Skill-related Reading

Skill-related Reading

Reading Skill（X）：Developing Critical Thinking in Reading

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe．It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking．To become clear thinkers，we must also be strong readers．An established strategy for critical reading can enhance your critical thinking and help you accomplish your goals．

Reading is a discovery process．We aren’t just empty vessels that get filled by the cup of knowledge．When we read，we are in a symbiotic relationship with the author and we create new meanings and new knowledge．By following a strategy for critical reading，you can identify the strengths and weaknesses of an argument or an approach and develop a new way forward．The author’s view plus your own will lead to new knowledge．

The SQ3R method will help you to identify areas of a text that you can argue with in order to create a new understanding of the world．SQ3R stands for Survey，Question，Read，Recite，Review．By following the five-part structure，you can become an active reader and improve your critical thinking skills．

Step 1—Survey：Look before you leap

Surveying your text is an important step，the foundation for the rest of the strategy．Look at an essay，for instance．What is the title and author？Are there subtitles？How many paragraphs are there？Is there any white space？Does any text stand out？Whatever the reading is，note the structure of the piece as you survey it．

The human brain is a miraculous organ．It discerns patterns in all that it sees．By surveying the text，you are setting up your brain to subconsciously understand the patterns that you are presenting．In short，your brain makes meaning from those patterns．You are creating a framework for your brain to understand the material．

Step 2—Question：Create a plan of discovery

The second step is to write questions for each subtitle or section in the text．For instance，in an essay on writing，there may be a section on Prewriting．One of the subtitles may be Freewriting．On a piece of paper，write down“What is Freewriting？”Go through the entire reading and write questions for each section．

At this time，you may be tempted to write down answers to those questions，especially as those answers swim in the text in front of you．For now，it is best to write down all the questions first and wait to answer them during the reading portion of the strategy．

Step 3—Read：Turn off all distractions and read

The third step is reading．Reading the text is a two-step process．The first time you read the text，do so without a pencil．Just read it quickly to discern the main ideas and structure of the text．The second time through，you will read carefully and annotate the text．

First，read the text without a pencil．Find a quiet place and read the material．Turn off distractions，such as your phone and the television．Having soft music or classical music in the background improves your concentration．Researchers suggest that classical music puts“students in a heightened emotional state，making them more receptive to information”．(https://www.daowen.com)

Second，annotate the text．This will help you to understand the patterns of the text．Look for the answers to the questions you write in step 2．When you find an answer，write it down．If an answer is not presented directly，the answer may be implied．Write down any answer you can infer from the text．You are also suggested to underline main points and circle words you don’t know．If you agree with the author’s point，write“Yes！”in the margin．If you’re skeptical of the author’s point，you write，“Hmmm”to indicate you must think about that point some more．Besides these，try to develop a system of your own to annotate a text that makes sense to you．Whatever you do，write in your text．If you do not want to write in your book，make a copy of your reading and write all on the copy．Annotating the text is a crucial step in making the material your own．

Step 4—Recite：Give voice to your ideas

The fourth step is to recite the main points of the text aloud to a friend or to yourself．When we verbalize any material，we create a memory of it in our brain．Telling a friend about your reading will help you to remember it．It will also help you to elaborate on any disagreements you may have with the text．Why do you disagree with the author and what is your own position？It is not enough to just disagree with an author’s point．You must also strive to articulate the reason for your disagreement，which will help you to articulate your own position on the topic．This step in critical thinking is important in making new knowledge for the world．

Step 5—Review：Reinforce the entire process to truly make the text your own

The fifth and last step is to review the text．As you glance your eyes over the text now，you will be looking at the material for the sixth time．You will take in not only the author’s points but your own active reading of the text．

The SQ3R strategy for critical reading will help you to understand any reading，from the most complex to the most trivial．It will increase your engagement with your reading，helping you to think critically about what you read，rather than being a passive receptacle，and enabling you to create new knowledge for the world．Now let’s adopt this strategy to read Text A again．

＼Reading Practice＼

I．Directions：Adopt SQ3R strategy to read Text A again and finish the four steps as follows：

Step 1：Survey the whole passage，focusing on the title，author，the first and last paragraphs．Try to find some topic sentences to summarize its main idea as rapidly as you can．

Step 2：Write down some questions related to the title and main idea of the passage，as well as other relevant questions you are concerned about．

Step 3：Read the whole text carefully，underline the main points of each paragraph and the words you don’t know，and give some other annotations with your own opinion and marks．

Step 4：Recite the main points of the text aloud to your partner and express what points you agree or disagree on．

Ⅱ．Direction：Review the whole text and give rational comments on the current situations of gender equality and women’s empowerment both globally and in China．Then offer some feasible suggestions for promoting gender equality from various perspectives in the modern society．You can either discuss the issue with your group members or write it down on a piece of paper．