aim of sharing their vision and ideas for the future. Previous keynote presenters include Howard Gardner, Sir Edmund Hillary, Kishore Mahbubani and Michael Fullan.

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