Reading critically
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‘Books should be regarded as elements in an ongoing dialogue - invitations to further reaction and discussion and not the last word on the matters discussed.’ Stephen Brookfield |
Being an ACTIVE reader means being a CRITICAL reader. Being critical
in this context does not mean criticising for the sake of being argumentative.
It means understanding how ideas have been arrived at, and evaluating
their strengths and weaknesses. Here are some of the main features of
critical reading.
- Recognising the writer’s purpose.
- Recognising the writer’s assumptions and underlying values
(social, cultural and historical influences).
- Recognising patterns of argument.
- Linking ideas in the text to other ideas and texts.
- Understanding how language choices reflect values and indicate power
relations.
(Is the language that of a psychologist? A feminist? Is the writer intimidating the reader by using obscure words or jargon? Is the writer persuading with emotive words, such as ‘statistics’, ‘democracy’, ‘moral’, ‘should’?)
- Recognising how the text positions the reader.
(Is the reader being addressed as an academic colleague or as a prospective teacher? Does the writer want the reader to agree or does the writer invite debate?)
- Exploring alternatives to the stated idea.
- Recognising the assumptions and underlying values that you bring to your reading.
