CRCB Chapter 14: Internet Resources

Evaluating internet info helps determine if they are reliable and useful. Knowing how to critically evaluate internet material helps you become a better student and will help your life beyond college. You need to be an "open-minded skeptic" by considering each websites relevancy, reliability, credibility, and accuracy using these steps: 1) know your purpose 2) double-check facts 3) consider the source 4) evaluate content 5) determine intended audience 6) evaluate writing 7) use what you already know.

CRCB Chapter 13: Reading Beyond the Words

Critical reading comprehension involves challenging yourself to understand what you read in different levels of complexity. Bloom's taxonomy has 6 levels of critical thinking: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. By creating and answering questions at each of those levels, you will better able to predict questions the instructor will ask on an exam and be prepared to answer them.

CRCB Chapter 12: Identifying and Evaluating Arguments

Recognizing arguments as you read lets you critically examine an author's reasoning. Arguments always have at least one reason and one conclusion. Two types of arguments are deductive and inductive. Deductive arguments have at least one premise that leads to a conclusion. Inductive arguments begin with a series of specific observations and conclude with a generalization that flows from them. Try to always question an author's views so flaws are not so easily accepted. Being able to detect and evaluate arguments in textbooks and reading materials forces you to analyze the logic of what you read and helps you present your own ideas in a logical fashion.

CRCB Chapter 11: Reading, Understanding & Creating Visual Aids

Textbook authors use visual aids to help readers understand the info they are presenting. Visual aids reinforces and supplements reading material. Different types of visual aids incluse charts, graphs, drawings, photos, mindmaps and outlines. The type of visual aid you use depends on the material they will illustrate. Creating visual aids is an effective way of studying. It helps to recognize the important elements you are reading and prioritize and organize them in a useful format. You can't make a good visual aid if you don't know the material.

CRCB Chapter 10: Textbook Marking

Textbook marking is a systematic mark and label tool that helps you distinguish important ideas from less important ones. Mark and label main idea, important details, new vocab in your textbook chapters. Use experience in lecture and lab to decide of you should mark more. Always mark info that is unclear and go back to check it. A personalized system will work as long as it is consistent and makes sense to you and achieves the main goal of textbook marking: showing relationships between ideas in what you read.

CRCB Chapter 9: Using Preview, Study Read and Review (PSR) Strategies

The "PSR" technique requires that you question yourself before, during and after you read. It encourages you to participate in a reader-author conversation rather than just reading passively. You asses what an author is telling you and decide if it makes sense. Add to what you know by recalling related info. This active participation helps us understand and remember textbook material. The PSR technique requires us to write in our learning journal. By commenting in writing helps us digest an authors ideas and articulate our own. By identifying where you got confused in a reading, you can return to that point and reread the relevant section. This will help us understand the material or alert us to ask for help from an instructor or classmate.

CRCB Chapter 8: Textbook Methods of Organization

Authors organize their info with certain patterns or methods. Being able to recognize methods of organization ie: listing, analysis, cause/effect, comparison/contrast, definition/example helps us understand the ideas in the textbook and how they are connected to each other. It will also help us remember what we read. A useful way to ID an author's method of organization is to look for word clues. OWC's indicate which pattern he/she is using. An author will often use more than one method from paragraph to paragraph, but have one overall method for each chapter.

CRCB Chapter 7: Inference

1) In addition to reading and understanding, detect ideas implied or inderectly stated.

2) To fully understand an assignment, read and combine what has been stated with additional info using inference as a tool.

3) Use strategies like detecting bias, noting comparisons and recognizing info gaps.

4) Understand author's tone and emotive language to inply main ideas.

5) Use other info to check your conclusions.

CRCB Chapter 6: Finding Supporting Details

Authors use detail to help readers understand their ideas and arguments. Details are specific info to support main idea. Usually presented as facts, examples, illustrations. Identify main ideas and supporting details.

CRCB Chapter 5: Key Strategies for Reading Comprehension

Find author's main idea, This is the key to understanding your reading. Distinguish between general ideas and more specific ones. The topic is the most general idea. The main idea is more specific controlling idea. The details are the most specific and support and illustrate the main idea. Question yourself "what is this all about?", notice clue words, and categorize an author's points.

CRCB - Chapter 4: Managing Your Reading Time

Comprehension should be our main reading goal, not how fast we read. Develop a schedule to study. After using a daily reading plan you will complete reading assignments on time. Comprehension will also improve and you may start to read faster. The reading tips in this chapter like reading quickly when appropriate, skimming, rereading and subvocalizing will help you become a more efficient reader.

CRCB Chapter 3: Remembering What You Read

Memory is the process of storing and retrieving info. Know stages of the memory process and use strategies @ each stage to ensure new info is permanently stored. The most important aspect of memory is understanding what you are trying to remember. The 3 stages in the memory process are sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory. Specific strategies include: reading text aloud, draw pictures, act out a chapter in front of a mirror, visualize info in your head and reading while using an excercise bike. Chunking is effective for organizing and remembering new info so that it remains in short-term memory long enough to transfer to long-term memory. Use mnemonics to help retrieve info once it's learned.

CRCB Chapter 2: Developing Your College Vocabulary

Vocabulary building is a very important reading strategy. Increasing your vocabulary increases your understanding, ability to speak well and communicate effectively and increases your chances of getting a good job. Use context clues, word analysis, writing in your textbook, create word maps, understand denotation and connotation, journal writing and the card review system.

CRCB Chapter 1: Reading in college

Reading is an active process. It is a 2 way conversation between the author and reader. Read actively. Active learners become involved in their learning experience by reviewing their notes, assignments and other reading materials to learn more about the subject they are studying. Keeping a learning journal is an active learning task. It helps you better understand what is unclear, how you learn ans what to improve. Concentration is purposely focusing attention on a task while blocking distractions.

TFY Chapter 12 - Deductive Reasoning

Deductive reasoning is the process of starting with premises and investigating what conclusions necessarily follow from these premises. Deduction is the subject of formal logic. Logic has its own vocabulary like: argument, claim and reasoning. Hidden premises or conclusions, hypothesis, inductive reasoning. Syllogisms determine what is being said to identify hidden premises, to find what makes sense. Deductive and inductive reasoning are mentally interwoven in problem solving.

TFY Chapter 11 - Fallacies - Inductive Reasoning and Inductive Fallacies

Hasty generalization is the fallacy of basing a conclusion on insufficient evidence. It is an argument that oversimplifies a situation, only 2 choices when actually other alternatives exist. The questionable stat is one that is either unknowable or unsound. Inconsistency in evidence is the fallacy of offering evidence that contradicts the conclusion. The loaded question is the that seeks to obtain a predetermined answer. The false analogy is a comparison of 2 things that have some similarities but also differences ignored for the sake of argument. False cause is the fallacy of claiming connection between events w/out evidence to support the claim. The slippery slope is fallacy of claiming proof that would allow one event to happen and lead to an unstoppable chain reaction. It ignores variables or unknowns in the situation.

TFY Chapter 10 - Fallacies: What's a Faulty Argument?

There are many different types of fallacies in this chapter that describe a different reasoning error. Fallacies may be accidental or unintentional, many are amusing, all are manipulative. Each of them sidesteps a fair and reasonable argument. After this chapter, I learned that fallacies are evident and easier to understand.

TFY Chapter 9 - Argument: What Is Good A Good Argument?

Critical reading of arguments requires involvlement, interaction with questions and evaluation. Questions asked are: what viewpoint is source of argument? What is the issue of controversy? Is it an argument or report? The analysis of arguments applies to both inductive and deductive arguments. The conclusion of an argument is the last step is the last step in the reasoning process. Reasons support conclusions. An issue is a topic of controversy which positions may be taken. Ask questions that can serve as a guideline for analyzing an argument's strengths and weaknesses.
1) Are reasons adequate to support the conclusion?
2) Any hidden assumptions?
3) any words slanted to incite prejudice?
4) any fallacies of reasoning?
5) any important info missing?
6) any false or contradictory info?

TFY Chapter 8 - Viewpoints

CT means learning how to recognize viewpoints and how they shape the contents of a message. Viewpoints, like assumptions, opinions and evaluations can be either conscious or unconscious. We communicate better when we are aware of our own viewpoint and understand and respect others viewpoints. Unconscious viewpoints include egocentric, ethnocentric and religiocentric. Left, right and centrist views exist within both the republican and democratic parties. The internet is a way of expression not represented in US media. Magazines express viewpoints through words, pictures and framing.

TFY Chapter 7 - Evaluations

This chapter is about one variety of opinion called evaluations. They can be badly honest, or hidden and manipulative. The basis can be explicit or vague criteria, clear or vague feelings. We can get into trouble if we mistake them for facts or are influenced by them. Evaluations shape our ideals, decisions and judgements.

TFY Chapter 6 - Opinions

The word opinion is commonly misunderstood. Opinions can be well substantiated or not. They can be based either on reasons or solely on whim, feelings, emotions or predjudice.

CT requires that we recognize difference between responsible and irresponsible opinion.

People enjoy expressing and reading opinions. Expert opinion is an understanding of evidence and risks in a situation; is important and highly valued.

Public opinion polls are used to determine public sentiment but also to manipulate public sentiment.

Opinions should not be confused with facts.

Arguments consist of supported opinions. The intent of an argument is to persuade.

TFY Chapter 5 - Assumptions

Assumption: something we take for granted, something we accept prematurely as being true, something we don't check out carefully.

Can be conscious or unconscious, warranted or unwarranted.

Hidden assumptions are unconscious assumptions that greatly influence reasoning.

Arguments are the use of reasoning to defend an idea or pursuade someone else to believe it.

TFY Chapter 4 Inferences: What follows?

Infer means to derive by reasoning. To conclude, to guess.

Responsible report or descriptive writing lets facts speak for themselves.

When writing, offer detailed support for conclusions. When we perceive and think clearly, we interest ourselves and others.

Inferences can be used to tie facts together. In solving problems can be used in choosing alternatives.

Inferences tend to build on inferences in chains of association.

Facts and inferences are linked together through generalizations.

TFY Chapter 3 - Facts

A fact is something known with certainty through experience, observation or measurement. Can be objectively demonstrated and verified.

Hard to determine if facts correspond to reality

Difference between fact and fiction does matter

Facts not absolutes but statements of probability

Social pressures can lead us to distort our perceptions

Our senses limited and affected by many factors

Facts must be expressed in careful statements

Standards used to determine facts are verifiability, reliability, and plausability

TFY Chapter 2 - Word precision

Accurate use of words improves our thinking, gives form to our thoughts and enable us to communicate with others.

Writing hepls us learn more about words and how to use them.

Clear thinking depends on the words we use. Confusion leads to disequillibrium.

We need to understand what dictionaries can/cannot offer us. Definitions show us a word's meaning.

Testing our understanding a word is ability to define it. Taking time to define words is essential to communication.

Studying a word's origin can help us understand it more.

Connotations of a word can be positive, negative or neutral.

1st stage of critical reading is ability to reproduce content without alteration.

TFY Chapter 1 - Observation skills

First observe our own thinking habits. Observe our own thinking process so we can recognize strengths and weaknesses.

Obeservation can help us see details and help us discover new knowledge.

Observation is a process of sensing, perceiving, and thinking. Sensing is collecting data through our sense organs. Perceiving is holding sense data in consciousness until we can interpret it. Thinking organizes our perceptions.

Observation requires us to stay awake, take our time, give attention and listen.

Cultivating observation skills are self-understanding, creativity and wonder.

Hello There. Welcome to my blog for CT

Hi. Welcome to my blog for Critical Thinking class.