critical reading

Critical Reading

06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading 2

Critical Reading

Reading as a Dialog

All reading is an active, reflective, problem-solving process. We do not simply read words; we read ideas, thoughts that spring from the relationships of various assertions.

Critical Reading Dan Kurland's www.criticalreading.com

Non-critical reading – To non -critical readers, texts provide facts.

Critical reading – to recognize an author’s purpose – to understand tone and persuasive elements – to recognize bias

facts + interpretation

Non-critical reading is satisfied with recognizing what a text says and restating the key remarks.

Critical reading goes two steps further. Having recognized what a text says , it reflects on

what the text does by making such remarks. – Is it offering examples? Arguing? – Appealing for sympathy? – Making a contrast to clarify a point?

Finally, critical readers then infer what the text, as a whole, means , based on the earlier analysis.

What a text says – restatement – talks about the same topic as the original text

What a text does – description – discusses aspects of the discussion itself

What a text means – interpretation — analyzes the text and asserts a meaning for the text as a whole

Restatement generally takes the form of a summary, paraphrase, or précis – when learning the definitions and concepts of a

new discipline, – when there is agreement on the facts of a

situation and their interpretation, – when a text is taken to offer a complete and

objective presentation, or – when the word of a specific author or source is

accepted as authoritative.

Description – what topics are discussed? – what examples and evidence are used? – what conclusions are reached?

We want to recognize and describe how evidence is marshalled to reach a final position, rather than simply follow remarks from sentence to sentence.

Interpretation – This final level of reading infers an overall meaning. – We examine features running throughout the text to see

how the discussion shapes our perception of reality. – We examine what a text does to convey meaning:

how patterns of content and language shape the portrayal of the topic and how relationships between those patterns convey underlying meaning.

– to recognize an author’s purpose – to understand tone and persuasive elements

– to recognize bias

Notice that none of these goals actually refers to something on the page. Each requires inferences from evidence within the text:

recognizing purpose involves inferring a basis for choices of content and language

recognizing tone and persuasive elements involves classifying the nature of language choices

recognizing bias involves classifying the nature of patterns of choice of content and language

Critical reading is not simply close and

careful reading. To read critically, one must actively

recognize and analyze evidence upon the page.

what to look for ( analysis ) and how to think about what you find ( inference )

The first part —what to look for— involves

recognizing those aspects of a discussion that control the meaning.

The second part —how to think about what you find— involves the processes of inference, the interpretation of data from within the text.

All reading is an active, reflective, problem-

solving process. We do not simply read words; we read ideas,

thoughts that spring from the relationships of various assertions.

Writing – what we say (content), – how we say it (language), and – the flow from one assertion to another, how ideas

connect to one another to convey broader meaning (structure).

Structure – Time narrative – Argument development (facts + assertions)

IDEAS – providing appropriate and sufficient arguments

and examples? – choosing terms that are precise, appropriate, and

persuasive? – making clear the transitions from one thought to

another and assured the overall logic of the presentation

Critical Reading University of Toronto http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/critrdg.html

don't read looking only or primarily for

information do read looking for ways of thinking about

the subject matter

Critical Reading University of Toronto http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/critrdg.html

First determine the central claims or purpose

Begin to make some judgements about context

Distinguish the kinds of reasoning the text employs

Examine the evidence (the supporting facts, examples, etc) Critical reading may involve evaluation.

Critical Reading Pearson - http://occawlonline.pearsoned.com/bookbind/pubbooks/lardner_awl/chapter1/custom5/deluxe-content.html

The Process: Reading & Annotating Recall your purpose.

– What are you looking for? – How will you use what you find? Identify the weave of the

text: – Double underline the author’s explanation of the main

point(s) and jot "M.P." in the margin. (Often, but not always, a writer will tell an engaged reader where the text is going.)

– Underline each major new claim that the author makes in developing the text and write "claim 1," "claim 2," and so on in the margin.

– Circle major point of transition from the obvious (subtitles) to the less obvious (phrases like however, on the other hand, for example, and so on).

– Asterisk major pieces of evidence like statistics or stories or argument note in the margin the kind of evidence and its purpose, for example, "story that illustrates claim."

– Write "concl." in the margin at points where the writer draws major conclusions. Locate passages and phrases that trigger reactions.

– Put a question mark next to points that are unclear and note whether you need more information or the author has been unclear or whether the passage just sounds unreasonable or out-of-place.

– Put an exclamation point next to passages that you react to strongly in agreement, disagreement, or interest.

– Attach a post-it note next to trigger passages and write a brief reaction as you read.

What Next?

Building Models – expectations 1. Introduction 2. Background 3. Experiment / Project 4. Results / Outcome – Evaluation 5. Conclusion – References – Appendices

Structure

The main idea of a text (the “red thread”) – I will show X – stated in the abstract – stated in the introduction – supported by rest of the text – reiterated in the conclusion

survey

result

Organisation - mindmaps

Main idea

Related idea 1 Related idea 2

Related idea 4 Related idea 3

Summary: Critical Reading

DIALOG facts + interpretation What a text says –

restatement What a text does –

description What a text means –

interpretation

recognizing purpose recognizing bias ways of thinking evidence + evaluation annotate texts models – red thread mindmapping goal oriented aware

critical reading - karlstad universitynon-critical reading is satisfied with recognizing what a text...

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