Critical Thinking

and Reading
 Brain Teasers
1. A plane full of Filipino tourists crashes on the
border between Spain and Portugal. Where
should the survivors be buried?

2. If you drive a bus with 50 people on board from

Manila to Pampanga and drop off 5 people in
Caloocan, 5 people in Balintawak and 5 people
in Bulacan, when you arrive in Pampanga 36
hours later, what is the driver’s name?
 Brain Teasers

3. If you had a match and entered the dark room

with a fire place, a candle and an oil lamp, what
would you light first?

4. Which statement is correct: Seven plus five is

eleven, or seven plus five are eleven?
How many correct answers did you
get?

Did you have difficulty in answering

the brain teasers?
What does answering those items
require?
Did those items force you to think
critically?
What is critical thinking? critical
reading?
 Critical Thinking
• is the use of cognitive skills or strategies
that increase the probability of a desirable
outcome.
• It is used to describe thinking that is
purposeful, reasoned and goal directed
• Critical thinking is reflective reasoning
about beliefs and actions.
• It is a way of deciding whether a claim is
always true, sometimes true, partly true,
or false.
 Critical Thinking
• Critical thinking is “ the art of thinking about your
thinking while you are thinking in order to make
your thinking better: more clear, more accurate, or
more defensible
- Paul, Binker, Adamson, and Marin (1989)
 Uses of Critical Thinking
1. underlies reading, writing, speaking, and listening .
. . the basic elements of communication.
2. plays an important part in social change . . .
institutions in any society - courts, governments,
schools, businesses - are the products of a certain
way of thinking.
3. helps us uncover bias and prejudice.
4. is a path to freedom from half-truths and
deceptions."
 Uses of Critical Thinking
5. the willingness to change one point of view as
we continue to examine and re-examine ideas
that may seem obvious. Such thinking takes time
and the willingness to say three subversive
words: I don't know.
 Attributes of a Critical
Thinker
1.Ask pertinent questions
2. Assess statements and arguments
3. Admit a lack of understanding or information
4. Have a sense of curiosity
5. Are interested in finding new solutions
6. Are able to clearly define a set of criteria for
analyzing ideas
7. Are willing to examine beliefs, assumptions, and
opinions and weigh them against facts
 Attributes of a Critical
Thinker
8. Listen carefully to others and give feedback
9. See that critical thinking is a lifelong process of
self-assessment
10. Suspend judgments until all facts have been
gathered and considered
11. Look for evidence to support assumptions and
beliefs
 Attributes of a Critical
Thinker
12. Adjust opinions when new facts are found
13. Look for proof
14. Examine problems closely
15. Are able to reject information that is incorrect or
irrelevant.
 What is Critical Reading?
Critical reading is
(1) the process of making judgments in reading:
evaluating relevance and adequacy of what is read,

(2) an act of reading in which a questioning attitude,

logical analysis, and inference are used to judge
the worth of what is read according to an
established standard. .
 What is Critical Reading?
.Among the identified skills of critical reading
involved in making judgments are
those having to do with the
• author’s intent or purpose;
• with the accuracy,
• logic,
• reliability and authenticity of writing;
• and with the literary forms, components, and
devices identified through literary analysis.
 Characteristics of Critical
Readers
1. Willing to spend time reflecting on the ideas
presented in their reading assignments.
2. Able to evaluate and solve problems while
reading rather than merely compile a set of
facts to be memorized.
3. Logical thinkers.
4. Diligent in seeking out the truth.
5. Eager to express their thoughts on a topic.
 Steps in Critical Reading
Before you read
Scan the piece to get an idea of what it is about and
what the main argument is. This may include reading
an introduction if there is one, or the subheadings.
While you read
Keep a running dialogue with the author through
annotation by recording your thoughts, ideas, and
questions. Underline, highlight, or circle important
parts and points, and write comments in the margins.
 Steps in Critical Reading
After you have read
Look over your annotations to get an overall idea of
the text. You may also choose to write a summary to
solidify your understanding.
Responding to the text
After you have developed a clear sense of the
author’s argument and line of reasoning, you are
able to analyze the author’s argument and methods.
Then, you can develop your own ideas—perhaps
into an essay of your own.
 Considerations in Critical
Reading
1. Consider the authority of the writer
2. Consider the Logic of the Writer’s Argument
3. Expose the ways in which the writer gets your
interest.
4. Consider the writer’s use of Language and Style
5. Consider the Ideology that informs the text.
Activity Time
Thank You !!