Critical Reading
As many continue to teach online, we are trying to identify transferable effective methods to engage our students which we found successful in our physical classes. A common inquiry has been on how to help students analyze complex readings. This week I would like to share a 2009 article entitled, "Critical Reading: Using Reading Prompts to Promote Active Engagement with Text" by Tomasek.
The study addresses a common context where instructors offer texts for students to read prior to the next class, so they will have some background from which to draw during discussions. However, it seems common (both online and offline) that there tends to be a low number of undergraduate students who actually complete the reading assignments prior to class (Ruscio, 2001). The purpose of this study was to create and share several reading/writing prompts that can be used to promote critical out-of-class reading. The author follows Paul and Elder's (2008) definition of critical reading as involving the art and science of analyzing and evaluating text while maintaining a view towards improving the nature of thought and one’s subsequent actions. The critical reading prompts are organized into six categories:
identification of problem or issue,
making connections,
interpretation of evidence,
challenging assumptions,
making applications, and
taking a different point-of-view (Meyers & Jones, 1993).
Within these categories, students are asked to identify and describe the potential purpose:
What problem is the author identifying?
Who does the problem relate to?
What are the complexities of this issue?
For whom is this topic important and why?
The paper shares many sample prompts, which instructors could adjust and integrate into their current course design. The author concludes that "students can read and think at the same time: instructors may need to guide student critical reading with purposeful writing prompts."
REFERENCES
Tomasek, T. (2009). Critical Reading: Using reading prompts to promote active engagement with text. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 21(1), 127-132, http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe. ISSN 1812-9129.
Myers, C., & Jones, T.B. (1993). Promoting active learning: Strategies for the college classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2008). The miniature guide to critical thinking concepts and tools. Dillon Beach, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking Press.
Ruscio, J. (2001). Administering quizzes at random to increase students’ reading. Teaching of Psychology, 28(3), 204-206.
