CRWT Lesson 4 Flashcards
In order to make critical reading a habit, one needs to have the genuine desire to learn and discover new things. There should be a compelling reason to stick with it as a habit, and that is to develop oneself and achieve competitiveness in the future.
There are different practical strategies to develop critical reading as a habit. Anyone can practice them, and with time and diligence, the transformation of the habit that you desire is bound to happen
Developing the Habit
It is understandable for everyone to get busy at times, making reading a more challenging task. However, putting reading atop your priority list by allotting a time- specific schedule makes hitting your goal more realistic. You can also create a timetable to ensure your progress
- Prioritize reading
Good books are not merely entertaining. They are worth reading for their substance—for the golden knowledge and wisdom they possess that can help you achieve your goals in life, whether it is in school, at work or at home. Finding them can be challenging, though, especially nowadays that choices abound, some of which showcase low quality due to substandard editing or self-publication.
What you should do at this point is not just look at titles or topics, but on the author’s credibility, the reputation of the publishing company, the curation and endorsements involved, and to a certain extent, the marketability of the book in its niche. Favorites and bestsellers do not spell quality all the time, but at least you can have an idea of the market’s reception towards them.
To experience the best results, you may want to start reading books that genuinely pique your curiosity or are aligned with your already existing hobbies, skills, interests, or 2 Steps in Critical Reading field of specialization. It is also recommended for readers to set a ―reading schedule every day, which may last from 30 minutes to several hours.
You have to keep in mind, though, that you are reading because you have a goal and not because you have a schedule to fill. Doing the latter might prove cumbersome and counterproductive
- Find informative books of good value
You basically add one more chore to your already busy day when you set a schedule for reading on a daily basis. Hence, you also have to identify one or more time-wasting activities that do not pose much value to your life. These unproductive, usually unhealthy activities, should be removed from your routines until only the productive ones remain.
Designating your own reading spot in the house and setting up a mini-library where you can place all of your books also help in developing the habit. Nonetheless, you should avoid reading in stressful places, like the workplace, as you might subconsciously link stress with reading later on.
If planning your reading habit in a time-bound manner seems impractical, you may always set a quantity-based reading activity instead. This will require you to read a specific number of pages on a daily basis regardless of the time allotment, which is ideal for people who read slowly or are very time-conscious.
Lastly, have all your reading essentials prepared alongside your books. Markers, pens, bookmarks, what have you, should be within reach when you need to take down notes, jot down ideas from what you read and plan your next reading
- Have your reading habit planned
Read as much as you can, as often as you want. Don’t limit your reading time to a few minutes per day when you have more time to spare. Eventually, you might notice that your writing skills also improve due to the new concepts, styles, vocabulary and information that you constantly learn.
- Do not limit your reading habit
Experts recommend reading early in the morning because the mind is clearer and the body is most relaxed at this time. This makes concentration easier, which improves your learning capacity by miles. In fact, the effect would still be beneficial even if you try to wake up earlier than usual. Anyway, waking up earlier is only bound to be challenging during the first few days. Your biological clock will adjust automatically once you make this a habit.
- Be a morning reader
Speed reading allows you to cover and finish books much faster without sacrificing comprehension. This does not mean reading every word and every sentence so quickly that comprehension is no longer happening. What this means is you target specific information within the text, apply reading patterns throughout the pages, and skip unnecessary parts to make reading faster.
You will learn the different speed reading strategies in the coming weeks, but you may opt to practice practical steps for now.
Start by removing all the elements that distract you and turn off your computer or television. Then pick a book, get a timer, start the timer, read 10 pages and record your results. Take a quick look at the title, introduction, section headers and the conclusion. Do not read every word, skip articles like ―a‖, ―the‖ etc., stop mouthing words or speaking them in your head, try to take in whole sentences and paragraphs and do not pause between paragraphs. Use one of your fingers or a pen to guide your eyes and set
your pace. The next stage is to set 20 minutes per day to practice speed reading.
- Try speed reading
There is no magic formula to taking notes when reading. You simply have to find out what works best for you. Your note-taking skills will develop with practice and as you realize the benefits. This section is designed to help you get started.
EFFECTIVE STEPS FOR NOTE-TAKING
or moving from one section to the next on the page in a logical way,
using headings and sub-headings;
Linear
using boxes and flowcharts to help you move around the page; and
Diagrammatic
such as mind maps, which allow a large amount of information to be
included in a single page, but rely on you to remember the underlying
information.
Patterns
Identify the components then ponder on them one by one:
Underline instructional words, e.g. discuss, explain, identify, justify
Mark apparent keywords and key phrases
Be mindful of the organizational patterns used (Compare and contrast, cause and effect, list, spatial, chronological, etc.)
Evaluate the validity and requirement of the questions
Brainstorm the question:
o Write down all related information
o Link the details that you know
o Determine knowledge gaps
Step 1: Analyze the critical reading components
Have the text scanned for the following details:
Who is the author/s?
o What are his or her credentials?
o What is his or her reputation?
o Is the writer known for bias?
What is the nature of the text?
o Is it current?
o Is it authoritative?
o Is it purely subjective, purely objective, or a combination of both? Highlight main ideas and keywords:
Read the title, synopsis for stories and abstract for research, section headings and subheadings, and graphical representations.
Read the introduction, the first few paragraphs, and the conclusion at the end.
Step 2: Practice pre-reading activities
Connect the content of the text to your research questions
Is this text relevant to my research question?
If so, list questions about the content of the article or report.
Step 3: List down questions.
Follow these tips when jotting down reading notes:
Be concise and write on your own words
Use bullet points
Pay attention to citation and references
Take note of the arguments raised
Summarize the major parts: the introduction, the body and the conclusion
Record important quoted materials and the page numbers that you may have to read again later on
Write down keywords of any relevant information to your questions
These notes will become your summary of the text, which you can use as reference when writing your report or project later on
Step 4: Take down notes
Identify and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the text using these steps:
Ask questions on the value of the research evaluation questions.
Has the article/report fulfilled its purpose?
Is the argument clearly asserted and supported by evidence?
Is the research valid? (Sufficient, appropriate, adequate, objective, valid
methodology?)
Has the argument been developed logically?
Does it present solutions based on evidence?
Are recommendations appropriate to the purpose?
In what ways does the article/report advance our knowledge of a particular
issue?
What assumptions underlie the research? Are they reasonable?
Ask questions on the quality of the information
Fill in the evaluation section
Using your answers to the above questions in steps 1 and 2:
What are the strengths of the text?
What are the weaknesses?
Step 5: Evaluate the text
Make a rough mind map from memory: test what you can recall from your reading of the text.
Make headings of the main ideas and note supporting evidence in dot points.
Include your evaluation: the strengths and weaknesses.
Identify gaps in your memory.
Step 6: Mind map from memory
Summarize the text in preparation for writing your assignment
Make another mind map drawing on your notes and your rough mind map.
Make headings and note the supporting evidence in dot points.
Include your evaluation.
Be creative: use color and arrows; make it easy to visualize.
Highlight the ideas you may want to use for your assignment.
Identify areas for further research.
Step 7: Consolidate your knowledge
Highlighting key words or phrases in text will help you:
Focus your attention on what you are reading – and make it easy to see key
points when re-reading.
Think more carefully about the key concepts and ideas in the text, the bits that
are worth highlighting.
See immediately whether you have already read pages or sections of text.
Make a glossary on a separate sheet (or document) of notes, so you can easily refer
and update it as necessary. Write descriptions of the terms in your own words to further
encourage learning.
- Highlighting and Emphasizing
Although highlighting is a quick way of emphasizing key points, it is no substitute for
taking proper notes.
There are two main elements that you need to include in your notes:
a) The content of your reading, usually through brief summaries or paraphrasing,
plus a few well-chosen quotes (with page numbers); and
b) Your reaction to the content, which may include an emotional reaction and also
questions that you feel it raises.
It can be helpful to separate these two physically to ensure that you include both (see
box).
Your notes may also take various forms and style, for example:
- Making Written Notes
In particular, you may want to:
Use headings or different sheets (or documents) to separate different themes and ideas;
Use brightly colored pens or flags to highlight important points in your notes. You may find it useful to have a simple system of color-coding, using different colors for particular themes or issues; and
Note where your opinions changed, and why.
- Reviewing and Revising Your Notes
Notes are of no use to you if you cannot find them when you need to, and spending a lot of time sifting through piles of papers is a waste of time. It is therefore important to ensure that your notes are well-organized and you can find what you want when you need it.
- Organizing Your Notes
