The Writing Centre, University of Toronto at Scarborough. P 1. Web: ( retrieved on 07/07/2013)
http://www.how-to-study.com/study-skills/en/122.asp ( retrieved on 07/07/2013)
http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/criticalreading.htm ( retrieved on 07/07/2013)
The Writing Centre, University of Toronto at Scarborough. P 1. Web: ( retrieved on 07/07/2013)
Academic Reading: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines. Pp: 42_48
Teaching Effectiveness Program – Spring 2011http://tep.uoregon.edu( retrieved on 07/07/2013)
http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/critical/ct.php( retrieved on 07/07/2013)
http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_reading_thinking.htm( retrieved on 07/07/2013)
http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/resources/writing/writing-resources/critical-reading( retrieved on 07/07/2013)
Al Akhawayne University School of Humanities and
Ifrane Social Sciences
Graduate Academic Skills SSK 2201 01
Critical Reading
Skill
_ Abderrazak charaka Dr. Abderahmane
_ Ayoub laissouf Azennoud
Summer 2013
Abstract
In this project, we start by giving reliable definitions of critical reading from experts. Then, we make a distinction between reading and critical reading; in addition to that, we provide readers with the most useful tools of critical reading. Moreover, we discuss and give the strategies of critical reading which are known as the most commonly used among readers around the glop. After that, we make an interesting contrast between critical reading and critical thinking. Eventually, we end our project by explaining and signaling the aim or the main purpose of critical reading.
Introduction
Reading is a linguistic, sociological, and psychological aspect. It is an interactive process between the text and the reader, and it is a reaction between the text and the reader's experience. Reading may make us smarter because the more we read, the more we learn. It helps us to sharpen our intelligence, for when we start reading, we immense ourselves in an ocean of knowledge where we have to connect words, sentences, and paragraphs to one another and to make connection between the various things that we read. In addition, reading may make us more tolerant because reading requires listening to someone else and paying attention to that person to understand his/her intention. However, critical reading is something beyond that, for when we start reading critically, we don't just read to be entertained, informed, or enlightened, but we read to react with the writer and show our standing by accepting or rejecting his/ her assertion. Being a critical reader means you have the ability to realize that the ideas on the page are placed there by a special person whose aim is to teach, persuade, amuse, provoke, or advise his/ her readers. Critical reading is a conversation between the writer and the reader in which the reader reads carefully and responds to the author's ideas, and assesses the effectiveness of the writer's message by rejecting errors and manipulation and praising honesty and inspiration. Critical reading helps to discover and understand the author's arguments and helps to make assumptions and opinions based on what is read. Moreover it helps to base judgments on evidence.
Critical reading: Definition
According to Jennifer Duncan, critical reading is, "A process of analyzing, interpreting and, sometimes, evaluating the larger meanings of a text and how those meanings are created by the text" according to this definition, critical reading is a process which includes many steps that lead the reader deal with the text professionally. In addition, it involves abilities to take a position associating what you are reading so that it consists from, "questioning and evaluating what the author is saying and forming your own opinions about what the author is saying."
The distinctions between reading and critical reading
Critical reading is a sophisticated skill leads the reader to discover additional information and ideas within a text. "It means reading with the goal of finding deep understanding of a material, whether it is fiction or nonfiction. It is the act of analyzing and evaluating what you are reading as you progress, or as you reflect back" , whereas reading is defined as a process of understanding a text without going beyond the text by questioning, inferencing, distinguishing facts and opinions, and evaluating the writer's words, ideas, and intent. According to The Writing Centre, University of Toronto at Scarborough, these are the main differences between reading and critical reading:
reading
Critical reading
Purpose
To get a basic grasp of the text.
To form judgments about HOW a text works.
activity
Absorbing/Understanding
Analyzing/Interpreting/Evaluating
Focus
What a text SAYS
What a text DOES and MEANS
Questions
What is the text saying? What information can I get out of it?
How does the text work? How is it argued?
What are the choices made? The patterns that result? What kinds of reasoning and evidence are used? What are the underlying assumptions and perspectives? What does the text mean? Is the text effective? How can I use it to develop my own argument?
Direction
WITH the text (taking for granted it is right)
AGAINST the text (questioning its assumptions and argument, interpreting meaning in context)
Response
Restatement, Summary
Description, Interpretation, Evaluation
The tools of critical reading
Critical reading, as an advance skill, is the ability to understand deeply information, anatomize how it is presented, set the purpose of the writer beyond his words and determine his perspective, improve what it means, and finally apply it. This ability to read critically is a process, so the reader is requires mastering some essential tools that lead him to be a good critical reader through a set of mental processes.
According to Giltrow, the tools of critical reading are:
Active reading
Uncovering denotative meanings and identifying main ideas and supporting detail takes active readers closer to a writer's meaning than our customary fast read
Irony, Sarcasm, and Humor
Irony and sarcasm point to discrepancies between what exists and what ought to be.
Argumentative assumptions
An assumption supposes that something is so evident that it requires no explanation or proof.
Recognizing the writer persona ( voice)
The writer's presence in a written work is called a persona. One of the most important clues to persona can be found in the tone of the writer.
Determining purpose
Recognizing purposes through identifying description, narration, exposition, and argument is a fairly easy reading task discovered by asking, "What is this writing doing?" Recognizing thesis statements and identifying developmental strategies clarify how writing proceeds.
Recognizing point of view and purpose
After you find purposes related to the circumstances surrounding writing, look carefully at the writer in relation to his subject. A writer's point of view may be either objective or subjective. When a writer writes objectively, he removes himself from the written word and relates facts, events, and data.
Assessing arguments
Argument refers to what a piece of writing says--its topic, main assertions, supporting evidence or development, and its organizational strategies.. Assessing this kind of argument means making summary statements and describing evidence and organization. Being an active, thinking reader means also identifying formal argument strategies--the kinds used to advance a position on a topic at issue--and recognizing the argument's flaws.
Analysing critically
Active reading, like good writing, becomes easier the more you do it. At first, a checklist or set of questions might help the reader sharpen his critical reading. Making your own questions will focus your critical abilities. Make sure that you have questions to help you identify.
The strategies of critical reading
There are five steps that should be followed to be a critical reader:
1) Previewing: before you start reading, you should first know the author and the text. Ask question such as who is the author? What are the qualifications of the author? Why was the written and when? What kind of writing is that? What type of publication is in it? What is the importance of the title? Previewing help you to be prepared to anticipate arguments, understand the topic under discussion, and follow references. Then, you should use both scanning and skimming strategies to look over: chapters, sections, subtitles, illustrations, introduction, and conclusion.
2) Annotating: to concentrate and maintain critical reading, annotate as you read. There are some techniques that readers can use to annotate text:
Underline or highlight the important terms.
Circle meanings and definitions.
Jot down definitions and key words in the margin.
Signal where significant data can be found with symbols or key words in the margin.
Write brief summaries at the end of subunits.
Jot down questions in the margin beside the section where the answer can be found.
Use numbers in the margin to indicate steps that are in a process
3) Condensing and outlining: try to condense an article or an essay into a short summary, the thesis statement into a short title, and important passages into a few key words. Next, outline the work by listing the thesis statement, subtitle of major sections, topic sentences, supporting arguments, and any significant supporting details such as examples or evidence.
4) Evaluating:
Assess the meaning by asking what is the general point? How is the point conveyed? What are the supporting points?
Evaluate the authority by asking is the author expert? Is the evidence from reliable recourses? Is the evidence convincing? Is the use of the evidence reasonable?
Assess the argument by asking do I agree? If I not, can I rebut it? Are there any good examples?
5) Reflecting: reflect on the historical and social importance of the text or the arguments of the author: what are their influences on social affairs, scholarly speech, and so on. How could these ideas change the globe? In addition to that, reflect on your personal learning by asking what have I learn from that? How could I use this to attain my goals in this life?
Critical thinking: is the ability to think rationally and clearly; it includes the ability to engage in independent and reflective thinking. Someone has the ability of critical thinking can do the following:
Understand the logic connection between the ideas.
Evaluate, identify, and construct the arguments.
Detect the common mistakes of reasoning.
Resolve problems systematically.
Identify the significance and the relevance of idea.
Reflect on the justification of one's principles and belief.
Critical Thinking vs. Critical Reading
We can differentiate between critical thinking and critical reading in the following way:
Critical reading is a technique for exploring and discovering ideas and information within a text.
Critical thinking is a technique for assessing and evaluating ideas and information in order to decide what to accept and believe.
Critical reading involves an active, careful, analytic, reflective reading, but critical thinking focuses on the validity of what we read in light of our previous knowledge and understanding the world. In addition to that, critical thinking relies on critical reading because we cannot think critically about a text if we don't understand it; moreover, when we are reading, we must read every text on its own merits and avoid compelling our prior views or knowledge on it. Furthermore, while we are evaluating the information as we read, we must not change the meaning of the text and force it to say what we like.
Critical reading doesn't have to be negative
The purpose of critical reading is not to search or find fault, but the aim is to assess the strength of the argument and the evidence. It helps to differentiate between the well reasoned argument in the text and the weak one.
Conclusion
The process of reading can be done for many reasons. Some read for pleasure and some read for leisure, whereas some read for purposes of learning, than those need using critical reading skill.
Critical reading skill refers to an accurate, active, reflexive, and analytic reading. This skill of disclosing ideas and information within a text is the most important skill in the learning process nowadays according to the universal experts concerning the sphere of education. It is an effective tool of extracting knowledge from a given passage. It is an advance skill which consists from several abilities such as analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating. In addition to that, it enables the reader to connect the unknown to the known through using logical interpretation concerning the ingredients of the text to evaluate the author's thesis and to grasp his/her intends. It has adopted by all institutes and universities around the world as an effective method in the learning process which enhances clarity and comprehension of the reader regardless of the different disciplines. As a result, , this skill has taken an important place in journals, articles, and books of educational theorists for many years according to its importance in the educational system in terms of better understanding, interacting with the text, and not just consuming words and ideas. However, it still needs more and more research to get more results and develop it to the best.
Works cited
Books
Duncan, Jennifer. The Writing Centre, University of Toronto at Scarborough.
See terms and conditions for use at:
http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~tlsweb/TWC/webresources/terms.htm. Pdf
Giltrow, Janet. Academic Reading: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines.
Peterborough, Ont: Broadview Press, 2002. Print.
Websites:
http://www.how-to-study.com/study-skills/en/122.asp (retrieved on 07/07/2013)
http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/criticalreading.htm (retrieved on 07/07/2013)
Teaching Effectiveness Program – Spring 2011http://tep.uoregon.edu (retrieved on 07/07/2013)
http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/critical/ct.php (retrieved on 07/07/2013)
http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_reading_thinking.htm (retrieved on 07/07/2013)
http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/resources/writing/writing-resources/critical-reading
(retrieved on 07/07/2013)
