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Critical Reading, writing, and Thinking
WEEK 2
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AGENDA
Introduction to Critical Reading
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Reading is a multifaceted process involving one’s sense to recognize words and
understand contexts. It encompasses integration of fluency, vocabulary, and
motivation to decode meaning.
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According to Day and Bamford (1998), reading is meaning construction from a printed
or written message. Meaning construction involves the reader connecting information
from the written message with previous knowledge to arrive at meaning and
understanding.
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As defined by Cline et al. (2006), reading is decoding and understanding written
texts. Decoding involves translation of the symbols of writing system (including
Braille) into the spoken words that they represent. Meanwhile, understanding is
determined by factors such as the reading purpose, the context, the nature of the
text, and the readers’ strategies and knowledge.
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Importance of Reading Comprehension
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Reading comprehension is the ability to process text, understand its meaning, and
to integrate with what the reader already knows.
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Discover new things because reading comprehension allows us to educate ourselves in
any area of life that we are interested in and to independently do our own research
and thinking;
Access and comprehend different reading materials such as textbooks, general
references, research, journals, history books, literature, etc.;
Develop our mind and enhance our imagination and creativity;
Improve our vocabulary and spelling, as well as our linguistic and communicative
competence on both written and spoken forms;
Build a good self-image; and function necessarily at home, school, workplace,
community, thus, in today’s society.
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These are questions we can answer through merely reading a text.
What is the title?
Who is the author?
Who are the people involved in the text?
What are the names of the characters?
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These questions will require readers to go beyond reading.
What are the assumptions made in the text? Are they important? Are they possible?
Are they reasonable?
What are the evidences stated that support the claim? Are they appropriate to the
context? Are they true today?
Are the beliefs or values of the author explicit?
Were there inconsistent statements?
What could be the possible counterclaims for the text?
Can you see any justification (direct or implied) for the research decisions? Do
the justifications seem reasonable?
How does the development of information affect the purpose of the text?
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Reading isn’t just fundamental. It is critical.
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Critical reading is an analytic activity. The reader rereads a text to identify
patterns of elements: information, values, assumptions, and language usage,
throughout the discussion. These elements are tied together in an interpretation,
an assertion of an underlying meaning of the text as a whole.
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Critical reading is an analytic activity.
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Reading critically means reflecting on:
Content of the text: the reader should be able to interpret and explain the main
points of the text on his or her own words
Descriptions in the text: the reader should be able to create his or
her own examples based from the described key points and be able to compare them
with other texts of the same topic
Interpretation of the text: the reader should be able to objectively
analyze the text in parts and in whole
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The Difference Between READING and CRITICAL READING
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READING CRITICAL READING
Purpose To know the title
To know who the author is
To search for specific information
To get a basic grasp of the text To recognize arguments
To form judgments about HOW a text works
To assess the strengths of the text
To evaluate evidences
To generate questions
The difference between reading and critical reading:
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READING CRITICAL READING
Activity Memorizing
Absorbing
Understanding Analyzing
Interpreting
Evaluating
The difference between reading and critical reading:
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READING CRITICAL READING
Questions What is the text about?
Who are the characters?
What is the setting?
What is the plot?
What is the theme? What is the main argument?
How does the text work? How is it argued?
What kinds of reasoning and evidences are used?
What are the underlying assumptions?
What does the text mean?
The difference between reading and critical reading:
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READING CRITICAL READING
Direction WITH the text (taking for granted it is right) With and AGAINST the
text (questioning its assumptions and arguments, interpreting meaning in context,
and connecting it to other similar texts)
The difference between reading and critical reading:
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READING CRITICAL READING
Response Restatement, Summary Description, Interpretation, and Evaluation
The difference between reading and critical reading:
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Critical Reading as a Daily Routine
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Be consistently conscious of the nature and content of the text, and everything
that the author implies behind the text.
Making reading a habit widens our horizons and allows us to always look at the
bigger picture from a vantage point.
Absorb as much as you can, integrate the valuable ones to your own principles
and values, and adopt the attitude necessary to keep yourself inspired in
reading.
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The Goal of Reading
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For academic purposes
To be entertained
To understand
To be informed
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Adopting a Healthy Attitude in Reading
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Emotionally detaching yourself from the text. Advisably, one has to maintain
objectivity when reading as this allows a person to analyze the text using logic
and not feelings.
In critical reading, you are encouraged to learn meaning and identify value rather
than absorb everything at face value.
In order to keep a positive attitude when reading, one has to equip him or herself
with tools that make learning more convenient and less tiresome.
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