An Introduction to Critical Reading

Presented by

Paul Krauss

Traci Scherdell

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Exercise #1

Take 2-3 minutes to read the following passage entitled “Higher Levels of Reading and Higher Education.”

When you are finished, please turn over the paper.

What is “critical reading?”

Preface – “Critical” is not intended to have a negative meaning in the context of “critical reading.”

Definition: An active approach to reading that involves an in depth examination of the text. Memorization and understanding of the text is achieved. Additionally, the text is broken down into its components and examined critically in order to achieve a meaningful understanding of the material.

Passive vs. Active Reading

Passive Reading: - (4 traits) 1. Largely inactive process. 2. Low motivation to examine the text critically or

at an in-depth level. 3. Important pieces of data and assumptions may be

glossed over and missed. 4. Data and assumptions that are perceived by the

passive reader are accepted at face value or are examined superficially, with little thought.

Passive vs. Active Reading

• Active Reading: - Active reading involves interacting with the text and therefore requires significantly more energy than passive reading.

• Critical reading ALWAYS involves active reading. The active reader invests sufficient effort to understand the text and commit important details to memory.

• The active reader identifies important pieces of data, the assumptions underlying arguments, and examines them critically. They rely on their personal experiences and knowledge of theory to analyze the text.

Techniques of Critical Reading

1. Previewing

2. Writing

3. Critical Reading (at least two times)

4. Summarizing

5. Forming a Critical Response

6. Finding a Focus for Your Paper

Previewing

Form meaningful expectations about the reading. Pace yourself – decide how much time you will

dedicate to the reading. Skimming.

Look for Title, Section Headings, Date Expectations about the Author (previous works) Define the important vocabulary words Brief summaries of chapters The goal is to obtain a general grasp of the text

Writing

1. Writing While Reading

a. Margin

b. Divided Page Method

c. Landmark/Footnote Method

d. Reading Journal

e. Online Documents

Writing - Margin

Mark, highlight, or underline parts of the text that you think are very important.

Option 1 - Write a few words in the margin that capture the essence of your reaction.

Option 2 – Write a few words that will help you to remember the passage. This is useful for learning definitions or parts of a theory.

Example - Margin

Please turn to the handout titled, “Example #1 – Margin.”

Divided Page Method

On a separate piece of paper, divide your page into two columns.

Label one column “text” (meaning from your reading) and the other “response” (meaning your response).

Write down a part of the text you think is important in the “text” column and then write a reaction to it in the other column.

Example – Divided Page Method

Please turn to the handout titled, “Example #2 – Divided Page Method.”

Landmark/Footnote Method

On a separate piece(s) of paper or in your reading journal, dedicate an adequate amount of space to an article, book, chapter, etc, you are reading.

Highlight, mark, or underline a critical part in your reading. In the margin, indicate that you are going to write a footnote. For example, write a 1 or a (or whatever you want).

In your reading journal, write a ‘1’ or ‘a’ (or whatever symbol you chose) and then write your critical response.

Example – Landmark/Footnote

Please turn to the handout titled, “Example #3 – Landmark/Footnote Method.”

Reading Journal

In addition to the other uses described above, use the reading journal to track what you are reading and to form critical responses to articles, chapters, etc you have read in their entirety.

Try to summarize the entire article, describe the main points, define key terms, and express your reactions.

Remember, do NOT refer back to the text until you absolutely have to! Give your memory a workout! Force yourself to learn the material as you read and be able to write it down clearly afterwards.

Also, put concepts into your own words. A general rule is 3-5 pages of notes per 100 pages of text.

Online Documents

Two ways to write while reading online documents…

1) Reading Journal

2) Cut and Paste in Word Processor, then insert comments

For example…

Read #1

Read in an environment where you will be free from distractions.

Read steadily and smoothly. Try to enjoy the work.

Write notes, but do so sparingly. What works best for you? We suggest avoiding your cell phone, television,

computer, and most music (besides instrumental).

Read #2

Re-read the material more slowly than during your first read.

The two most important objectives are:1. Understand the content of the material

2. Understand the material’s structure

3 Responses to Texts

Restatement- Restating what a text says; talking about the original topic.

Description- Describing what a text a does; identifies aspects of text.

Interpretation- Analyze what a text means; asserts an overall meaning.

Summarization

Summarization: Pull out the main points of the text and write them down.

The summary’s complexity and length will vary according to the complexity and length of the text you have read!

Exercise #2

Take 4-6 minutes to read the following article entitled “Graduate Students debate the merits of unionizing.”

Use what you have learned about critical writing during this read.

When you are finished, please turn over the paper.

Forming Your Critical Response

Analysis Interpretation Synthesis In forming your critical response, you will

now go beyond what the author has explicitly written to form your impressions of the text.

Analysis

Analysis is the separation of something into its parts or elements, which helps to examine them more closely.

To analyze reading, you can take at least these two approaches:

1) Choose a question to guide analysis.

2) Look at the author’s argument structure.

Analysis (continued)

Examine the argument structure. Claims: Statements that require support by

evidence. Assumptions: The writer’s underlying

beliefs, opinions, principles, or inferences that connect evidence to the claims.

Analysis (continued)

Types of evidence Facts: Verifiable evidence. Opinion: Judgments based upon facts. Expert Opinion: Judgments formed by authorities on a given

subject. Appeal to Beliefs or Needs: Readers are asked to accept a

claim in part because they already accept it as true WITHOUT factual evidence or because it coincides with their needs.

Appeal to Emotion: A claim that is persuasive because it evokes an emotion within the reader, but may or may not rely on factual evidence.

Analysis (continued)

To judge the reliability of evidence, look at the following areas: Accuracy Relevance Representativeness Adequacy

Analysis (continued)

Logical Fallacies: Errors in reasoning. Examples:

Red herring-introduction of an irrelevant issue in an argument.

Non sequitur- linking two or more ideas that have no logical connection.

Making broad generalizations without proven empirical evidence.

Learn to identify logical fallacies by visiting: http://www1.ca.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/index.html

Interpretation

After breaking down the text into its components and examining them, ask yourself about the conclusions you can draw from this evidence.

What claims does the author make? What evidence supports these claims? Can you infer anything beyond what the author

has explicitly written that either strengthens or weakens the claims made by the author?

See Critical Reading Checklist Handout

Synthesis

Now that you have broken down the text into its parts, analyzed them, and interpreted it all, you should make new connections with what you know.

Ask yourself again: What are the main points of this text? Were my expectations for this article met? If I “read in between the lines” do I learn anything else about what the author is saying? Overall, what can I conclude from this text?

Delivering Your Critical Response

By this point, you will have everything you need to create a critical response. At The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, your delivery will typically be in the form of a written paper or oral presentation.

If you want assistance on this task, please feel free to stop by the Academic Support Center.

Finding a Focus for Your Paper

If you are delivering a critical response in the form of a written paper, we have some tips for finding a focus for your writing and getting started.

Step 1:Finding Your Focus

Start early. Give yourself enough time. Understand the assignment requirements. Know the material. Choose a topic that interests you & has potential

future value. Make sure the topic is relevant and researchable

(appropriate available research). Develop a controlling idea that is congruent with

your angle on a topic or what you read.

Step 2:Developing your angle and

establishing a controlling idea

Developing an angle and establishing a controlling idea is important for every type of paper.

Be as specific as possible. Use it to focus & direct the paper. Make a statement instead of a question State a point that you can further develop,

explain, or substantiate.

Developing Your Focus:Examples

Angle Controlling IdeaHomelessness. The causes of homelessness

Cultural bias in testing. Problems, solutions, & theclinician’s role

Professional Ethics. Bridging the gap betweenprofessional ethical standards and personal

morals

Step 3:Getting Started

Start-up Styles: Outline: Intro, body, conclusion Brainstorm: Write down points & ideas you have

regarding your topic. Find relevant research & writing regarding your

topic and highlight important quotations. Start writing & organize it later.

Different strategies work for different people!

The Writing Process

Rough Draft Final Draft Edit Edit Again If you need assistance you can bring your

paper to the Academic Support Center (room 631) for review.

References

Adler M. J., & Van Doren, C. (1972). How to read a book. Touchstone: New York.

Fowler, H. R., & Aaron, J. E. (2001). The little, brown handbook. Longman: New York.

Godfrey, A., & Krauss, P. (2006). The art of essay writing: back to basics. Presented in March and July, 2006. The Chicago School: Chicago.

Kurland, D. (2000). How language really works: The fundamentals of critical reading and effective writing. Retrieved 5 July 2006 from

http://www.criticalreading.com

References continued

Stover, A. (2005). An introduction to critical reading. Presented October, 2005 and March, 2006. The Chicago School: Chicago.