Critical Exploration Press began as a collaboration of four scholars—Elizabeth Cavicchi, Sabine Hoidn, Chris Lowry, and Bill Shorr—who had all studied with Eleanor Duckworth, the creator of a pedagogical approach called Critical Exploration in the Classroom (CEC)*. The organization grew out of their effort to assemble a festschrift for Eleanor’s retirement celebration in 2013; this text was published and is available for purchase on this site.
In 2016, CEPress reorganized: Sabine had returned home to Europe and Susan Jean Mayer joined the team. The new group of four eventually incorporated as an LLC in 2018. As developed further in the organization’s mission statement, the organization’s governing aim is to “advance the community of practice for those whose work aligns with the ideas, dispositions, and practices of the pedagogical approach Critical Exploration in the Classroom.”
We are looking forward to connecting with others committed to this work and to envisioning and realizing new forms of collaboration that can support our work together.
*As recounted in the introduction to the 3rd edition of The Having of Wonderful Ideas (Duckworth, 2006), the method has also been known as Extended Clinical Interviewing and Teaching/Learning Research.