Critical Reading, Critical Research: Practical Strategies to Develop

Perhaps no other skill affects students’ intellectual achievement more profoundly than the skill of critical reading. The analysis and assessment of written texts requires specific, learned skills in unpacking a text’s meaning, understanding its claims and implications, assessing its logic and coherence, evaluating its evidence, and drawing logical conclusions based on its claims. Both anecdotal evidence and qualitative research suggest that these skills are lacking in many high school and college students, and though teachers are intuitively aware of how crucial such skills are in the research and writing process, they often struggle to help students practice and apply critical reading strategies in consistent and effective ways. This session will articulate a theory of critical reading based on the concepts and methodology of critical thinking experts Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder and will share practical strategies and in-class exercises designed to help students learn how to read, understand, and assess written texts in order to draw logical conclusions and construct persuasive arguments