The Critical Thinker's Toolbox

In this 30-minute presentation, we explore three Infobase resources that can help new academic researchers build their critical-thinking skills. We cover starting research with fact-based background information, supplementing research with decades of polling data, and forming debates by approaching new points of view on controversial topics.

In this session, we tour

• Credo Source: A research starting point, exploratory search tool and resource portal specializing in providing fact-based background information on any topic for middle & high school audiences.
• Polling the Nations: 750,000+ original poll questions and results from 18,000+ surveys conducted in the U.S. and 100+ other countries from 1986 to the present.
• Issues & Controversies: Teach students to look for alternate points of view as they build early research papers or prepare debates on newsworthy topics.