+ CG104: Reading and Critical Thinking Strategies Lindsay Everitt Summer 2012

+ Today’s Agenda Quick review of the syllabus Purpose of the course Expectations for note taking Metacognition Reading Strategies

+ Being “present” Many times we go through the motions in our education because we are tired, lazy, or uninterested. Learning is not a passive activity. No effort = no learning So, let’s think about how we learn, what we need to get out of the opportunity, and how we need to set ourselves up to learn.

Sample Reading #1: Please read this silently. “The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange things into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities, that is the next step. Otherwise, you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do too few things at once than too many. In the short run this may not seem important but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first, the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will become just another facet of life. It is difficult to foresee any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate future, but then one can never tell. After the procedure is completed, one arranges the materials into different groups again. They can be up into their appropriate places.

+ The topic is… Washing clothes! Now go back and read it again. How much easier is it to understand now that you know what it is about? Bransford, JD & Johnson, MK. “Contextual Prerequisites for Understanding: Some Investigations of Comprehension and Recall,” Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior. 2:7. Print

+ Metacognition Metacognition: Thinking about thinking How you process information shapes how you think and how you learn best As we learn, we “construct knowledge” through a variety of methods, and then we recognize when we lack knowledge and, consequently, choose the right tools to correct the problem.

+ Video: Metacognition Watch this video and think about how this applies to you. The intended audience for the video is teachers, so why would I show this to you?

+ Pre-reading: Thinking before reading Good readers plan before reading. Think about the text’s topic. Think about how text features can help in understanding the topic. Read the title and author, front and back cover blurbs, and table of contents. Study illustrations, photos, and graphics, including labels and captions. Skim for boldfaced words, headings and subheadings, and summaries.

+ Pre-reading: Thinking before reading Good readers plan before reading. Examine your previous knowledge Think about what you know, what connections you can make, and what questions you might want answered.

+ Think about the way the text might be organized, such as: cause and effect compare and contrast sequence of events problem and solution description a combination of these text structures Pre-reading: Thinking before reading Good readers plan before reading.

+ During Reading: Monitor what you are learning Good readers take charge of their reading by monitoring their own comprehension. The first step is recognizing whether or not confusion exists by asking "Do I understand what I just read? or What does the author really want me to know about this text?" Readers who take responsibility for their own comprehension constantly question the text and their reactions to it.

+ During Reading: Monitor what you are learning Other ways that readers monitor comprehension during reading are to: make connections make predictions make inferences use context clues use text features identify text structures use graphic organizers to pinpoint particular types of text information write comments or questions on sticky notes or in the margins

+ During Reading: Monitor what you are learning “Readers become confused during reading for a variety of reasons” (Tovani 2000). The voice inside the reader’s head is not talking to him any longer about the text. It may simply be reciting the text. The reader’s mind begins to wander; he is no longer reminding himself to “pay attention.” The reader can’t remember what has been read. The reader can’t answer his own questions. The reader re-encounters a character but does not remember how or when the character was introduced in the story.

+ Successful reading depends on your background knowledge The more you already know about a topic, the easier it is to read for understanding. Evaluate your previous knowledge: 0: No idea 1: Vaguely familiar 2: General understanding 3: Expert knowledge

+ Check it out! Rate you knowledge of these vocabulary words Peripatetic: ________ Implicit: _________ Capillary: ________ Heraldry:________ Evaluate your previous knowledge: 0: No idea 1: Vaguely familiar 2: General understanding 3: Expert knowledge

+ What is your goal for reading? Reading depends on your goals. Are you reading for: main ideas? specific information? background knowledge? recreation? Note: Set reasonable goals in terms of time limits and task limits A Hint: Use Post-it Notes to track your progress

+ Your ability to read determines on the text’s level of difficulty. Difficulty is determined by two indicators: Concept load: How many new concepts or new ideas? Readability level How long are sentences? How long are the words?

+ Sample Text: Reading #2 “Introduction of Computers and Basic Programming” by Brenan and Mandell Babbage did not give up, however. In 1833 he developed a plan for building an analytical engine. This machine was to be capable of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and storage of intermediate results in a memory unit. Unfortunately, the analytical engine was also too advanced for its time. It was Babbage’s concept of the analytical engine, though, that led to the computer more than a hundred years later. This earned him the title of “the father of modern computers.”

+ Reading #3: The Mind Tool by Graham One reason Babbage abandoned the Difference Engine was that he had been struck by a much better idea. Inspired by Jacquard’s punched-card-controlled calculator. He called his proposed automatic calculator the Analytical Engine. The Difference Engine could only compute tables (and only those tables that could be computed by successive additions). But the Analytical Engine could carry out any calculation, just as Jacquard’s loom could weave any pattern. All one had to do was to punch the cards with the instructions for the desired calculations. If the Analytical Engine had been completed, it would have been a nineteenth-century computer.

+ continued But, alas, that was not to be. The British government had already such thousands of pounds into the Difference Engine and had received nothing in return. It had no intention of making the same mistake with the Analytical Engine. And Babbage’s eccentricities and abrasive personality did not help his cause. Looking back, the government may have been right. If it had financed the new invention, it might well have received nothing in return. For, as usual, Babbage’s idea was far ahead of existing mechanical technology. This was particularly true because the design for the Analytical Engine was grandiose.

+ continued For example, Babbage wanted his machine to do calculations for fifty-digit accuracy, an accuracy far greater than that found in most modern computers and far more than is needed for most calculations. What’s more, Babbage often changed his plans in the middle of the project, so that everything done previously had to be abandoned and work started anew. How ironic that the founder of operations research, the science of industrial management, could not manage to develop his own inventions.

+ Comparing Difficulty To whom might this be an interesting reading? In what setting might someone be required to read this? Was Reading #2 or Reading #3 more difficult? Why? What makes it more challenging? What might you need to know/do to understand this piece?

+ Reading depends on your attitude … which you can control through INNER DIALOGUE Boring! I wish I didn’t have to read this. I’ll never finish this. This chapter doesn’t make any sense. I hate this. Why did I ever take this course?!?! I can’t believe how long this chapter is. When will this ever end? I’ll never need to know this. I’m going to burn this book after finals!

+ Reading Literature What is important to consider when reading a story in a literature class? Who is the author? Why was this piece selected? Characters Genre Setting Theme Plot Symbolism