Critical Reading and Writing
The Challenge
Professor Ashok Ranchhod
What does “Reading” Mean?
Most times we have been taught to read
receptively and read for information.
We often do not construct knowledge as
we read.
(Bosley 2008)
* In this modern environment of constant
bombardment with information on the
Internet-How and what do we read?
Approaching texts
Often most people do not approach
texts with a questioning stance-probing
for underlying assumptions or
intentions. Many students read at
surface level and tend to give up when
the going gets tough.
What sort of a skill is this?
How would you read these texts?
An introductory Architecture book?
An essay by a prominent sociologist
A first hand account of a historical event
A brief lyric poem
A magazine advertisement
A novel for pleasure
A novel for literary analysis
Issues and elements of critical reading
(Bosley)
What particular challenges do you face
as a reader in your disciplinary field?
Read actively or critically
Construct knowledge
A questioning stance
Probe for underlying assumptions or
intentions
Engage in the difficulty of the process
How are these points executed?
The reader engages in a discourse with
the text
Talks to the book
Asks questions
Makes predictions
Forms connections with prior knowledge
and experiences
How can you create activities to help
you?
Mark text: Use highlighters, pencils, pens
Make notes: use post-ts, notebooks, computers
Make a paragraph summary of the contents
Write down what the text seems to want to
achieve
List strategies in the text to achieve its goals
Step back: How well does the text do, in the
reader’s opinion? Locate evidence tell why
Being critical in academic Enquiry
The authors mean to be honest..but may
have been misled by the evidence…..
The authors mean to be impartial …but..
The reasoning is flawed
The authors mean to be impartial but have
made assumptions that I don’t share
The authors are attempting to say
something new but have not taken into
consideration other information that I
have……
In commenting on texts ….
Demand of yourself evidence to back up
your claims
Be alert to the possibility of making an
illogical jump in your reasoning
Become sensitive to your own assumptions
and how they might affect your claims
Realise the importance of checking the
literature thoroughly to ensure that your
understanding is sufficiently deep
The Skill of Critical Reading
This skill lies is assessing the extent to
which authors have provided
justification for the claims they make.
This assessment depends partly on what
the authors have communicated and
partly on other relevant knowledge,
experience and interference that you
are able to bring into the frame.
The skill of self-critical writing
This skill lies in convincing your reading
to accept your claims. You achieve this
through the effective communication of
adequate reasons and evidence for
these claims.
What is your educational experience?
Targeting an effective balance between different academic traditions
Too studentcentred
Target balance
Too knowledge
centred
Too easily dismisses
the expertise of
others
Assumes authors
are knowledgeable,
while remaining
alert for possible
flaws in reasoning
Takes too much at
face-value
Fails to see the big
picture
Juxtaposes the
overall picture with
the specifics of
particular situations
Fails to see
implications of
generalised ideas
for a specific
context
Underestimates the
task of becoming
truly
knowledgeable
about a model or an
idea
Is prepared to
criticise a model or
idea, while
retaining a sense of
what authors might
say in reply
Believes it is
sufficient to be
knowledgeable
about a model or
idea
Why Critical?
Critical thinking and creativity: managing
creative processes in self and others:
organising thoughts, analysis, synthesis,
critical appraisal. This includes the
capability to identify assumptions,
evaluate statements in terms of evidence,
detect false logic or reasoning, identify
implicit values, define terms adequately
and generalise appropriately. QAA
benchmark for Masters Awards. (Skills for
all Masters Programmes)
Objects of Scrutiny
The evidence provided in the account
Whether the reasoning of the author’s
argument follows logically to the conclusion
that has been drawn
Explicit or implicit implications of the author’s
values and assumptions
The match between the author’s claims and the
claims of other authors
The match between the author’s claims or
predictions and the reader’s own research
evidence or knowledge.
Task Driven Critical Reading
You have been told to read it in preparation for a
class
You are doing background reading on your subject,
just to get your bearings
It reports a particular approach or technique you
want to see in action
It addresses a particular question that you want to
know the answer to
You are looking for evidence to counter balance
something else that you have read
You have a particular story to tell, and you need
some supporting evidence for it.
Evaluating Usefulness
OPINION=UNWARRANTED CONCLUSION
ARGUMENT=CONCLUSION + WARRANTING
The conclusion is only half of an argument. You
can legitimately ask of any set of claims: “ Why
should I believe this?” The other half of the
argument is the warranting. The warranting is
the reason for accepting the conclusion, including
evidence for it. Demand a convincing warranting
for every conclusion that you read about. Also
demand of yourself that every conclusion you
draw is adequately warranted.
Evaluating Usefulness II
CONVINCING ARGUMENT = CONCLUSION (Contains
Claims) + ADEQUATE WARRANTING (Based on
sufficient appropriate evidence)
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Since research shows that girls mature faster than boys, studies should take
age and gender into account when exploring child development
Child development studies should take age and gender into account because
research shows that girls mature faster than boys
Research shows that girls mature faster than boys. Therefore, studies of
child development should take age and gender into account.
In so far as girls are believed to mature faster than boys, studies of child
development should take age and gender into account
In conditions where girls mature faster than boys, studies of child
development should take age and gender into account
Where it is relevant to the investigation that girls mature faster than boys,
studies should take age and gender into account.
Five Critical Synopsis Questions
Why am I reading this?
What are the authors trying to do in
writing this?
What are the authors saying that is
relevant to what I want to find out?
How convincing is what the authors are
saying?
In conclusion what use can I make of
this?