Critical reading for critical writing 1

Critical reading for critical writing Aims of the session: Taking notes Harvard referencing Effective reading Skimming and scanning What is critical reading? A first look at completing a critical reading log

Assignment overview Unit 22050001 Developing professional practice and personal learning through work based learning 1

DPP1 assignment checklist Initial learning plan Tutorials – setting and reviewing personal targets Professional reading log (incl critical comment) Reflective account for each unit Reflective account overall for Level 4 ........................................................................................................... Updated CV Employability plan Portfolio of professional learning in the workplace: - 3 observations of experienced practitioners - Audit of skills used in the workplace (incl1 college obs) - Examples of resources and activities devised - Tutor observation & reflection

This half term Date Topic 23 Sept SCC Library Induction Effective reading & research Harvard referencing 30 Sept Critical reading 7 Oct The art of reflection 14 Oct Writing assignments Observing an experienced practitioner in school ? Nov MMU library induction (tbc)

Taking notes from written sources Checklist: What do you want to get out of the book? Write down source reference and DEWY no. Skim to get a sense of what the book is about Make notes in your own words – perhaps under main topic headings - important points / evidence in support - results / conclusions Note page numbers for any quotes Further guidance: http://www.learningdevelopment.plymouth.ac.uk/LDstudyguides%5Cpdf/5Notemaking.pdf

Visual or pattern notes Tony Buzan – mind maps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlabrWv25qQ&eurl= A practitioners view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLWV0XN7K1g&feature=related

Harvard referencing The full MMU referencing guide is on the VLE or via the following link to MMU website: http://www.library.mmu.ac.uk/helpsheet/mmuharvard1.php Surname - Initial - (Date) - Title - Source - Publisher

Harvard referencing How would you reference the following using the Harvard reference system: - In the main body of an assignment? - In the references or bibliography at the back? Glynn Williams wrote a chapter entitled - Conducting small scale investigations in 2004. It was then published as chapter in a book called Observing and recording meetings, edited by J Bell, J Bush, A Fox, in the same year. The book was published by Harper Row in London. A book published by Open University Press with the title - Doing your research project. It was written by Judith Bell in 2003 A journal article entitled Teacher as researcher written in 2004. It is contained in a journal called Education Research in volume 26, number 1, pages 24-26. The article was written by Graham Peeke

Test your skills at referencing http://library.northampton.ac.uk/liberation/ref/cat.php Harvey the cat

Ways of reading Consider what you are trying to achieve when you read? Generally academic reading takes place in one of 4 ways: Background reading Skimming Scanning Detailed and critical reading

Ways of reading Background reading: - is the reading you do to get the big picture - done at a steady pace - gives an overview of the subject Skimming or skim reading: - useful to search through an article quickly for info relevant to a topic - look for key names, technical words or sub heading - diagrams can give as much information as the text Scanning: - very similar to skimming in that you run through the article very quickly but looking for precise information, or answers to specific questions - you might need to read some sections in detail

Skimming procedure If there is a title or heading, rephrase it as a question. This will be the purpose of your reading; Examine all the subheadings, illustrations and graphics, as these will help you identify the significant matter within the text; Read through the introductory paragraphs, the summary and any questions at the back of the chapter to get a sense of the author’s viewpoint; Read the first sentence of every paragraph to find out the main idea of each paragraph and the chain of thought or reasoning; Evaluate or question what information you have gained from this process; Decide whether a more thorough reading is required.

Detailed and critical reading Follow the same procedure but focus your attention and concentration. Do not concern yourself with how fast or slowly you read Your goal should be to understand the material, not to find out how fast you can complete it. Critical reading tries to accomplish four goals: - to recognize an author’s purpose            - to understand tone and persuasive elements - to recognize bias - to analyse the value of what is written   To do this you need to consider the following questions: What a text says     – look for key themes What a text does    – look for discussion around key aspects What a text means – analyses the text and look for meaning

SQ3R Survey Question Read Recall Review Skim through the book/chapter as a whole; look at diagrams; scan the introduction and conclusion. Look at the contents page and look up particular items in the index. This will all give you some idea of what to expect to find in the text. Question List questions which you hope the text will answer Read Read the whole section carefully to start with. Don’t make any notes at this stage but underline key words. Then divide into smaller sections and read these again trying to find the answers to your questions Recall Write a summary in your own words of the section, noting main points, key ideas + any useful quotes Review Review what you have written to see whether you have grasped what the chapter is about. Consider the validity of what the author is saying + any evidence

Reading exercise – Little Fidgets Work in small groups What is the reading about?: - What are the key concepts /points? - Any egs to illustrate strategies given? Critical review: - What evidence is used to support points made? - Is the viewpoint valid / evidence valid? - Any bias? - Do the points raised fit with what you have experienced in school? - What is missing from the reading? / assumptions made?

Work for next week Look through the MMU Harvard referencing guide Have a go at Harvey the cat exercise Produce a draft of The Little Fidgets critical reading (250 words)