Active Reading –> Critical Reading –> Critical Thinking

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Active Reading –> Critical Reading –> Critical Thinking

Active reading leads to critical reading and thinking, which is a goal of higher education.

Critical Reading

Critical reading builds on the basic reading skills expected for college.

College Readers:

Reflect on the ideas presented in their reading assignments.
Ask questions, annotate, and/or take notes while reading. They interact and create a dialogue with the text rather than simply think of the information as something to be memorized.
Connect new information with existing information; create linkages among ideas.

Additionally, Critical Readers:

man holding a lightbulb to represent an idea

Evaluate information they read, so that they develop their own ideas about topics and issues, based on careful analysis.
Evaluate information in terms of logical argument; recognize valid arguments as well as assumptions and errors in argument.
Base their judgments of information on ideas and evidence.
See connections between topics and use knowledge from other disciplines to enhance their reading and learning experiences.

The video below, although geared toward students studying for the SAT exam (Scholastic Aptitude Test used for many colleges’ admissions), offers a good, quick overview of the concept and practice of critical reading.

_{video What is Critical Reading? Authored by: Brilliant Prep. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Hc3hmwnymw. License: Other. License Terms: YouTube video}

Critical Thinking

woman with lightbulbs around her head, stating "idea" The phrase “critical thinking” is often misunderstood. “Critical” in this case does not mean finding fault with an action or idea. Instead, it refers to the ability to understand an action or idea through reasoning. According to the website SkillsYouNeed^[1]:

Critical thinking might be described as the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking.

In essence, critical thinking requires you to use your ability to reason. It is about being an active learner rather than a passive recipient of information.

Critical thinkers rigorously question ideas and assumptions rather than accepting them at face value. They will always seek to determine whether the ideas, arguments, and findings represent the entire picture and are open to finding that they do not.

Critical thinkers will identify, analyze, and solve problems systematically rather than by intuition or instinct.

Someone with critical thinking skills can:

Understand the links between ideas.
Determine the importance and relevance of arguments and ideas.
Recognize, build, and appraise arguments.
Identify inconsistencies and errors in reasoning.
Approach problems in a consistent and systematic way.
Reflect on the justification of their own assumptions, beliefs and values.

The University of York has a very useful page entitled Being Critical: Critical Reading that provides a good overview of concepts and strategies in this chapter.

^[1] © SkillsYouNeed (2017) https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/critical-thing.html. For more information about Critical Thinking and other important skills, see www.skillsyouneed.com.

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