Academic Research, Critical Thinking & Critical Reading

1. Academic Research, Critical Thinking & Critical Reading December 2, 2010

2. Academic Research • How to Use the Subject Guides • Using Google’s Wonderwheel • Navigating Around Refworks • Avoiding Plagarism • www.procon.org

3. Critical Thinking • Understanding Bloom’s Taxonomy • Characteristics of strong critical thinkers • A couple critical thinking analogies • Exercise your brain • Class developed example using Bloom’s Taxonomy • How to use critical thinking skills in your classes

4. Bloom’s Taxonomy EVALUATION - Student appraises, assesses, or critiqueson a basis of specific standards and criteria. SYNTHESIS - Student originates, integrates, and combines ideas into a product, plan or proposal that is new to him or her. ANALYSIS - Student distinguishes, classifies, and relates the assumptions, hypotheses, evidence, or structure of a statement or question. APPLICATION - Student selects, transfers, and uses data and principles to complete a problem or task with a minimum of direction. COMPREHENSION - Student translates, comprehends, or interprets information based on prior learning. KNOWLEDGE - Student recalls or recognizes information, ideas, and principles in the approximate form in which theywere learned.

5. Characteristics of Strong Critical Thinkers(from Vincent Ruggiero, Beyond Feelings, A Guide to Critical Thinking): • Critical Thinkers..."Are honest with themselves, acknowledging what they don't know, recognizing their limitations, and being watchful of their own errors." • Critical Thinkers..."Regard problems and controversial issues as exciting challenges." • Critical Thinkers..."Strive for understanding, keep curiosity alive, remain patient with complexity and ready to invest time to overcome confusion." • Critical Thinkers..."Set aside personal preferences and base judgments on evidence, deferring judgment whenever evidence is insufficient. They revise judgments when new evidence reveals error." • Critical Thinkers..."Are interested in other people's ideas, so are willing to read and listen attentively, even when they tend to disagree with the other person." • Critical Thinkers..."Recognize that extreme views (whether conservative or liberal) are seldom correct, so they avoid them, practice fair-mindedness, and seek a balanced view." • Critical Thinkers..."Practice restraint, controlling their feelings rather than being controlled by them, and thinking before acting."

6. A THINKING METAPHOR The performance of a car does not depend on the horsepower of the car, but upon the skill with which the car is driven by the driver. So, if intelligence is the horsepower of the car, then “thinking” is the skill with which that horsepower is used. Intelligence is a potential. Thinking is an operating skill. Thinking is the operating skill through which intelligence acts upon experience - Edward DeBono Thinking Course, p. 2

7. EXAMPLES of Ways to Read and Discuss TextFrom: www.criticalreading.com/ways_to_read.htm Consider the following nursery rhyme... Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow, and everywhere that Mary went The lamb was sure to go. What A Text Says talks about the topic of the original text, Mary and the lamb. Mary had a lamb that followed her everywhere. What A Text Does talks about the story. The nursery rhyme describes a pet that followed its mistress everywhere. What a Text Means talks about meaning within the story, here the idea of innocent devotion. An image of innocent devotion is conveyed by the story of a lamb's close connection to its mistress. The devotion is emphasized by repetition that emphasizes the constancy of the lamb's actions ("everywhere"…"sure to go.") The notion of innocence is conveyed by the image of a young lamb, "white as snow." By making it seem that this connection between pet and mistress is natural and good, the nursery rhyme asserts innocent devotion as a positive relationship.

8. Critical Reading • A short video on speed reading

9. Reading & Decoding College reading entails having not only to read and comprehend a subject, but it also entails reading for a specific purpose, being able to analyze the material you read, and to read between the lines. Let’s look at 3 levels of reading and decoding: • Decoding for meaning – using context clues • Reading for meaning – not word for word • Reading with a purpose – knowing what you are reading about and why you are reading it

10. Think about how to best take notes

11. What’s Left • Double check that you are caught up with your assignments • Journal 6 – Workshop Review • Final Paper • Final Class – December 16