Critical Reading Feb2012

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teaching critical reading


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W O R K S H O P S O N T E A C H I N G

S P R I N G 2 0 1 2

teaching critical reading:in the sciences, social sciences and humanities

GSI Teaching & Resource Center301 Sproul Hallhttp://[email protected]


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Danielle Champney, Ph.D. Candidate, Math Education

Ben Krupicka, Ph.D. Candidate, Political Science

Kim Starr-Reid, Ph.D., Comparative Literature



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What assumptions or expectations do students hold or

techniques do they use that hinder their ability to read effectiv

and critically?



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Understand some of our students assumptions and attitudesabout reading

Address reading as a set of skills to develop

Consider what makes a typical kind of reading for your fielddifficult for students

Develop in-class and homework strategies to get students pastdifficulties with texts in your field

workshop objectives


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Critical reading is interactive

The challenge of genres

Setting goals and expectations

The importance of modeling

critical reading strategies


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Top-down processing

Students use the knowledgethey have to understandthe text.

Create and encourage activeengagement with the text

an interactive skill


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Different texts require differentreading strategies and orientations

Think about the different textualforms in your field:textbook, journal article, historical source,

newspaper/magazine article, lab report,novel, poem, etc.

reading difficult genres


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Students need to know the purposeof the reading

How does the reading connect to

the courses overall learning goals?

learning goals and expectations


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Demonstrate critical reading insection

Revisit and review readingstrategies throughout the semester

modeling critical reading


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Select a sample text from your packetForm small groups of 3-4 people that

have chosen the same text

Develop an in-class activity and

homework assignment you could useto help your students develop theircritical reading skills



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Teaching Guide for GSIssection on teaching criticalreading

Conferences, workshops, seminars, instituteshandoutsfrom previous workshops on teaching

further resources

http://gsi.berkeley.edu
http://gsi.berkeley.edu/http://gsi.berkeley.edu/


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Critical Reading Strategies

Group Activity

1. The purpose of this activity is for you to analyzea common kind of reading that is closeto your teaching field for difficulties students might initially have with it, and to designaclass activity that will address those difficulties. Then add instructions for students to use

when they read this kind of text on their own outside of class.

2. In your handout packet, please find three examples of course texts and choose one thatmay be similar to those assigned in a course from your discipline. The three textual

genres are:Textbook

Academic Journal Article (Biology)Literary Text

Alternatively, think of a kind of text your students are having trouble with this semester.If you have an example with you, take it out for analysis.

3. Cluster with two or three other people who have selected a similar type of text.4. Look closely at the text. Identify things about this reading that could be difficult for

students.

5. For the provided examples, here are the learning objectives of the reading assignment:Textbook

Learning Objective: Students will understand the core concepts andproblems discussed in this chapter and begin using the chapters language

and vocabulary.Journal Article (Biology)

Learning Objective: Students will be able to explain the purposes of theparts of the article (format), identify the main finding, and list questions

they have about terms or unknown concepts.Literary Text

Learning Objective: Students will understand the satiric persona inGullivers Travelsand articulate in their own words the criticisms of

European modernity that the book packs.Notice that these objectives include both contentstudents should gain and skillsthey

should develop as readers. These objectives are not the only ones possible; they areexamples of learning objectives for early in a semester.

If you are using your own example, write down what you want (or what the faculty

member in charge wants) students to gain from itlearning objectives for content and forskill. If this hasnt been made clear yet, try to make it clear from the students


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perspective.

6. Create a plan or list ofsteps you would want to take with your students to achieve yourlearning objectives, both immediately and in the long term. As well as activities to model

in class, consider handouts to use as guides for their independent reading.

Before the reading assignment . . .

After student have completed the reading assignment . . .

To support students ongoing success with later reading assignments . . .

Critical Reading Feb2012

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