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Non-critical vs critical reading - Coggle Diagram
Non-critical vs critical reading
Non-critical reading is focused on learning the information provided by a source. In this mode, a reader focuses on understanding the information, ideas, and opinions stated within the text.
We exercise non-critical reading, when we are consulting texts looking for facts/information.
Critical thinkers/readers engaged not only with what a text says, but also with how it presents that information and the context in which it was written (including the perspective it was written from).
How to read critically
Determine the central claims or purpose of the text (its thesis). A critical reading attempts to identify and assess how these central claims are developed and argued.
Examine the evidence (the supporting facts, examples, etc.) the text employs. Supporting evidence is indispensable to an argument, so consider the kinds of evidence used:
Statistical? Literary? Historical? From what sources is the evidence taken? Are these sources primary or secondary?
Begin to make some judgments about context.
What audience is the text written for?
Who is it in dialogue with?
In what historical context is it written?
Distinguish the kinds of reasoning the text employs.
What concepts are defined and used?
Does the text appeal to a theory or theories?
Is any specific methodology laid out?
If there is an appeal to a particular concept, theory, or method, how is that concept, theory, or method then used to organize and interpret the data?
How has the author analyzed (broken down) the material?
Critical reading may involve evaluation. Your reading of a text is already critical if it accounts for and makes a series of judgments about how a text is argued. Some assignments may also require you to assess the strengths and weaknesses of an argument.
A non-critical thinker/reader might read a history book to learn the facts of the situation or to discover an accepted interpretation of those events.
A critical thinker/reader might read the same work to appreciate how a particular perspective on the events and a particular selection of facts can lead to a particular understanding. A critical thinker/reader will likely also think about the perspectives of that event that are NOT being considered or presented in the text.