CHAPTER 14 EVALUATING INTERNET RESOURCES

Evaluating Internet sources of info helps you determine if they are reliable and useful. Use the Internet source evaluation system as a tool for assessing websites. As a reader and thinker, become open minded and consider each website's Relevancy, Reliability, Credibility and Accuracy using the following seven steps: 1. Know your purpose. 2. Double check facts and sources. 3. Consider the source. 4. Evaluate content. 5. Determine intended audience. 6. Evaluate the writing. And 7. Use what you already know.

CHAPTER 13 READING BEYOND THE WORDS

Critical thinking comprehension involves challenging yourself to understand what you read at different levels of complexity. Bloom's taxonomy lists six levels of critical thinking; knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation that you can use to deepen your understanding.

CHAPTER 12 IDENTIFYING AND EVALUATING ARGUMENTS

Recognizing arguments as you read lets you critically examine an author's line of resoning. Arguments always have atleast one reason and one conclusion. One ways to find them is to look for the conclusions and then track the reasons they used to reach them. When you find an argument, you should break it down into parts so that you can figure out whether it's well founded and logical. The two primary types of arguments are deductive and inductive. Deductive arguments have at least one premise that logically leads to a conclusion. If the premise or premises of a deductive argument are true, then the conclusion is true. Inductive arguments begin with series of specific observations and conclude with a generalization that logically flows from them. Being able to detect and evaluate arguments, and to create arguments using your textbook, makes you analyze the logic of what you read and helps you present your own ideas.

CHAPTER 11 READING, UNDERSTANDING, AND CREATING VISUAL AIDS

Textbook author often use visual aids to help their readers understand better the info they are presenting. Some visual aids are mind maps, outlines, charts, diagrams, graphs, illustrations, photographs, and time lines. Learning how to read visuals will help you to understand and remember the information. To create an effective visual aid, you have to recognize the important elements in what you are reading and be able to prioritize and organize them in a logical and useful format. An effective visual well save you from taking s many notes from your texts or in lectures.

CHAPTER 10 TEXTBOOK MARKING

Textbook marking is a systematic mak and label reading tool that helps distinguish important ideas from less important ones. You should try to mark and label the main ideas, important details, and new vocabulary in the textbooks. Always mark information that is unclear, to remind yourself to find out what it means before you are tested on the material.

CHAPTER 9 USING PREVIEW, STUDY-READ, AND REVIEW (PSR) STRATEGIES

The PSR technique which means (preview, study-read, and review) requires that you question yourself before, furing, and after you read. It encourages you to participate in a reader-author conversation. In this conversation, you assess what the auther says and decide if it makes sense to you. The PSR technique also requires you to respond to readings by writing in your journal. Commenting in writing helps you understand an author's ideas and create your own. By knowing exactly where you get confused in a reading, you can return to that part and reread that section. This will help you understand the material on your own.

CHAPTER 12 DEDUCTIVE REASONING: HOW DO I RESON FROM PROMISES?

Deductive reasoning is the process of starting with one or more statements called premises and investigating what conclusions necessarily follow from these premises. Deduction is the subject of formal logic, whose main concern is whith creating forms that demonstrate reasoning. Syllogisms allow logicians to determine what is being said, to identify hidden premises, and to find out if the argument makes sense. Deductive and inductive resoning are not isolated pursuits but are mentally interwoven both in major and mundane problem solving.

CHAPTER 11 INDUCTIVE REASONING AND INDUCTIVE FALLACIES: HOW DO I REASON FROM EVIDENCE?

Inductive reasoning is the process of thinking that you used in describing anything. The inductive method is also called the empirical or scientific method. Induction can be done through sensory observation, enumeration, analogous reasoning, causal reasoning, and from pattern recognition. Inductive reasoning is as a method for obtaining info when it would be impossible to examine all the data available. Hasty generalization is the fallacy of basing a coclusion on insufficient evidence. Inconsistency in evidence is the fallacy of offering evidence that contradicts the conclusion. False cause is the fallacy of claiming there is acausal connection between events without reasonable evidence to support the claim. The slippery slope is the fallacy of claiming without sufficient proof that permitting one event to occur would lead to a chain reaction that cant be stopped. It ignores the many variables or unknowns in the situation.

CHAPTER 10 FALLACIES: WHAT'S A FAULTY ARGUMENT?

Misleading euphemisms are words that hide meaning by wrappping a less acceptable idea in positive or neutral connotations. The use of euphemisms is fallacious in an argument when the goal is to be evasive, to mislead, or to disarm awareness and objections. Appeals to fear and pity seek to persuade through affecting emotions rather than through sound rational support for an argument. Appeal to false authority seeks to influence others ny citing fake or inappropriate authorities. This false authority might be a person, a tradition, or convetional wisdom. Personal attack refutes another argument by attacking the opponent rather than addressing th argument itself. The red herring is a ploy of distraction. It makes a claim, then instead of following through with support, it minimizes the issue or/diverts attention into irrelevent issues.

CHAPTER 9 ARGUMENTS: WHAT'S A GOOD ARGUMENT?

The critical reading of arguments is something that requires involvement, interaction with questions, and evaluation. The conclusion of an argument is the last step in a reasoning process but it can be stated at any time during the argument or not at all. Reason includes data, evidence, and premises. Reasons support conclusions. Once the argument's main conclusion is uncovered, the reasons offered in support becomes clear. Arguments state and defend a claim. Reports that only relate events or state facts cant be analyzed as if they were arguments.

CHAPTER 8 TEXTBOOK METHODS OF ORGANIZATIONS

Authors textbooks usually organize information using certain classic methods and patterns ot write. Able to see the organizational methods; listings, analysis, cause/effect, comparison/contrast, definition/example and sequence, will be the methods to help you with the ideas in your textbooks. It also helps you to remember what you have read. To identify a useful way is to look for the organizational pattern/method the other is using.

CHAPTER 7 USING INFERENCE TO IDENTY IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS

College instructor usually require their students to not only read and understand what is explicitly stated on the page but also to detact ideas that are implied or indirectly stated. To really understand a reading assignment you need to read the material and combine what tool thats stated as an inference tool. While an inference is a skill you should be using it everyday. You also need to understand how the authors purpose, tone, and use of key words and emotive language can be used.

CHAPTER 6 FINDING SUPPORTING DETAILS

Authors usually use details to help ther leaders understand their ideas in the writings. Details in a writing are specific pieces of information that are known as the "arms and legs" the main "body" idea. These "arms and legs" are usually presented as facts, opinions, examples, illustrations, explanations, or definitons and are frequently used by asking questions such as who, what, when, where, how and why? Major details are provided to support the main idea in a reading if you distinguish between the major and minor supporting details you have understood what you have read in the passage. If you are having trouble indicating the passage you may need to re-read to get the main idea.

CHAPTER 5 LOCATING STATED MAIN IDEAS

Locating an author's main ideas is the key to understanding your reading. Seeing the relationship between the main idea and details will support the first distinguished general and specific ideas. The topic is the most general idea, also the most specific idea. The details are the most specific support and illustrate the main idea of your writing. Looking in the usual places, noticing clues, words and categorizing and authors point are four main strategies. You can use them to think about what you read. Asking yurself specific questions such as "What is this all about?" you will actively find the answer you are looking for as you lead your writing.

CHAPTER 4 MANAGING YOUR READING TIME

Comprehension shoud be the main reading goal. Develop a general study schedule that specifically plans the study time for each class. Track reading rates so you can create daily reading plans that set realistic goals for your classes each week. After using a study schedule and daily reading plans for several weeks, you will realize that you began to complete your reading assignments on time and your reading comprehension has improved.

CHAPTER 3 REMEMBERING WHAT YOU READ

In our memory its where we store and retrieve information. When trying to memorize something its important to understand what you are trying to remember. The three primary stages in the memory process are sensory memory, short term memory, and long ter memory. Chunking is an effective strategy for organizing and remembering new information so that it stays in your short term memory long enough to transfer into your long term memory. Ther are some specific strategies you can use to enhance your sensory memory like reading your text aloud, drawing pictures of the info your are learning, visualizing info. in gour exercise bike. Recall techniques called mnemonics can help you retrieve info. once it has been learned and stored properly.

CHAPTER 2 DEVELOPING YOUR COLLEGE VOCABULARY

Building your vocabulary is one of the most important reading strategies you can learn. By increasing your vocabulary, you increase the understanding of the information in your textbook. It also increases your ability to speak and write better so you can communicate more effectively. Using context clues, word analysis, writing in your textbook, creating word maps, understanding denotation and connotation, journa writing, and the card review system help you figure out and remember the meaning of new words.

CHAPTER 1 READING IN COLLEGE

Reading is an active process based on an author's ability to convey meaning through the written word and your ability to extract meaning from those words. Active learners become involved in their learning experience by previewing their reading assignments, outlining chapter or lecture notes, reading books, other than their textbooks, to learn more about the subject their learning. Concentration involves focusing your attention on a task while blocking distractions.

CHAPTER 8: VIEWPOINTS: WHAT'S THE FILTER?

Critical thinking means learning to recognize viewpoints and how they shape the content of any message. Viewpoints like assumptions, opinions, and evaluations can either be consciously or unconsciously assumed. We Can communicate better when we are aware of our own viewpoint and can understand and respect the viewpoints of others also. Unconscious viewpoints include the egocentric, ethnocentric, religiocentric, androcentric, and athropocentric. In alternative periodicals and on the internet a far wide ranger of viewpoints is available than on television and mainstream.

CHAPTER 7: EVALUATIONS: WHAT'S JUDGED?

Evaluations make judgements about worth on the basis of standards that may be conscious or unconscious. Evaluations can help us react quicklly to situations. Evaluations are not facts, factual reports keep the distinction between facts and evaluations clear. Feelings and expectations affect our perceptions and evaluations. Experts are those who have a reputation for offering skilled and reliable evaluations. Evaluations are used in advertising and journalism to persuade us. Critical thinking requires that we stay alert to manipulative advertising techniques. A critical thinker knows how to recognize and detach from the influence of propaganda.

CHAPTER 6: OPINIONS: WHAT'S BELIEVED?

Opinions express our decisions about life. The word opinion is commonly misunderstood, since the word covers many varieties of thoughts. Opinions can be based either on reasons or on whim, feelings, emotions, or prejudice. Critical thinking required that we recognize the difference between responsible and irresponsible opinion. Expert opinion is based on an understanding of evidence and risks in a situation and is important and highly valued. Opinions shouldnt be confused with facts. In an essay a statement of opinion can be the thesis or its principle claim.

CHAPTER 5: ASSUMPTIONS: WHAT'S TAKEN FOR GRANTED?

An assumption is something we take for granted, somethin we accept prematurely as being true, something we dont check out carefully usually we dont recognize that we have an assumption until it causes a problem. Assumptions can be conscious or unconscious. Hidden assumptions are unconscious assumptions that really influence a line of reasoning. One type of hidden assumptions is stereotypes. Arguments are the use of reasoning to defend and an idea or to persuade someone else to believe in the idea. Someone who brings a fresh perspective to a problem is often able to find a solution because they dont buy the assumptions that restrain others.

CHAPTER 4- INFERENCES: WHAT FOLLOWS?

The word infer means 1) To derive by reasoning, 2) To conclude, 3) To guess. When we infer we use imagination or reasoning to provide explanation for situations where all the facts are either no available or not yet determined. Report writing or descriptive writing lets the facts speak for themselves. Inference can be used in descriptive writing to tie facts together. Facts and inference are linked together through generalizations. Generalizing too soon befor we have gathered a lot of facts is bad we should learn how to draw generalizations that can be supported.

CHAPTER 3- FACTS: WHAT'S REAL?

Facts are not absolutes but they are statements of probability. Because we depend on others for facts it can lead us to not trust our own perceptions. Its not easy for us to determine if the facts correspond to reality. It can only be determined with testing and over time with repeated feedback. Our senses are limited in range and capacity and are affected by many things, like as selective focus. The standards that are usually used to determine facts are verifiability, reliability, plausibility, and probability. Facts have to go through the test of time and being repeated and not contradict other known facts.

CHAPTER 2- WORD PRECISION: HOW DO I DESCRIBE IT?

In order to share our experiences with others through writing, we need to give much thought to our choice of words. An accurate use of words improves our thinking. Words allow us to communicate with ourselves and others. Writing helps us learn more about words and how to use them. Words are only translations of experience and not the experience itself. The thesaurus helps us when we are writing and translating nonverbal experiences and ideas into words, and the dictionary helps us when we are reading and interpreting the words of others. The first stage of critical reading is having the technical ability and the willingness to accurately reproduce its content. The test of our understanding of a word is our ability to define it. This ability is important for words representing key ideas that we want to explain or defend.

CHAPTER 1- OBSERVATION SKILLS: WHAT'S OUT THERE?

If we base our thinking on poor observation, then no matter how many strategies we devise, or how well we reason, that thinking will be faulty. To develop more conscious thinking habits, we have to first observe our own thinking processes so that we can recognize our strengths and weaknesses. Careful observation requires us to stay awake, take our time, and give our full attention. Careful observation can also help us see details that can help us figure out the problem and also figure out new things. Observation is to sense, perceive, and think. Sensing is collecting information through the senses. Perceiving is holding sense information in consciousness until we can categorize and interpret it. Thinking organizes our perceptions.