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Reading
If youre a critical
thinker,
You are willing to examine your beliefs,
assumptions, and opinions and weigh
them against facts. You are willing to
evaluate
the
generalizations
and
stereotypes you have created and are
open to change, if necessary.
BLOOMS TAXONOMY
A HIERARCHICAL
EVALUATION
assessing, inferring,
SYNTHESIS
together in a
ANALYSIS
APPLICATION
solving problems
KNOWLEDGE
reciting, etc.
Understanding Blooms
Taxonomy
It hierarchy is a sequential organization
It progresses upward from simple to complex
Each level builds upon the preceding level(s)
It is an appropriate concept map of Blooms Taxonomy is pyramidal
in shape, beginning at the base with knowledge and
progressing upward
Checkpoint
Which level of Blooms Taxonomy are you thinking on when you . . .
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Checkpoint Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
developing a sense of
By observation
and curiosity;
By becoming interested in
finding new solutions;
examining beliefs,
By assumptions,
and opinions
developing a thinkers
By vocabulary.
feedback;
In other words
Research invariably
requires critical reading
In order to read critically,
you have to be a critical
thinker.
Critical Reading
It is not just reading between the lines.
Its reading what is stated and unstated by the author
to figure out what the author is saying, interpreting the
facts along with the authors attitude, using implied
meaning to make accurate assumptions, and drawing
accurate conclusions.
Critical reading is referring to information collection and
analysis with identification of strengths and weaknesses.
Critical Reading
Critical reading involves a higher level of
sophistication in reading through:
analyzing facts, opinions, and bias
statements
It also involves a higher level of sophistication in
reading by:
synthesizing groups of supporting statements
to summarize or paraphrase, bringing
individual clarity to the piece read
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Critical Reading
In addition, it requires the reader to
evaluate how the information fits into
the his/her historical perspective and if
it meets standards of critical reading.
Critical Reading
What are some things you can do to
ensure you read
critically
Use the
SQ3R
Survey
Question
Read
Recall
Review
1. SURVEY
Survey the document:
scan the contents, introduction, chapter
introductions and chapter summaries to
pick up a shallow overview of the text.
Look at:
Titles
Pictures
Introduction and conclusion
Bold or italicized print
Questions
First and last sentences in paragraphs
Footnotes
2. QUESTION
Make a note of any questions on the subject
that come to mind, or particularly interest
you following your survey. Perhaps scan the
document again to see if any stand out.
These questions can be considered almost as
study goals - understanding the answers can
help you to structure the information in your
own mind.
QUESTION:
1. Talk back to the
author
If you have been reading critically, you must
QUESTION:
2. Ask questions to the
text
The key to convert yourself from a passive reader to an
active one is simple. You must ask questions, and then you
must try to answer them.
If I tell you, "Think about starvation," your thoughts
probably consist of disconnected images of suffering you
have seen on television. There is very little direction implied
in that command.
However, if I ask, "How could we prevent starvation?" Your
brain probably will start whirring, generating lists,
considering various approaches to dealing with the issue.
Questions by their very nature generate thinking, provided
that we take the time to try and answer them.
So, as you read, ask Why did the author say that?" Or
"What does this part mean?" Asking and answering
questions forces you to read actively rather than passively.
It forces you to think, and that is the point of critical
reading.
QUESTION:
3. Ask questions about
yourself
What is your attitude toward the issue?
What are your pre-judgments about the issue?
Does your attitude affect how receptive you are to
the author's viewpoint?
What preconceptions do you have about the topic?
What past experiences have you had that are
pertinent to the issue?
Monitor your own emotions as you read. Do
certain sections make you feel pleased? Guilty?
Angry? Annoyed? Smug? Saddened?
Do you think the author intended to create that
effect? If not, where did that emotional response
originate?
QUESTION:
4. Ask questions about
context
Think about the author. Why do you think the author
takes the position he or she does? Is there a personal
investment in the matter? What larger social,
economic, geographical, or political circumstances
might have influenced the creation of this piece of
writing?
Read between the lines and think about the context in
which the material was originally written and what that
might mean today. Are the original conditions so
different today that they render the argument invalid in
other circumstances? Or does it hold just as true? Why?
QUESTION:
5. Ask questions about
broader implications
The author asserts that X is true. What logically
3. READ
4. RECALL
RECALL
Mark Confusing Sections: Many students read through a
tough essay all the way through. When it is complete, they are
confused, but they are unable to indicate what confused them.
As you read, keep note of whether or not you are understanding
the material. As soon as you realize you are lost, make a note in
the margin so you can try to remedy your confusion at that
moment.
Reread
passage
passage
passage
Talk it over with other Readers: Ask other students who have
read the passage to explain it to you. If you are both confused,
talking about it may be all you need to break the mental barrier.
Sleep on it: Sometimes putting the essay aside for the day and
returning to it fresh in the morning is a good way to cure
confusion. It gives your subconscious mind a chance to chew on
the problem.
5. REVIEW
Once you have run through the exercise
of recalling the information, you can
move on to the stage of reviewing it.
Reread the document, expand your
notes, or by discuss the material with
colleagues.
Write questions
What is this paragraph about?
What exactly is that?
What is your argument? (Tell me more)
What is the evidence (for and against)?
What does it mean?
How does this relate back to the question
as a whole?
Differentiate between
facts vs.
interpretation/opinion
To non-critical readers, each piece of text
simply includes facts.
Critical readers take interpretation of text
one step further. They ask,
How does this text convey its main idea?
They move beyond summary to looking at
how the pieces of the text function together.
Example of restatement
Statement : Mary Had a Little Lamb
Restatement
: Mary had a lamb that followed
her
everywhere.
Description :
The nursery rhyme describes a pet that
followed its mistress everywhere.
You are just paraphrasing or restating the ideas,
nothing more.
An interpretation would
be
An image of innocent devotion is conveyed by the story of a
lambs devotion to its mistress. The devotion is emphasized
by repetition that emphasizes the constancy of the lambs
actions:
everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go.
The notion of innocence is conveyed by the image of a
young lamb being
white as snow.
By making it seem that this is natural and good, the
nursery
rhyme asserts innocent devotion as a positive relationship.
Here you are justifying your interpretation using evidence
in the text, instead of just paraphrasing.
1. AUTHORS OBJECTIVES
Research question
Hypothesis
Exploratory goals
Try to understand why the objectives were chosen.
Assessment should be based on the author's
objectives,
Not on the assessors interests.
D. Gile Critical reading
45
2. AUTHORS METHOD
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4. ASSESSMENT OF
SUBSTANCE
OBJECTIVES
Relevant to general issue?
Useful?
Feasible?
METHOD
(Design, implementation)
Appropriate?
Best under circumstances?
Can you think of a better one?
D. Gile Critical reading
48
5. INFERENCES
Logically appropriate?
(No skipping, over-interpreting, over-generalizing)
Explicit, including references/explanations?
Are facts fully exploited?
Statistics
CONCLUSION
Based on results?
( Inferences OK?)
D. Gile Critical reading
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The Connection
RESOURCES
This Powerpoint has been adapted from:
Reach resources for academic achievement: contact Dorothy S. Golden, Seminar
Coordinator, REACH at dsgold01@louisville.edu
Halvorsen encouraging critical thought in the EFL classroom.ppt
Nist, Sherrie L. and William Diehl. Developing Textbook Thinking, 5 th ed. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Co., 2002.
Ruggiero, Vincent Ryan. Becoming a Critical Thinker, 3 rd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.,
1999.
Spears, Deanne Milan. Developing Critical Reading Skills, 5 th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill
College, 1999.
www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/longview/ctac/definitions.htm
www.criticalthinking.org
www.chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/critthnk.html
www.calpress.com/critical.html
www.coping.org/write/percept/intro.htm
www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/handouts/1414.html
www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/crit.html
For additional information about critical thinking development and other topics included in
the on-line modules, please contact Dorothy S. Golden, Seminar Coordinator, REACH at
dsgold01@louisville.edu, (502) 852-2320, or (502) 852-6706.