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What Is Critical Reading

Critical reading involves actively engaging with text through questioning and analysis rather than passive acceptance. It means evaluating an author's arguments and interpretations rather than dismissing ideas. Developing critical reading skills requires reflecting on what a text says, what it describes, and what it means through consideration of style, structure, language, and content. Critical thinking extends critical reading by processing new information openly while considering personal biases. Effective reading strategies like speed reading, SQ3R (survey, question, read, recall, review), and developing reading questions can help readers comprehend and retain information more efficiently.

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99 views

What Is Critical Reading

Critical reading involves actively engaging with text through questioning and analysis rather than passive acceptance. It means evaluating an author's arguments and interpretations rather than dismissing ideas. Developing critical reading skills requires reflecting on what a text says, what it describes, and what it means through consideration of style, structure, language, and content. Critical thinking extends critical reading by processing new information openly while considering personal biases. Effective reading strategies like speed reading, SQ3R (survey, question, read, recall, review), and developing reading questions can help readers comprehend and retain information more efficiently.

Uploaded by

isa khan mohmand
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is Critical Reading?

Reading critically does not, necessarily, mean being critical of


what you read.

Both reading and thinking critically don’t mean being ‘critical’


about some idea, argument, or piece of writing - claiming that it is
somehow faulty or flawed. 
Critical reading means engaging in what you read by asking
yourself questions such as, ‘what is the author trying to say?’
or ‘what is the main argument being presented?’

Critical reading involves presenting a reasoned argument that evaluates


and analyses what you have read.  Being critical, therefore - in an
academic sense - means advancing your understanding, not dismissing
and therefore closing off learning.
See also: Listening Types to learn about the importance of critical listening skills.
To read critically is to exercise your judgement about what you are reading – that
is, not taking anything you read at face value. 

When reading academic material you will be faced with the author’s interpretation and
opinion.  Different authors will, naturally, have different slants. You should always
examine what you are reading critically and look for limitations, omissions,
inconsistencies, oversights and arguments against what you are reading. 

In academic circles, whilst you are a student, you will be expected to understand
different viewpoints and make your own judgements based on what you have read.

Critical reading goes further than just being satisfied with what a
text says, it also involves reflecting on what the text describes,
and analysing what the text actually means, in the context of
your studies.

As a critical reader you should reflect on:


 What the text says:  after critically reading a piece you should be able to take notes,
paraphrasing - in your own words - the key points.
 What the text describes: you should be confident that you have understood the text
sufficiently to be able to use your own examples and compare and contrast with other
writing on the subject in hand.
 Interpretation of the text: this means that you should be able to fully analyse the text
and state a meaning for the text as a whole.
Critical reading means being able to reflect on what a text says, what it describes and
what it means by scrutinising the style and structure of the writing, the language used as
well as the content.

Critical Thinking is an Extension of Critical Reading


Thinking critically, in the academic sense, involves being open-minded -
using judgement and discipline to process what you are learning about
without letting your personal bias or opinion detract from the
arguments. 

Critical thinking involves being rational and aware of your own feelings
on the subject – being able to reorganise your thoughts, prior
knowledge and understanding to accommodate new ideas or
viewpoints. 

Critical reading and critical thinking are therefore the very foundations
of true learning and personal development.

See our page: Critical Thinking for more.

Developing a Reading Strategy


You will, in formal learning situations, be required to read and
critically think about a lot of information from different sources. 

It is important therefore, that you not only learn to read critically


but also efficiently.
The first step to efficient reading is to become selective.
If you cannot read all of the books on a recommended reading list, you need to find a
way of selecting the best texts for you. To start with, you need to know what you are
looking for.  You can then examine the contents page and/or index of a book or journal
to ascertain whether a chapter or article is worth pursuing further.

Once you have selected a suitable piece the next step is to speed-read.
Speed reading is also often referred to as skim-reading or scanning.  Once you have
identified a relevant piece of text, like a chapter in a book, you should scan the first few
sentences of each paragraph to gain an overall impression of subject areas it covers. 
Scan-reading essentially means that you know what you are looking for, you identify the
chapters or sections most relevant to you and ignore the rest.

When you speed-read you are not aiming to gain a full understanding of the arguments
or topics raised in the text.  It is simply a way of determining what the text is about. 

When you find a relevant or interesting section you will need to slow your reading speed
dramatically, allowing you to gain a more in-depth understanding of the arguments
raised.  Even when you slow your reading down it may well be necessary to read
passages several times to gain a full understanding.

See also: Speed-Reading for Professionals.

Following SQ3R
SQ3R is a well-known strategy for reading.  SQ3R can be applied to a
whole range of reading purposes as it is flexible and takes into account
the need to change reading speeds.
SQ3R is an acronym and stands for:

 Survey
 Question
 Read
 Recall
 Review

Survey
This relates to speed-reading, scanning and skimming the text.  At this initial stage you
will be attempting to gain the general gist of the material in question.

Question
It is important that, before you begin to read, you have a question or set of questions
that will guide you - why am I reading this?  When you have a purpose to your reading
you want to learn and retain certain information.  Having questions changes reading
from a passive to an active pursuit.  Examples of possible questions include:

 What do I already know about this subject?


 How does this chapter relate to the assignment question?
 How can I relate what I read to my own experiences?

Read
Now you will be ready for the main activity of reading.  This involves careful
consideration of the meaning of what the author is trying to convey and involves being
critical as well as active.

Recall
Regardless of how interesting an article or chapter is, unless you make a concerted
effort to recall what you have just read, you will forget a lot of the important points. 
Recalling from time to time allows you to focus upon the main points – which in turn aids
concentration. Recalling gives you the chance to think about and assimilate what you
have just read, keeping you active.  A significant element in being active is to write
down, in your own words, the key points. 

Review
The final step is to review the material that you have recalled in your notes.  Did you
understand the main principles of the argument?  Did you identify all the main points? 
Are there any gaps?   Do not take for granted that you have recalled everything you
need correctly – review the text again to make sure and clarify.

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