Critical Reading, Writing, and Thinking - DY of Fatima University PDF

CRWT - Prelims Notes Critical Reading, Writing, Thinking (CRWT111) DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING NOTES OUTLINE  Description in the te...

CRWT - Prelims Notes Critical Reading, Writing, Thinking (CRWT111) DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING NOTES OUTLINE  Description in the text. The reader should be able to create his 1. What is Critical Reading or her own examples based from 2. Critical Reading as a Daily Routine the described key points and be 3. How reading develops? able to compare them with other 4. The goals of Reading text of the same topic. 5. Adapting a healthy attitude in  Interpretation of the text. The reading. reader should be able to 6. Differentiating Facts from objectively analyze the text in Interpretation. parts in whole. INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL READING CRITICAL READING AS A DAILY CRITICAL READING ROUTINE It is the manner of engaging yourself Reading takes a lot of time, in what you read. Some questions to especially in higher education be asked may include: where evaluation and analysis are  “What does the author staple parts of the process. Reading mean?” for academic purposes should be  “What message is being an active process which leads to conveyed in the text? development.  “What is the argument Making reading a habit does not only raised?” require you to read every day. It helps us The process of critical reading involves to: raising a reasoned, logical and balanced  Widens our horizons and allows us argument that analyzes and evaluates to look at the bigger picture from a the text. vantage point. A critical reader can achieve:  Absorbs as much as you can and to integrate the valuable ones to you  A higher level of comprehension. own principles and values.  Open mindedness  Adopts the attitude necessary to  Continuation to learn and embrace keep yourself inspired in reading. knowledge and wisdom outside the own standards and beliefs. HOW READING DEVELOPS? To scrutinize the elements of a text. (ex. From familiarizing in a linguistic Style, composition, language), a critical point of view, the reading process reader must reflect on: becomes more complicated as our academic and intellectual levels go  Context of the text: the reader up. We learn to add new words to should be able to explain the main our vocabulary on a daily basis, points of the text on his or her own and use them in our own words. CRTW 111 0 0 1  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING sentences. We start challenging of fake news and social media what textbook call “facts” as we influencers. adopt a skeptic attitude, which  Students usually observe two main leads to curiosity and later on, academic goals: (1) to learn and discovery. We start asking and develop, and (2) to pass the start answering questions. Finally, subject. Sadly, many students only we learn to integrate reading and aim to pass and not to learn and learning in the truest sense. develop. This mindset and attitude may only be helpful to a certain However, as we progress down the degree when still studying, not academic path and absorb more when venturing in the real world as bits of knowledge and a professional. Furthermore, this perspectives, our principles, values mindset challenges the issues of and beliefs also start crumble, own competitiveness and some of which are permanently efficiency. changed through the influence of  Many read just to memorize, not to other sources and people. The comprehend, analyze, and wide gamut of information interpret the text. There is available to us makes thinking memorization but with very more complex as we have to minimal learning. The knowledge is consider more things than usual. forgotten when the memorized words and sentences are also This process of transitioning from forgotten. This is the reason why mere data gathering to a deeper memorization is considered as the level of consciousness that lowest form of intelligence. involves analysis and evaluation is ADAPTING A HEALTHY ATTITUDE IN crucial for our own personal READING development and professional advancement. The more we Critical reading is less challenging develop our reading capacity, the as there is no need to focus on the more proficient we become in text verbatim. You are encouraged accepting and rejecting what we to learn meaning and identify read. value rather than absorb everything at face value. Being THE GOALS OF READING able to follow the flow of the story The Challenges: and predict what’s bound to happen by drawing conclusions  The goal of reading should be to and making inferences is given learn, not to be just updated with priority over being able to what famous people are talking familiarize yourself with the about. This is a challenge in social specific details. In order to keep a media and amidst the proliferation CRTW 111 2 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING positive attitude when reading, one has to equip him or herself with tools that make learning more convenient and less tiresome. Another way to maintain a healthy attitude in reading is by emotionally detaching yourself from the text. Subjective reading clouds judgment. In fact, many authors try to influence readers by using their own emotions against them. Advisably, one has to maintain objectivity when reading as this allows a person to analyze the text using logic and not feelings. DIFFERENTIATING FACTS FROM INTERPRETATION For critical readers, a text only provides the author’s own interpretation of facts. This interpretation may be considered valid or invalid. Hence, critical readers recognize not only what the text says, but also how the text discusses the topic. Example:  When studying history, they gather as much information as possible, stitch the different interpretations together, and validate the ones that are supported by logical or scientific explanations. They learn to link information from different sources to create a timeline where the past, present and future connect with each other. CRTW 111 3 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING understanding faster and more fluid? The information based on these NOTES OUTLINE questions are often reflected on the 1. Academic VS Non-Academic Text book’s cover, preface, table of contents, and synopsis. THE NATURE OF TEXT WHO ARE THE STAKEHOLDERS? WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD YOU RAISE?  Who is in concern in the issue?  Who controls the result of the Knowing more about the nature of the issue? text prepares you better in  Who are the key decision makers understanding the topic, following or key contributors in creating and references, raising arguments, and resolving the issue? flowing with the discussion.  Who is affected by the issue?  What is the title?  Does it reflect the topic?  What details, style and arguments THE AUTHOR AND THE PUBLISHER do you expect? Quipping yourself with prior knowledge  What do you currently know about before reading the text can help you the topic? identify the biases of the authors, and  Are there gaps and grey areas with possibly the unintentional errors. your current knowledge of the topic? What do you know about the author?  Is there any need for background  What is the background of the reading prior to reading the current author? text in order to make  What are his or her goals in writing the text? Regarding the author’s consistency in his or her works and statements, you need to consider some information:  When was the text published?  Where was it published?  Who was the publisher? The place of publication may also prompt the author to slightly alter the content to fit in the culture of the target readers in a particular area. The publisher also influences the creative direction of the CRTW 111 4 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING book, so the author might write things substance, as fame, with or that he or she does not fully agree with, without credibility, sometimes all the sake of marketability. suffices as qualification for writing non-academic articles. There are also times when creativity is ACADEMIC TEXT VERSUS NON- favored over credibility. ACADEMIC TEXT Because these texts are non- scientific and non-systematic, Academic Articles references are not required and These are written by experts in a consistency is a choice, not a particular field. They are not self- requirement. Informality may be published. Rather, the manuscript preferred over formality since goes through a series of editing, these texts normally target the typesetting and quality checking masses and not the experts and performed by other experts in a professionals. peer-review setting. A reference list is optional as well. The language used here is formal, Non-academic articles are sometimes containing jargons and considered as secondary sources other technical stylistic choices. and should never be prioritized The authors are well represented over academic articles as in academic articles as their references. names, credentials and affiliations Most of your references should also build the text’s credibility and come from academic articles, not reputation. non-academic articles to uphold The references are also compiled credibility. to support the veracity of all information included in the text. Academic articles are considered as primary sources as they have been scientifically and systematically researched and written. They also undergo strict peer-review process, which sometimes takes years to finish. Non-Academic Articles These are written for the mass public. They are published quickly and can be written by anyone. Authorship is not limited to credentials, writing ability or CRTW 111 5 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING 2. Find informative books of good value Good books are not merely entertaining. They are worth NOTES OUTLINE reading for their substance. 1. Strategies to develop reading as a Look not just at the titles or topics, habit but on the author's credibility, the 2. The Critical Reading Process reputation of the publishing 3. Effective steps for Note Taking company, the curation and endorsements involved, and the STEPS IN CRITICAL READING marketability of the book in its Developing the habit niche (target readers). Favorites and bestsellers do not necessarily In order to make critical reading a spell quality all the time. habit, one needs to have the You may want to start reading genuine desire to learn and books that genuinely pique your discover new things. There should curiosity or are aligned with your be a compelling reason to stick existing hobbies, skills, interests or with it as a habit, and that is to specialization. develop oneself and achieve competitiveness in the future. 3. Have your reading habit planned You basically add one more chore to your already busy day when you STRATEGIES TO DEVELOP READING set a schedule for reading on a AS A HABIT daily basis.  Prioritize reading Designating your own reading spot  Find informative books of good in the house or setting up a "mini- value library" also help in developing the  Have your reading habit planned habit.  Do not limit your reading habit You may set a quantity-based  Be a morning reader reading activity (number of pages  Try speed reading regardless of time) if your reading habit in a time-bound manner 1. Prioritize reading seems impractical. Putting reading a top of our priority Have all your reading essentials list by allotting a time-specific prepared such as markers, pens schedule makes hitting your goal and bookmarks. more realistic. You can also create a timetable to ensure your progress. 3. Have your reading habit planned CRTW 111 6 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING 4. Do not limit your reading habit Identify the components then ponder on them one by one: Read as much as you can, as often  Underline instructional words, e.g. as you want. Don’t limit your discuss, explain, identify, justify. reading time to a few minutes per  Mark apparent keywords and key day when you have more time to phrases. spare.  Be mindful of the organizational 5. Be a morning reader patterns used (compare and contrast, cause and effect, list, Experts recommend reading early spatial, chronological, etc.) in the morning because the mind is  Evaluate the validity and clearer and the body is most requirement of the questions relaxed at this time. This makes  Brainstorm the question: concentration easier and your learning capacity improved.  Write down all related 6. Try speed reading information  Link the details that you Speed reading allows you to cover know and finish books much faster  Determine knowledge gaps without sacrificing comprehension. What this means is you target Step 2: Practice pre-reading activities specific information within the text, Have the text scanned for the apply reading patterns throughout following details: the pages, and skip unnecessary  Who is the author/s? parts to make reading faster.  What are his or her THE CRITICAL READING PROCESS credentials? What is his or her reputation? Step 1: Analyze the critical reading  Is the writer known for bias? components  What is the nature of the text? Step 2: Practice pre-reading activities  Is it current? Is it authoritative? Is it purely Step 3: List down questions subjective, purely objective, Step 4: Take down notes or a combination of both? Highlight main ideas and keywords: Step 5: Evaluate the text  Read the title, synopsis for stories Step 6: Mind map from memory and abstract for research, section headings and subheadings, and Step 7: Consolidate your knowledge graphical representations.  Read the introduction, the first few Step 1: Analyze the critical reading paragraphs, and the conclusion at components the end. CRTW 111 7 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING Step 3: List down questions  Does it present solutions based on evidence? Connect the content of the text to  Are recommendations appropriate your research questions: to the purpose?  Is this text relevant to my research  In what ways does the question? article/report advance our  If so, list questions about the knowledge of a particular issue? content of the article or report.  What assumptions underlie the Step 4: Take down notes research?  Are they reasonable? Be concise and write on your own Ask questions on the quality of the words. information. Use bullet points. Fill in the evaluation section. Pay attention to citation and Using your answers to the above references. questions in steps 1 and 2: Take note of the arguments raised.  What are the strengths of the text? Summarize the major parts: the  What are the weaknesses? introduction, the body and the conclusion. Step 6: Mind Map from memory Record important quoted materials Make a rough mind map from and the page numbers that you memory: test what you can recall may have to read again later on. from your reading of the text. Write down keywords of any  Make headings of the main ideas relevant information to your and note supporting evidence in questions. dot points. These notes will become your  Include your evaluation: the summary of the text, which you strengths and weaknesses. can use as reference when writing  Identify gaps in your memory. your report or project later on. Step 5: Evaluate the text Ask questions on the value of the research evaluation questions. Step 7: Consolidate your knowledge  Has the article/report fulfilled its Summarize the text in preparation for purpose? writing your assignment:  Is the argument clearly asserted  Make another mind map drawing and supported by evidence? on your notes and your rough mind  Is the research valid? (Sufficient, map. appropriate, adequate, objective,  Make headings and note the valid methodology?) supporting evidence in dot points.  Has the argument been developed  Include your evaluation. logically? CRTW 111 8 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING  Be creative: use color and arrows; *It can be helpful to separate these two make it easy to visualize. physically to ensure that you include  Highlight the ideas you may want both. to use for your assignment. Your notes may also take various  Identify areas for further research. forms and styles, for example:  Linear, or moving from one section to the next on the page in a logical EFFECTIVE STEPS FOR NOTE-TAKING way, using headings and  Highlighting and Emphasizing subheadings;  Making Written Notes  Diagrammatic, using boxes and  Reviewing and Revising Your Notes flowcharts to help you move  Organizing Your Notes around the page; and  Patterns, such as mind maps, 1. Highlighting and Emphasizing which allow a large amount of Highlighting key words or phrases in information to be included in a text will help you: single page, but rely on you to  Focus your attention on what you remember the underlying are reading–and make it easy to information. see key points when re-reading.  Think more carefully about the key concepts and ideas in the text, the bits that are worth highlighting.  See immediately whether you have already read pages or sections of text. 2. Making Written Notes There are two main elements that you need to include in your notes:  The content of your reading, usually through brief summaries or paraphrasing, plus a few well- chosen quotes (with page numbers); and  Your reaction to the content, which may include an emotional reaction and also questions that you feel it raises. CRTW 111 9 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING 2. Skimming vs Scanning READING STRATEGIES IN CRITICAL READING Critical thinking requires critical reading to develop because a huge part of you is influenced by what you read and hear. Up to 80% of knowledge is learned through the eyes, and reading plays the biggest role. 1. Improve your vocabulary Having a wider vocabulary makes comprehension easier. However, expanding one’s vocabulary, especially for those who use English as a second or foreign language, may not be a simple task.  Read a wide range of texts to give yourself a varied vocabulary background.  Have a dictionary at all times. An English-Filipino dictionary is useful, but remember that there are English words that cannot be directly translated directly into NOTES OUTLINE Filipino. Hence, relying in Webster’s is a better option, 1. Reading Strategies CRTW 111 10 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING especially when studying technical be aware of the words, phrases or terminologies. sentences that you do not understand  Never assume the meaning of fully or confuse you. a word that you are unfamiliar You may also follow the tips with. If you hesitate, then look it described here to monitor your up. reading comprehension.  Keep a vocabulary journal where you write down all  Try to recall and explain the words that you learn on a daily key points on your own words or weekly basis. This can be a after each section. The more you notebook or a set of index cards. can recall, the better the This is really helpful, especially comprehension will be. when memorizing jargons often Remember, concentration plays a used in your industry or field of large part in your ability to study. Write the definition in your comprehend so assess your focus. own words and create a sentence using the word that relates to your life. The more you associate the  Avoid reading at a slower pace word to your life, the better the just to compensate for your recall. comprehension level. Research  Learn at least three words a tells us that reading at a slower day and try using them in a speed often interferes with sentence. Small actions can take comprehension because it forces you a long way. us to resort to word for word  Find opportunities to apply the reading. learned words in actual  Use a line guide to keep focused conversations. The more on the text and avoid having your frequent you apply the learned eyes wander around. It can be a words, the more familiar they can ruler, an index card or your finger. get. Do not force it, though, just 3. Improve Your Reading Speed for the sake of application because it might sound awkward to those You can learn to increase your speed you talk with if the usage is by practicing the tips discussed here improper or the venue is not once you understand your present applicable. reading rate. 2. Mind your reading comprehension  Keep in mind that the reading skills pace depends on the type of material you are reading and Monitoring your reading your goal. If you are reading for comprehension means being detail, you must read at a rate for conscious of your recalls. You should comprehension. If you are CRTW 111 11 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING reviewing, reading for general concentration so that rereading main ideas then skimming and becomes unnecessary. using a faster rate is appropriate.  Proactively focus on 2-4 words  You should never read at a rate at a time instead of fixating on that is slower than your a per word reading basis. average rate. Research shows a Increasing my/ reading rate will/ correlation between reading rate help me maximize/ my study time. and comprehension. Slower speed This is basically like trying to read does not guarantee a better phrase for phrase instead of word understanding of the material. for word.  Read with your eyes and mind. Pronouncing the words while you 4. Apply the SQ3R Method—Survey, read slows down your reading Question, Read, Recite and Review speed because it forces your focus This is an active reading method on each word rather than on that, although will seem time groups of words. consuming at the beginning, can still enhance your reading comprehension and learning efficiency.  Practice makes perfect. The more you read, the more proficient Survey: you become.  Scan over the table of contents of a new book to have a clear  Force yourself to read at a understanding of its content faster rate for short periods of and plan your reading in time. Challenging yourself from advance. Is the professor time to time will get you used to following the format of the book or reading faster. is he/she changing how the order of the chapters will be read? How  Go at a speed that is much time is he/she allotting per uncomfortable but you are still chapter? comprehending the material.  Survey the entire chapter Reading at an uncomfortable before you start reading so that speed can be challenging and you become familiar with what will stressful at the beginning, but as be presented and how much time with any new task, doing this daily you need. is bound to improve you.  Look at the title and all  Avoid rereading as much as subtitles to know what the chapter is about and how it is possible. Pay attention to your broken up into parts. Label major headings and subheadings CRTW 111 12 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING to show the relationship between when creating tests or when topics. discussing.  Look at the end of the chapter  Try writing out the questions so aids, such as questions, that you can periodically look at summaries, etc. This will help the questions and stop to see if you select the main ideas as you you can recall the information. read. Read:  Read the introduction and/or first paragraph first. This will  Start reading only when you tell you the purpose of the chapter can concentrate and commit to and will give you an idea of its it. It is advised to read while sitting importance in relation to your rather than lying down as the course. latter makes you very relaxed,  Read the last paragraph. This sometimes sleepy or languid. will summarize the text and can  You must locate the main idea make understanding of the entire of each paragraph. Watching out text easier and faster. for keywords, such as proper  Be mindful of the different nouns, numbers, italicized foreign terminologies used. Bring out terms, jargons, etc., might help index cards and create a you with this. terminology index as you read. The author might have used these  Identify the topic. words to familiarize you with future  Find the main idea. topics, so pay attention.  Look for the supporting details  Underline the main idea Question: Recite:  Turn the subheadings into questions before proceeding to  Take time to paraphrase what read so that your mind is actively you read out loud while looking for answers rather than reading. It helps you avoid passively reading along. plagiarism and helps you  Create questions from remember the main idea at the information printed in the same time. margins. You may also highlight  Try to associate read material keywords or key phrases for future with life experience. You can references. use mnemonic devices for this.  Create questions for each Review: graph presented. You might need to go back to these data once The more you review and recite, the you review. Also remember that better the recall. It actually makes teachers usually refer to graphs your study time more efficient when CRTW 111 13 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING this process becomes a consistent  Allows you to concentrate on study habit. identifying the central or main  Review starts with points organization. Make sure that all  Pre-views a selection of text prior notes and handouts are inserted in to detailed reading date order.  Refreshes understanding of a text  Review your notes and questions following detailed reading created for the daily lesson or  Speed reading at basic level chapter.  Works best with non-fiction or  Review the highlighted areas factual texts of your text.  Speed ranges from 700-1000  Review the comments you words per minute made in the text as you read.  Recite the main points of Skimming will help you locate the each section of the chapter. information quickly. It will also  Review your index card file. increase the amount of usable  Develop study aids like mnemonics material you obtain for your research. for material you must memorize. Suppose you have an exam in a few You can use association, acrostics, days. You need to review the material acronyms or whatever you find you learned, but you don’t want to comfortable with and easy to reread everything. By skimming, you remember. can quickly locate the information you  Create an outline from your haven’t mastered yet and study only texts. This will act as a study that material. guide for the exam.  Recite the information daily to  Once you know where the ensure automatic recall and reading is headed, you can true learning. Recite the begin to read only the first information in your own words for sentence of each paragraph. better comprehension. Also called topic sentences, they  Check and recheck the give you the main idea of the information where you hesitate paragraph. If you do not get the or are not able to recall details. main idea in the topic sentence or if the paragraph greatly interests 5. Do Skimming you, then you may want to skim What is skimming? more.  At the end of each topic  Speedy reading for general sentence, your eyes should meaning drop down through the rest of  Let’s your eyes skip over the paragraph, looking for sentences or phrases that contain important pieces of details CRTW 111 14 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING information, such as names,  May be limited to specific dates, or events. information and may not help the  Continue to read only topic reader understand the general sentences until you are near the idea end. Skimming vs. Scanning  Stop skimming in the last few paragraphs as they may contain Skimming the conclusion or summary.  If you feel you are grasping the  Meant to identify main points without identifying the details main ideas while skimming,  Covers 700-1000 wpm then you are skimming correctly. Remember that your Scanning overall comprehension will be lower than if you read in detail.  Meant to identify specific details without understanding the main Ask yourself these questions to decide if points you want to use skimming. If you answer  Covers more than 1000 wpm yes to any of these, then skimming is a useful tool for you: For this speed-reading process to be successful, you need to understand how  Is this material non-fiction? your material is structured as well as  Do I have a lot to read and only a comprehend what you read so you can small amount of time? locate the specific information you need.  Do I already know something about this?  Establishing your purpose,  Can any of the material be locating the appropriate skipped? material, and knowing how the information is structured 6. Do Scanning before you start scanning is essential. The material you scan What is scanning? is typically arranged in the  Passing the vision speedily over a following ways: alphabetically, selection of text to find specific chronologically, non-alphabetically, words or phrases by category, or textually.  Skipping over large portions of  Use your hands when scanning. texts to find what you are looking Using your hand or finger is form extremely helpful in focusing your  Speed ranges above 1000 words attention and keeping your place per minute while scanning a column of  Covers more area than skimming material. within the same amount of time  Use peripheral vision when  Does not require reading of entire scanning. When your hand moves texts down a list of names, you see not CRTW 111 15 0 0  DY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY F COMPUTER STUDIES EADING, WRITING AND THINKING only the name your finger is  Ability to understand implicit pointing to, but also the names messages conveyed by a writer above and below. based on the reader’s schema  Keep the concept of key words or background knowledge in mind while scanning. Your purpose will determine the key  Take two or more details from words. Suppose you are looking the reading and see if you can for the time a train leaves from draw a conclusion. Remember, Pasay City for Quezon City. The key making an inference is not just words to keep in mind are “from making a wild guess. You need to Pasay City” and “to Quezon City.” make a judgment that can be supported. When is the right time to scan?  When you are asked an You scan when your aim is to find inference question, go back specific pieces of information. If you over the reading and look for were doing the research for a report, you hints within the text, such as could scan the index of books, web sites, words that are directly related to and reference materials. the question you may be asked or words that indicate opinion. The most important benefit of scanning is its ability to help you become a more flexible reader. Scanning adds another high gear to your reading. Because you may be used to reading every word and may be uncomfortable leaving some words out, you need to give yourself permission to overlook some words by skimming, scanning, and skipping material according to your reading purpose. 7. Make Inferences Making inferences is a comprehension strategy used by proficient readers to “read between the lines,” make connections, and draw conclusions about the text’s meaning and purpose.  Inference means concluding based on knowledge and experience. CRTW 111 16 0 0