Engaging Readers in Critical Thinking and Cultural Literacy      Victoria M. Rey, Ed. D. Ethel Young Ph. D. Kean University Union, NJ 07083 50th Annual College Reading and Learning Association Conference Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania November 1-4, 2017

RACE/ETHNICITY Race/Ethnicity No. % Black 2,841 18.4 Hispanic 3,686 23.9 Asian 2,175 14.1 White 5,440 35.3 Multi Race 257 1.7 Not Reported 1,007 6.5 Total 15,406 100

Questions What was the effect of engaging college students in critical thinking on their perceptions of their reading skills? What was the effect of college students’ applications of critical thinking in culturally diverse texts on their perceptions of their knowledge and respect of different cultures?

Critical Thinking Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It is a mode of thinking about any subject, content, or problem in which the thinker improves the quality of thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it (Paul & Elder, 2009). Culture is a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the members of society use to make sense of one another and the world around them (Ryan, 2012).

Reading Skill Applications Use of context clues to get meanings Use of context clues in sentences to suggest meanings Recognizing the main idea in written text Writing the main idea Identifying supporting details in written texts Writing relevant details to support the main idea Connecting ideas in sentences and paragraphs Writing a summary Knowledge about different cultures Respect for different cultures

A B

1According to the U. S. Census Bureau, there are five races 1According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are five races. 2White has origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. 3The Black or African American is a person or has origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. 4An American Indian or Alaska Native is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment. 5An Asian is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. 6A Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. Cuseo, Humanity, Diversity, & The Liberal Arts, 2E Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2010

Choose the best word from the lists that completes each statement Choose the best word from the lists that completes each statement. Write the letter of your answer in the space provided. ____1. The main idea is stated in the _________ sentence. a. first b. second c. last ____2. There are ________________ major details. a. four b. five c. six ____3. Cambodia is a detail for the _________ major detail. a. third b. fourth c. fifth ____4. The topic of the paragraph is _______________. a. People in America b. Races in America c. Races ____5. North Africa is a detail for the ________ major detail. a. first b. second c. third

Answers __a__1. The main idea is stated in the _________ sentence. a. first b. second c. last __b__2. There are ________________ major details. a. four b. five c. six __b__3. Cambodia is a detail for the _________ major detail. a. third b. fourth c. fifth __b__4. The topic of the paragraph is _______________. a. People in America b. Races in America c. Races __a__5. North Africa is a detail for the ________ major detail. a. first b. second c. third

While humans may display diversity in the color or tone of their outer layer of skin, the reality is that all members of the human species are remarkably similar at an underlying biological level. More than 98% of the genes of humans from all racial groups are exactly the same (Bridgeman, 2003; Molnar, 1991). This large amount of genetic overlap among humans accounts for the many similarities that exist among members of the human species, us, regardless of the differences in color that appear at the outer surface of their skin. All humans have internal organs that are similar in structure and function, and whatever the color of our outer layer of skin, when it’s cut, we all bleed in the same color. Source: Thompson/Cuseo, Diversity and the College Experience, 2E. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2014.

Choose the best word from the lists that completes each statement Choose the best word from the lists that completes each statement. Write the letter of your answer in the space provided. ____1. It is possible for a person who has a dark skin to receive a liver transplant from a person with a light skin to live? The answer is ________________. a. no b. yes c. cannot tell   ____2. The information from the paragraph is likely to appear in a _____textbook. a. sociology c. psychology b. medical d. education

Answers CNN Heroes Journal __b__1. It is possible for a person who has a dark skin to receive a liver transplant from a person with a light skin to live? The answer is ____________. a. no b. yes c. cannot tell   __b__2. The information from the paragraph is likely to appear in a _____textbook. a. sociology c. psychology b. medical d. education CNN Heroes Journal

Reading Journal Guide 1. Article that is related to a culture of another country. 2. Summary–10 sentences or more 3. Comments–two points and at least four relevant supporting details for each 4. Vocabulary–five words in the article 5. Sentences–sentence with clues to the meaning of each word.

Students’ Perceptions of Their Reading Skill Applications 1 - No skills, no knowledge 2 - Basic skills and knowledge 3 - Functionally adequate skill and knowledge 4 - Advanced level of skills and knowledge  

In general, is there an improvement in your perception of your reading comprehension skills before and now? ____Yes ____No If yes, explain the reason for your answer. How did you find working on the reading journal on cultural diversity text? _________ Very helpful _______Helpful ________ Not helpful Explain your answer.

Students’ Perceptions of Their Reading Skill Applications Items Mean Before Mean After Difference Use of context clues to get meanings 2.25 3.43 1.18 2. Use of context clues in sentences to suggest meanings 2.33 3.44 1.11

Students’ Perceptions of Their Reading Skill Applications Items Mean Before Mean After Difference 1. Recognizing the main idea in written text 2.21 3.46 1.25 2. Writing the main idea 2.26 3.41 1.15

Students’ Perceptions of Their Reading Skill Applications Items Mean Before Mean After Difference Identifying supporting details in written texts 2.37 3.43 1.06 2. Writing relevant details to support the main idea 2.49 3.48 0.99

Students’ Perceptions of Their Reading Skill Applications Items Mean Before Mean After Difference 1. Writing a summary 2.78 3.62 0.84 2. Using transitional words in the 2.61 3.56 0.95

 Students’ Perceptions of Their Knowledge and Respect for Different Cultures Items Mean Before Mean After Difference Knowledge about different cultures 2.26 3.3 1.04 2. Respect for different cultures 3.12 3.68 0.56

In general, is there an improvement in your perception of your reading comprehension skills before and now? 95 % Yes 5 % No N-111 students Explain the reason for your yes or no answer.

Reasons for Perceived Improvement on Comprehension Skills and Attitudes Towards Reading 1. understood more 2. improved in comprehension 3. learned more techniques/or tips 4. learned how to identify the main idea 5. developed reading skills 6. gained more knowledge 7. learned more about how to use context clues 8. developed interest in reading 9. improved vocabulary and text analyses 10. focused more while reading 11. developed interest in leisure reading

Reasons for Perceiving of No Improvement I had always loved reading and writing, and my comprehension skills about topics were very good. It was good before but now it is just college level good. I learned some things, but mostly felt stuck to what I had been knowing. I still have problems with main ideas and details.

Benefits of Working on Reading Journals on Culturally Diverse Texts 1. It was very helpful to learn a lot about cultural diversity. 2. It taught me things about writing, but also I got to get more information about other cultures. 3. It was very interesting to learn something new. 4. I learned more about other cultures and understanding others. 5. It encouraged me to read deeply and understand what I read. 6. It helped me to understand that there are also many cultures around the world. 7. It teaches me to summarize articles and understand the main idea. 8. It is very important to know about issues that are going on in other parts of the world because ultimately these will affect you. 9. It showed me that even though countries may have differences, they could still come together and help each other out.

Conclusions Engaging students in critical thinking through the use of articles about other cultures has proved to be beneficial. The reading and critical thinking skills that they learned have increased their ability to connect ideas in reading materials and to analyze, reconstruct and summarize text. Choosing a text about a culture other than theirs, writing a journal report and sharing a summary of this have helped students understand other cultures. They realized that despite cultural differences, people can still work together and help each other.

Africa I chose this country because I am an African American. Therefore, my ancestors are African, but I barely know anything about my culture. I should know the history of my family, but my immediate family doesn’t focus on culture. This is not because we don’t care, rather, because it was never discussed in our household. This is why I picked this particular country out of the rest. I wanted to learn some more things I never knew before.

Philippines I chose this article for my journal because I am a Filipino-American, and I feel that the Philippines is not regarded as one of the most famous tourist spots in the world. I feel that with such caring people with a positive attitude, a country like this should deserve more recognition. I know quite a lot about my culture. I believe that since the Philippines is becoming more popular based on tourism, foreigners should try to experience how family life is here in order to understand the importance of our traditions and customs. Very few countries in the world share the same qualities as we do.

Sharing Practices in Promoting Critical Reading and Cultural Literacy Victoria Rey Ethel Young vrey@kean.edu eyoung@kean.edu