INFORMATION FOR

LEARNING: MAKING IT
YOUR OWN
Active and critical reading

DCU Student Learning Resources

Office of the Vice-President for Learning Innovation and Registrar

[Compiled by Ann Coughlan, 2007-08]

INFORMATION FOR LEARNING: MAKING IT YOUR OWN

ACTIVE AND CRITICAL READING

Introduction
At university you will be expected to read widely as part of your academic study. As you begin
to study at university, academic reading may appear difficult and unwieldy, especially when
compared with other kinds of reading that you might enjoy (e.g. magazines, novels, etc.). You
may find yourself reading and re-reading texts in order to decipher their meaning. This is partly
due to the dense nature of the material and the fact that so many ideas are packed into the text. It
is not therefore unusual to have to read and re-read academic texts.

John Locke (1632-1704), the English philosopher said that Reading furnishes our minds only
with materials of knowledge; it is our thinking that makes what we read ours. It is you, the
reader, who makes sense of what you read. The meaning you make depends to a large extent on
how you are reading. There are a lot of useful approaches and techniques that you can develop to
help you make the most of your reading. By thinking carefully, reading critically and staying
active and focused while you read you will be in a better position to decipher the meanings in the
text and thereby make the best of your time.

The importance of reading cannot be emphasised enough. Its purpose is to deepen, expand and
complement your understanding of the concepts and ideas introduced during lectures, seminars,
labs, activities, etc. Furthermore, reading and writing are inextricably linked: reading is usually a
starting point in the process of writing an essay or an assignment. As an effective reader you are
also in a better position to read, critique and edit your own written work.

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It is important to try to link the meaning you make when reading with your learning from other
activities e.g. your lecture notes, handouts, laboratory work, experiments, field work, and other
text readings such as paintings, films, events, etc. You could use your reflective learning journal
to make connections between all these activities and in this way deepen and synthesise your
learning experiences. (See unit, Reflective learning: keeping a reflective learning journal)

There may be certain themes, concepts, ideas and methods of presentation that you should be
looking out for while reading in your particular discipline(s). Over the course of several readings
you will begin to notice their emergence. For example, reading in the sciences will differ from
reading in the humanities. Ideally, all learning skills should be developed within the particular
parameters of your discipline(s). As you engage in the university learning experience you will
progressively develop knowledge of subject-specific discourse, and through participating in it
come to understand its particular conventions. In the meantime, if in doubt, check with your
lecturers.

Think about what you normally read (e.g. magazines, newspapers, novels,
reports, etc.). Now think about an article or book you have been asked to read
for your programme. Use a blank page, divided in two to compare both pieces
of text. Make a list of the ways in which you think they differ from one another.

If you can see what makes reading the academic text difficult you are half way
to solving the problem! Your page might look something like this:
Your text (e.g. novel you like)
Easy to understand/follow
I know most of these words
No references or footnotes
Focus on people, places and events
Chapter just starts
No obvious introduction/
conclusion
Four or more paragraphs to a page
Generally shorter sentences
Vivid description

Academic text
Difficult to grasp the main point of
what is being said
Use of specialist terminology
Use of references and footnotes
Focus on concepts and ideas
Use of headings
Introduction at beginning of each
section
Paragraphs much longer
Long sentences
Analytical writing
etc.

This exercise adapted from Crme, P. & Lea, M. (2003) Writing at University. (2nd ed.)
Maidenhead: Open University Press.

[Compiled by Ann Coughlan, 2007-08]

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Learning objectives
At the end of this unit you will be able to:
-

understand the importance of reading and consequently the importance of reading

effectively,

better manage your reading and use your time more effectively,

use strategies to help you engage in active and focused reading,

understand how you can incorporate critical reading skills as you go along.

Active and focused reading

Before you begin a reading session you must intend to engage actively. This section will
describe an approach that will take you from a global reading of your text to a more focused
reading. The emphasis will be on moving you away from the academic text towards developing
notes and ideas in your own words that make sense to you. The approach described here will be
based around the five-stage reading technique which uses the acronym SQ3R i.e.

Survey

Question

Read

Recall

Review

Survey
Before you begin reading, survey or skim the text that you are about to read.

The

purpose of this global reading is to gather the information necessary to focus and
formulate goals. Here are some ways you could do this:

Read the title - help your mind prepare to receive the subject at hand.

Read the introduction and/or summary - orient yourself to how this chapter/article
fits the author's purposes, and focus on the author's statement of most important
points.

Notice each boldface heading and subheading - organise your mind before you
begin to read - build a structure for the thoughts and details to come.

[Compiled by Ann Coughlan, 2007-08]

Notice any graphics - charts, maps, diagrams, etc. are there to make a point - don't
miss them.

Notice reading aids - italics, bold face print, chapter/section objective, end-of
chapter/section questions are all included to help you sort, comprehend, and
remember.

Question:
Questioning will help your mind to engage and concentrate. One section at a time, turn
the boldface heading into as many questions as you think will be answered in that section.
The better the questions, the better your comprehension is likely to be. You may always
add further questions as you proceed. When your mind is actively searching for answers
to questions it becomes engaged in learning.

Read:
Now read the document. Your aim here is to fill in the information around the mental
structures you have been building. Read each section (one at a time) with your questions
in mind. Look for the answers, and notice if you need to make up some new questions.
Read sections in detail, taking care to understand all the points that are relevant. In the
case of some texts this reading may be very slow. This will particularly be the case if
there is a lot of dense and complicated information. While you are reading, it can help to
take notes in your preferred format (see section below on taking notes while you read).

Recall:
After each section - stop, recall your questions, and see if you can answer them from
memory. If not, look back again (as often as necessary) but don't go on to the next section
until you can recall. Isolate the core facts or the essential processes behind the subject,
and then see how other information fits around them. The purpose of this step is to retrain
your mind to concentrate and learn as it reads.

Review:
Once you have run through the exercise of recalling the information, you can move on to

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the stage of reviewing it. This review can be by rereading the document, by expanding
your notes, or by discussing the material with colleagues. A particularly effective method
of reviewing information is to have to teach it to someone else! The purpose of this step
is to refine your mental organisation and begin building memory.

The SQ3R approach to reading is described graphically hereunder:

from University of Hull

Taking notes while reading1

Many people find concept mapping useful for note-taking while reading. Concept mapping and
other note-taking techniques were described in the unit Active listening: note-taking in
lectures. There are many other formats you could use for note-taking e.g. flash cards or concept
cards where one piece of information is written on the front of a card as a memory cue with
further information on the back. Ultimately, you will develop your own unique approach which
1

Note: All diagrams in this section are from Muskingum College, www.muskingum.edu, unless otherwise stated.

[Compiled by Ann Coughlan, 2007-08]

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best enables you to make meaning while you are reading. Below are examples of some possible
approaches.

Example 1: Concept map: Biology

Example 2: Concept map: Sociology

Example 3: Concept map: Chemistry

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Example 4: Flash cards/concept cards

Concept Mapping tool download available (free of charge!) from The Institute
for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) http://cmap.ihmc.us/download
This allows you to create concept maps on your computer.

[Compiled by Ann Coughlan, 2007-08]

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Reading critically

So far this handout has outlined how a careful and close reading of a text can be undertaken. In
this section, the process is taken a step further by making some suggestions to enable you to add
a critical reading to your text. In the unit Creative thinking and critical thinking, the
characteristics of critical thinking were outlined. So, what is the difference between critical
reading and critical thinking? We can distinguish between them in the following way:

Critical reading is a technique for discovering information and ideas within a text. It
leads to our understanding of the text.

Critical thinking is a technique for evaluating information and ideas, for deciding what to
accept and believe.

Critical reading would appear to come before critical thinking then. Only once we have fully
understood a text (critical reading) can we truly evaluate its assertions (critical thinking).

In

actual practice, critical reading and critical thinking work together.

Critical thinking allows us to monitor our understanding as we read. If we sense that assertions
are ridiculous or irresponsible (critical thinking), we examine the text more closely to test our
understanding (critical reading).

Conversely, critical thinking depends on critical reading. You can think critically about a text
(critical thinking), after all, only if you have understood it (critical reading). We may choose to

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accept or reject a presentation, but we must know why. We have a responsibility to ourselves, as
well as to others, to isolate the real issues of agreement or disagreement. Only then can we
understand and respect other peoples views. To recognise and understand those views, we must
read critically.

So, what should we look out for in a critical reading of a text? We can think of a writer as having
taken on a job. No matter what the topic, certain tasks must be done:

a specific topic must be addressed

terms must be clearly defined

evidence must be presented

common knowledge must be accounted for

exceptions must be explained

causes must be shown to precede effects and to be capable of the effect

conclusions must be shown to follow logically from earlier arguments and evidence.

As critical readers and writers, we want to assure ourselves that these tasks have been undertaken
in a complete, comprehensive, and consistent manner. Only once we have determined that a text
is consistent and coherent can we then begin to evaluate whether or not to accept the assertions
and conclusions. This is where your critical thinking skills come into play.

Refer to the

aforementioned unit Creative thinking and critical thinking.

Concluding remarks
This unit is predicated on the belief that reading is a key component
of university learning for the reasons outlined in the introduction.
Some useful approaches and techniques were presented that can
help you make the most of your reading. By thinking carefully,
reading critically and staying active and focused while you read you
will be in a better position to decipher the meanings in your texts
and thereby make the best of your time.

[Compiled by Ann Coughlan, 2007-08]

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END OF UNIT: ACTION
Consider the points made in this handout.

Choose a set of strategies and

techniques to develop your own personal approach for engaging in active and
critical reading. Try them at your next reading!

Set aside some time every week to review and reflect upon the links between the
meaning you make from your programme readings and your learning from other
activities e.g. your lecture notes, handouts, laboratory work, experiments, field
work, and other kinds of text readings such as paintings, films, events, etc.
Record your findings in your reflective learning journal. (See unit Reflective
learning: keeping a reflective learning journal).

[Compiled by Ann Coughlan, 2007-08]