Reading Critically LEARNING SKILLS

Reading Critically LEARNING SKILLS

Discussion IS THIS A STRONG ARGUMENT? Women are much better at handling stress than men. For example, my mother can think more clearly in a stressful situation than my father. 2

Overview of this workshop What does reading critically mean? Some questions to ask of a text Practice Source: panoramio (n.d.)

What does it mean to read critically? Examining the strengths and weaknesses of a reading s argument http://owll.massey.ac.nz/study-skills/critical-reading.php Source: Wikipedia (1997) 4

When should I read critically? ACTIVITIES REQUIRING CRITICAL READING Tutorial discussions Case studies Research reports Critical reviews Annotated bibliographies Essays Q words: analyse, evaluate, discuss, apply comment on, compare/ contrast 5

A plan of attack POSSIBLE METHOD TO ANALYSE A TEXT 1. Investigate key aspects of the text 2. Consider how well the thesis, arguments, evidence and conclusion fit together 3. Consider the implications of the ideas in the reading 4. Compare the text to information you already know 6

What aspects of readings might I critique? Reliability Framework Thesis Evidence Conclusion Author Audience Evidence Source Date Theory/ concept Position Arguments [assumptions] Methodology Type of evidence/ data Interpretations: How logical? How tentative? How generalizable? 7

The reliability test WHO/ WHERE/ HOW/ WHEN Where does the information come from? Who is the audience for the information? How is the information verified? Is the source of the information objective? Is the information up-to-date? Brick, J. (2006). Academic culture: A student s guide to studying at university. Sydney: Macquarie University Press Source: Wikipedia () 8

The reliability test ACTIVITY Look at the texts on your handout. Use the five reliability questions to decide how reliable each text is. Source: Pixabay (2014) 9

The framework CONCEPTS/ THEORIES What concept/ theory is used? What do you know about this theory? (assumptions) How does it compare with the theories you ve already studied? 10

The framework CONCEPT/ THEORY Poverty: Marxism vs Capitalism Source:Wikimedia (2009) 11

The thesis/ research question Is the thesis/ research question un-provable? Is it too categorical? This research shows that the most effective method of education is online study. RQ1. How can world poverty be solved? 12

The arguments used POSSIBLE FLAWS Over simplification False causation Circular arguments Lack of counter arguments Most poverty occurs in developing countries. The poorest people in a country are often the most religious. Therefore, religion causes poverty. Poverty is hard to escape because people have so little money For more detail see logicalfallacies.info; http://www.sussex.ac.uk/s3/? id=90 13

The arguments used BEWARE ASSUMPTIONS- HIDDEN PERSUADERS Generalisations "Most authors agree " Who are these authors? False assumptions "Intuition, the key to good criticism..." Where is the evidence? Appeals to experts "Jane Craibill, administrator of QPAC believes actors and technical staff should have equal pay..." Great sentiment, but still her opinion. Reliance on the past "Artists have always initiated social change..." Again, where is the evidence or examples? Selecting information and ignoring contrary points of view Only choosing evidence that supports your views Watch out for these words "Plainly, obviously, undeniably, naturally, as you will agree, there is no doubt, it has to be admitted, clearly..." http://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/learning/reading-critically 14

Beware assumptions! GAPS IN REASONING A man and his son are driving in a car. The car crashes into a tree, killing the father and seriously injuring his son. At the hospital, the boy needs to have surgery. Upon looking at the boy, the doctor says (telling the truth), "I cannot operate on him. He is my son. How can this be? Source: http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_reading_core.htm 15

Evidence APPROPRIACY FOR THE STUDY What type of evidence is used? How much evidence is there? Two local residents were interviewed, and their comments recorded Source: fmschmitt.com 2007 The survey was conducted by telephone. 20 000 responses were collected. 16

Interpretation IS THE EVIDENCE ADEQUATE TO THE CONCLUSION? Claims A) The Government is 35% behind in the opinion polls B) The Government is not very popular C) No political party has ever won an election from a position of the level of the Government s unpopularity Conclusions 1) The Government will lose the next election 2) The Government might lose the next election 3) The Government will probably lose the next election Source: van den Brink-Budgen, R 2000, Critical Thinking for Students, How To Books Ltd, Begbroke, Oxford. 17

Critical thinking tools READING LOG What is the main idea or argument? What evidence is used to support this argument? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this evidence? Do you agree or disagree with this argument or theory (and why)? How does this relate to other readings/lectures? 18

Critical thinking tools READING MATRIX Qs Reading 1 Reading 2 Reading 3 Reading 4 Q Q Q Q 19

Activity ANALYSE THE ASPECTS DISCUSSED On the text write questions and comments for yourself What is the argument being presented? Do you agree with it? Why? What evidence is being used? Do you find it convincing? Why? 20

Sources SLIDES Slide 7 http://www.panoramio.com/photo/11795152 Slide 8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/barry_flanagan#mediaviewer/file:usa- National_Gallery_of_Art_Sculpture_Garden0.jpg Slide 10 Brick, J. (2006). Academic culture: A student s guide to studying at university. Sydney: Macquarie University Press http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hermann_hesse Slide 11 http://pixabay.com/en/sculpture-woman-statue-read-book-539323/ Slide 13:tp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Urban_Poverty.jpg Slide 14: ttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2009.09216.x/full Slide 18: http://www.fmschmitt.com/travels/italy/umbria/orvieto/ Orvieto_Duomo/2007_10_04_Italy_Umbria_Orvieto_Duomo_bronzes %2011-4-2007%204-21-37%20PM.JPG 21

Thank you!