Pusat Program Luar FBMK UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA Program Bersemuka

Pusat Program Luar/FBMK UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA Program Bersemuka I Semester 1 2012/13 Kursus: BBI 3420 (Critical Reading and Thinking Skills) 8 Sept 2012

BBI 3420 Critical Reading and Thinking: An Overview

Learning Objectives By the end of the course, students should be able to: 1. 2. 3. 4. identify fundamental critical reading and thinking strategies (C 2), analyse a variety of selected texts using appropriate critical reading and thinking strategies (C 4), demonstrate a high level of competence in raising issues, making decisions and solving problems (P 5), and make decisions based on credible evidence. (CTPS 5).

Course Synopsis This course covers reading purposes, scope and variability, reading processes, and types of reading skills and strategies. It also explores and discusses reading and visualisation techniques, question types and critical reading, questioning and reflecting critically, content and discourse analysis as well as types of thinking strategies and thinking tools.

OVERVIEW OF MODULE Unit 1: Reading a variety of texts: establishing reading purposes and reading processes Unit 2: Critical thinking and language: distinguishing topics, main ideas and supporting details Unit 3: Critical reading strategies: recognising patterns of organisation and summarising Unit 4: Critical thinking and visualisation: Types of visuals and their functions in reading and thinking Unit 5: Types of thinking strategies, thinking tools: Journalistic Questioning, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Socratic Questioning

OVERVIEW OF MODULE Unit 6: More critical reading skills and strategies: Exploring assumptions and making inferences Unit 7: Differentiating facts and opinions; observations and interpretations Unit 8: Assessing and analysing arguments Unit 9: Critical thinking strategies: making decisions and solving problems Unit 10: Critical Evaluation and discussion of texts content: summarizing, analyzing, comparing, inferring and evaluating

Assessment Assignment 1 Assignment 2 Mid Semester Test Final Examination 20% (Due date: Mid Sem) 20% (Due date: Week 10) 30% (To be set by PPL)

What is Thinking? Thinking is a purposeful, organized cognitive process that we use to make sense of our world.

What is Thinking? Why doesn’t SHE like me? Why doesn’t HE like me? As you start asking questions and seek answers, you are in fact thinking.

What is Critical Thinking? WARNING: THIS MAN IS NOT THINKING CRITICALLY!! Source: http: //profmulder. home. att. net/introwhatis. htm

What is Critical Thinking? Critical Thinking is the general term given to a wide range of cognitive and intellectual skills needed to: Effectively identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments. Discover and overcome personal prejudices and biases. Formulate and present convincing reasons in support of conclusions. Make reasonable, intelligent decisions about what to believe and what to do.

General Working Definition of Critical Thinking A process that evaluates ideas through the testing of statements (accuracy) and the soundness of reasoning behind them.

What is Critical Thinking? Reasoning Analyzing CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS Decision Making Evaluating Problem Solving

Critical Thinking (CT) According to history Yap Ah Loy discovered Kuala Lumpur. If we were to apply some CT skills, we may ask: 1. How do we know? 2. What are the grounds for believing that? 3. If there are documents to substantiate the claim, what evidence is there? Are they relevant or sound?

Let’s look at another example: Should all school principals be allowed to serve for more than 5 years in any school? 1. What are the arguments for and against? 2. Are there ethical issues involved? 3. If so, what are they? These examples illustrate the fact that when we think critically, we: Aim at critical judgement about what to accept as reasonable or what is it we should do. That is, how do we explain our reaction; Use standards that themselves are the results of critical reflection in making these judgements

What is critical reading? A non-critical reader might read a history book to learn the facts of the situation or to discover an accepted interpretation of those events. A critical reader might read the same work to appreciate how a particular perspective on the events and a particular selection of facts can lead to particular understanding.

Critical reading involves § recognising key information and ideas within a text; § discovering and understanding how they are linked to give meaning, which then leads to § analysing and evaluating information and or ideas to decide what to accept or believe and then to finally provide logical reason for the acceptance or beliefs etc.

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In short, critical reading involves careful active, reflective analytic reading - reflecting and questioning information (thinking). In critical reading we need to read critically and understand information before we can apply critical thinking strategies/skills to critical reading. Example: clarifying, analysing, evaluating and reasoning information.

Distinguishing main ideas Main Idea The main idea answers the question, “What is the author’s one most important point about the topic? ” may be explicitly stated in a sentence that often appears at or near the beginning of the paragraph

Characteristics of a Main Idea Sentence Must always contain the topic (the word, name, or phrase that tells who or what the paragraph is about) Must always make complete sense by itself (even if you couldn’t read the rest of the paragraph) Must be a general sentence that sums up the details in the paragraph

Location of the Stated Main Idea Sentence Can appear anywhere in a paragraph: l Most often it appears at the beginning. l The next most likely location is at the end. l The third possibility is somewhere else within the paragraph. Regardless of where it appears, it will have supporting details that explain more about it, give examples of it, or prove it.

How to distinguish main ideas: Look for topic sentence – usually at the beginning 2. Summarize the paragraph in one sentence 3. Find recurring words – this may suggest the topic of the paragraph 4. Construct a title for the paragraph 1.

Understanding the Main Idea The main idea is the main point the author is making about the subject, the idea the writer intends to prove. Example: Males and females in our culture speak different body languages. Males use power cues, such as expanded limb positions and serious facial expressions to create an overall impression of power, dominance, high status and activity. Females, on the other hand, use affiliative displays, such as smiles and head cants, to create an overall impression of submissiveness, subordination, low status and passivity. The main idea of paragraph 1 is that ……… • males & females in our culture use different body language. • males use power cues, such as expanded limb positions & serious facial expressions.

Finding the Supporting Details The paragraph can be outlined as follows: 1. (Main idea) Males & females in our culture speak different body languages. A. (Supporting example) Males use power cues, such as expanded limb positions and serious facial expressions to create an overall impression of power, dominance, high status and activity. B. (Supporting example) Females use affiliative displays, such as smiles and head cants, to create an overall impression of submissiveness, subordination, low status and passivity. BBI 342 0 PJJ 200 9/20 10 Dr Sha mee m Rafi k. Gal ea

Supporting Details = Additional Information to Help You Understand the Main Idea l Details consists of specific information such as examples, explanations, descriptions, proof, and statistics. l Who, what, when, where, why, how? The answers will be in the details.

REMEMBER… l l l Only ONE sentence can be the stated main idea in a paragraph. Avoid choosing a sentence just because it interests you or you think it sounds important. Be sure you understand the sentence. The main idea is NEVER a question. Examples are details that support the main idea, so examples cannot be the main idea. Watch for words or phrases authors use to signal their main idea: The point is, It is important, Thus, etc.

Identify the main idea in the paragraph below: First of all, if athletes hope to compete in an Olympic sport, they must be physically strong. Furthermore aspiring Olympians must train rigorously for many years. For the most demanding sports, they train several hours a day, five or six days a week, for ten or more years. In addition to being physically strong, athletes must also be mentally tough. This means that they have to be totally dedicated to their sport, often giving up a normal school, family, and social life. Being mentally strong also means that they must be able to withstand the intense pressure of international competition with its accompanying media coverage. Olympic athletes must be strong both physically and mentally.

Identify the main idea in the paragraph below: Some scientists consider hostility to represent a biological trait that makes aggressive behavior inevitable. They believe that aggression can be traced to a person's genetic makeup. Others believe that hostility is learned and that it comes from the fact that the child cannot have everything he wants. Some of his desires are certain to be frustrated by the rules of society and by the conflicting desires of other people. The child cannot always eat when he wants to. He has to learn to control his need to go to the bathroom. He cannot have the toy that another child owns and is playing with. His mother cannot spend all her time doing what he wants her to do. Other children, bigger than he, push him around. Some scientists believe that hostility is biological, but many believe it is learned

Ambiguity in Language When the meaning of a word, phrase, or sentence is unclear, we say that it is “ambiguous”. Interpreting the issue, conclusion, and reasons is much more difficult when ambiguous language is used.

Ambiguity in Language The nature of language is that it is flexible. Words and phrases can have different meanings in different contexts. Sometimes a speaker / writer is ambiguous due to being sloppy with language. Other times, the ambiguity may be intentional. In any case, we need to watch out for ambiguous language, and discern the correct meaning before we can decide if we agree with someone.

Ambiguous language • Interferes with the clear expression of thoughts. An ambiguous word is a word with more than one (1) meaning that is open to different interpretations. Examples: q. He fed her dog biscuits q. The duck is ready to eat q. Flying planes can be dangerous q. The shooting of the hunter disturbed him

Ambiguity Resulting from Confusion of Different Meanings • Lexical ambiguity - when a word or phrase, in the context of a particular sentence, could refer to two or more properties or things. She put her glasses on the table. He’s gone to the bank. • It is sometimes clear from the context which meaning is intended, but not always. Pavarotti is a big opera star.

Ambiguity Resulting from Confusion of Different Meanings • Referential ambiguity – when the context does not make it clear what a pronoun or quantifier is referring to. Lizzy hit Paula and then she started bleeding – who is bleeding? The boys chased the girls, and they giggled a lot. • Grouping ambiguity - whenever we refer to a collection of individuals, we must clearly show whether the reference is to the collection as a group or as individuals Politicians are corrupt – generalisation

Syntactic Ambiguity because of the structure of the sentence rather than a word or phrase - the words are not confusing but the word order is. There is more than one way to interpret the grammatical structure. Example: He chased the girl in his car. What does this mean? Did he chase a girl already inside his car? Or did he chase a girl (perhaps in another car) with his car?

Vague language As the sun sets the surroundings become dark, but there is no sharp boundary when the surroundings suddenly switch from being bright to being dark. So “dark” and “bright” are vague terms. Using words that are very imprecise and general. Vague words are words that lack a clear and distinct meaning. Examples: q. I had a nice time yesterday q. That is an interesting book q. She is an old person q. She is a beautiful girl

Examples of Vagueness Men burn off 438 calories per hour gardening. Doctor: The arrhythmia you are experiencing indicates that you should lay off jogging for awhile. “Your satisfaction is guaranteed with our two-year limited guarantee. ”

Analysing statements Does TV violence negatively affect children? What qualifies as “violence”? Define “negatively affect”? “Children” of what ages?

Ambiguity: Identify Key Terms Which East – Asian countries have the most freedom? Which countries are part of East – Asia? China, Japan, Korea? Any others? Define freedom.

Ask yourself: “What does that mean? ” “Could that word / phrase / sentence be interpreted in more than one way? ” If the answer to the previous question is yes, ask: “Does the statement still support the conclusion? ”

Meaning as denotation The literal, neutral, descriptive meaning of a word or phrase – the information content or data. What a word denotes is the thing, person, characteristic, or action to which the word points or refers. ball Prime Minister blue University mowing

Meaning as connotation Emotive meaning - is not necessarily very emotional, although it can be This aspect of meaning expresses an attitude of approval or disapproval. It is thus evaluative. It conveys the feelings or associations connected to the thing named. Often the connotations depend upon the experiences we have had with an object.

Connotation Safari, Gravity, XS, Obsession, Curve “bureaucrat” vs “government official” vs “public servant” “discriminating” vs “distinguishing” vs “scoring” vs “sorting” vs “grading”

Meaning of a word The denotative meaning: The connotative meaning: Refers to the way a word is generally used or the meaning that people usually attach to a word. In a dictionary, definition number one of a word is thought of as the denotative meaning of a word. Refers to the way a person emotionally responds to it. Connotative meanings are necessary for humans to express themselves emotionally, and to describe themselves fully.

• “There is an air of insatiable desire about Shalimar. . Shalimar, the most exquisitely voluptuous perfume on Earth”. There is a funny odour about Pungent. . . Pungent, the cheapest scent you can get in your local discount store

Analyse this statement: Pet ownership can bring better health

USING GRAPHIC ORGANISER

►A graphic organizer is a visual representation of knowledge. ►Graphic organisers are ideal tools to support critical thinking. ►They help you organise many different pieces of information into a few logical concepts or ideas.

►Different types of graphic organisers have been created for different purposes ►However, all graphic organisers show relationships among information, ideas and concepts. ►You must choose the type of graphic organiser that will best help you accomplish your goals

Clustering Diagram

Problem-Solution Organiser

Recommended Reading Barnet, S. , & Bedau, H. (2004). Critical thinking, reading and writing: A brief guide to arguments. (5 th ed. ). New York: Bedford/ St Martin’s Press Epstein, R. L. (2006) Critical Thinking. Belmont: Thomson Wadworth Fisher, A. (2001). Critical thinking. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pirozzi, R. , G. Starks-Martin & J. Dziewisz (2008) Critical Reading, Critical Thinking. New York: Pearson Rasool J. , Banks, C. & Mc. Carthy, M (2002) Critical Thinking: Reading and Writing in a Diverse World. Boston: Thomson. Reichenbach, B. R. (2001) Introduction to Critical Thinking. New York: Mc. Graw-Hill. Wright, L. (2001). Critical thinking: An introduction to analytical reading and reasoning. New York: Oxford University Press.

Thank you for listening… All the best! Dr. Zalina Mohd Kasim E-Mail: zalina@fbmk. upm. edu. my Phone: 03 -89468733 FBMK Room No. A 153 (1 st Floor, Language Studies Block, Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication UPM)