CRCB CHAPTER 14. EVALUATING INTERNET RESOURCES

SUMMARY CHAPTER 14 EVALUATING INTERNET RESOURCES

Evaluating Internet Sources of information helps you determine if they are reliable and useful. Knowing how to critically evaluate Internet material not only helps you become a better student, but will help you in your work life beyond college. Use the Internet source evaluation system described in this chapter as a tool for assessing websites. As a reader and thinker, become an “open minded skeptic” by considering each website’s Relevancy, Reliability, Credibility and Accuracy using the following seven steps: 1.Know your purpose. 2. Double-check facts and resources. 3. Consider the source. 4. Evaluate content. 5. Determine intended audience. 6. Evaluate the writing. 7. Use what you already know.

CRCB CHAPTER 13. READING BEYOND THE WORDS

SUMMARY CHAPTER 13 READING BEYOND THE WORDS

Critical reading comprehension involves challenging yourself to understand what you read in your textbooks 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 of textbook material. By creating and answering questions at each of these levels, you will be better able to predict the kinds of questions your instructor will ask on an exam and better prepare to answer them.

CRCB CHAPTER 12 IDETIFYING AND EVALUATING ARGUMENTS

SUMMARY CHAPTER 12 IDENTIFYING AND EVALUATING ARGUMENTS

Recognizing arguments as you read lets you critically examine an author’s line of reasoning. Arguments have the structure of at least one reason and one conclusion. One way to detect them is to look for an author’s conclusions and then track the reasons he or she used to reach them. Another way is to look for the argument word clues an author uses to indicate when reasons are being presented and conclusions stated. Arguments can be evaluated using specific criteria including determining dependability, distinguishing fact from opinion, and detecting fallacies. 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 a series of specific observations and conclude with a generalization that logically flows from them. As they are based on limited observations, even well-constructed inductive arguments cannot be considered absolutely true.

CRCB CHAPTER 11. READING, UNDERSTANDING, AND CREATING VISUAL AIDS

SUMMARY CHAPTER 11 READING, UNDERSTANDING, AND CREATING VISUAL AIDS

An effective reading and study strategy is to make your own visual aids. 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. It will quickly become obvious how well you know the material; you can’t draw a diagram or devise a table if you don’t understand what you have read or heard.

CRCB CHAPTER 10 TEXRBOOK MARKING

CHAPTER 10 SUMMARY TEXTBOOK MARKING

Always mark information that is unclear, to remind yourself to find out what it means before you are tested on the material.
A personalized system will work well as long as it is consistent, makes sense to you, and achieves the main goal of textbook marking: showing the relationships between ideas in what you read.

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

CRCB CHAPTER 8 TEXTBOOK METHOD OF ORGANIZATION

CHAPTER SUMMARY
Text book authors usually organize information using certain classic methods or patterns.

TFY Chapter 11 INDUCTIVE REASONING AND INDUCTIVE FALLACIES

CHAPTER SUMMARY INDUCTIVE REASONING AND INDUCTIVE FALLACIES

Inductive reasoning is used as a method for obtaining information when it would be impossible to examine all the data available. This is done by taking statistical samplings or by making extrapolations.
The five basic rules for evaluating the reliability of hypotheses based on statistical samplings are as follows:, the greater is its probability of being
a. The greater the size of the sample, the greater is its probability of being representative of the whole of a class.
b. A sampling must be representative in order to reliable result.
c. One counter example can refute a generalization arrived at through inductive reasoning.
d. Statistical evidence should be offered in sufficient detail for verification.
e. When evaluating the result of polls, it is important to examine both the polling agency and the polling question for bias.

TFY CHAPTER 12 DEDUCTIVE REASONING: HOW DO I REASON FROM PREMISE?

CHAPTER SUMMARY DEDUCTIVE REASONING: HOW DO I REASON FROM PREMISES?

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 with creating forms that demonstrate reasoning.
Logic has its own technical vocabulary.

TFY CHAPTER 10 FALLACIES: WHAT'S FAULTY ARGUMENT?

CHAPTER SUMMARY FALLACIES: WHAT’S FAULTY ARGUMENT?


Word ambiguity uses undefined and vague words in a argument, seeking to gain an advantage by using words that could be interpreted in more than one way.
Misleading euphemisms are word that hide meaning by wrapping 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.
Circular reasoning is the assertion or repeated assertion of a conclusion as though the conclusion were a reason. It can also pretend that no supporting reasons are needed. Circular reasoning assumes what it is supposed to prove.

TFY CHAPTER 9 ARGUMENT: WHAT'S A GOOD ARGUMENT?

CHAPTER SUMMARY

ARGUMENT: WHAT’S A GOOD ARGUMENT

The conclusion of an argument is the last step in a reasoning process. However, it may be stated at any time during an argument or not at all.
Reasons support conclusions. They may be generalizations that could function as conclusions in another context. Once the argument’s main conclusion is uncovered, the reasons offered in support becomes clear.
Arguments state and defend a claim. Usually they also attempt to persuade. Arguments disguised as reports slant the facts and language toward a bias.
Reports that only relate events or state facts cannot be analyzed as though they were arguments.
An issue is a selected aspect of a topic of controversy upon which positions may be taken either pro or con. Issue are stated in neutral terms often beginning with the word should and ending with a question. The following questions can serve as guidelines for analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of arguments:
a. Are the reasons adequate to support the conclusion?
b. Are there any hidden assumptions?
c. Are any central words ambiguous or slanted so as to incite prejudice?
d. Are there fallacies of reasoning?
e. Is any important importation missing?
f. Is any information false or contradictory?

TFY CHAPTER 8 VIEWPOINTS: WHAT'S THE FILTER?

TFY CHAPTER 8 SUMMARY

VIEWPOINTS: WHAT’S THE FILTER?

Critical thinking means leaning 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 communicate best when we are aware of our own viewpoint and can understand and respect the viewpoints of others as well.
Unconscious viewpoints include the egocentric, ethnocentric, religiocentric, androcentric, and anthropocentric.
Periodicals can express viewpoints through images, words, and in the framing given to information. Framing decisions made by an editor can exercise a hidden influence over the reader.

TFY Chapter 7 Evalutions

TFY Chapter 7 Evaluations
Summary

1. Evaluations make judgments about worth on the basis of standards that may be conscious or unconscious.

2. Evaluations can help us react quickly to situations where our survival is at stake. But this same tendency to evaluate first instead of last may be problematical when we don't reexamine our evidence to make sure our evaluation is warranted.

3. Evaluations are not facts. Factual reports keep distinction between facts and evaluations clear.
4. Premature evaluations are hasty evaluations that contain unexamined or faulty support.

5. Feelings and expectations affect both our perceptions and evaluations.

6. All of us need to learn how to make fair and sound evaluations since the affect our lives constantly. Experts are those who have a reputation for offering skilled and reliable evaluations.

7. Connotative words convey evaluations that can be used to sway our opinions. When we think critically, we recognize how those connotations affect our feelings so that we can choose or not choose to accept the opinions they contain.

8. Evaluations are used in advertising and journalism to persuade us, sometimes hypnotically, to make associations with products and purchase them.

9. Critical thinking requires that we stay alert to manipulative advertising techniques that are most effective when can be enticed to enter into a trance state.

10. Propaganda employs many sophisticated manipulative techniques of persuasion. One of these is the use of hidden evaluations. A critical thinker knows how to recognize and detach from the influence of propaganda.

TFY Chapter 6 Opinions

TFY CHAPTER 6 SUMMARY

OPINIONS: WHAT’S BELIEVED?

Opinions can be well substantiated or not. They can be based either on reason or solely on whim, feelings, emotions, or prejudice.
Critical thinking requires that we recognize the difference between responsible and irresponsible opinion and that we distinguish statement based on evidence from statements based solely on feelings.
People enjoy expressing and reading opinions.
Expert opinion is based on an understanding of evidence and risks in a situation and is important and highly valued.
Public opinion polls can be used to determine public sentiment on social and political issues as well as to manipulate public sentiment. This occurs when we forget that sentiment is not the same as informed opinion and that opinion polls are not subject to the same safeguards as public elections.
Opinion should not be confused with facts.
Arguments consist of supported opinions; the intent of an argument is to persuade.
In an essay, a statement of opinion can be the thesis or its principle claim.

TFY Chapter 5 ASSUMPTIONS

TFY CHAPTER 5

ASSUMPTIONS:

What’s Taken for Granted?


An assumption is something we take for granted, something we accept prematurely as being true, something we do not check out carefully. Assumption can be conscious or unconscious, warranted or unwarranted. Unconscious and unwarranted assumptions can lead to faulty reasoning, whereas conscious and warranted assumptions can be useful tools for problem solving.
Hidden assumptions are unconscious assumptions that greatly influence a line of reasoning. One form of hidden assumptions is stereotypes, where we try to fit new experiences into old or prejudiced categories. Another type is value assumptions, or basic unexamined beliefs that unconsciously influence our thinking.
Arguments are the use of reasoning to defend an idea or to persuade someone else to believe in the idea. Good arguments do not rest upon unexamined assumptions.
We perceive incongruities when we observe situations that do not meet our expectations or assumptions. This can cause a feeling of disequilibrium. We restore our equilibrium when we reach a new understanding through the process of reexamining our assumptions. This is a familiar and continuous process that results in growth and learning.

TFY Chapter 4 INFERENCES

Chapter Summary

Inference: Is the act or process of deriving a conclusion based solving on what one already knows. Facts and inferences are linked together through generalizations. You will understand how observation helps determine facts imagination and reasoning to link the fact with explanation and how generalization ties all this information together into meaningful whole. Inference also can be use in addition as a strategy in planning and choosing alternative when it comes to solving problems.

TFY Chapter 3

TFY CHAPTER 3 SUMMARY

FACTS: WHAT’S REAL?

By definition, a fact is something known with certainly through experience, observation, or measurement. A fact is something that people agree corresponds to reality.

It is not easy for us to determine whether facts correspond to reality. This can only be determined over time with repeated feedback and testing.

The difference between facts and fiction does matter.

Feelings are facts; they can distort or enhance our perceptions, depending on how conscious we are of their presence.

Facts are not absolutes but statements of probability. Because we are dependent on confirmation from others in our search for facts, social pressures can lead us to distrust or distort our own perceptions.

Fact must be expressed in carefully formulated statements that have the following characteristics:

-They define their own limitations.

-They are objectively stated.

-They use appropriate qualifiers.

-They state the obvious.

-They are not inappropriately cautious.

-They do not include guesses or inferences.

-They are specific and offer their evidence for other to verify.

TFY Chapter 2

TFY CHAPTER 2 SUMMARY

WORD PRECISION: HOW DO I DESCRIBE IT?

An accurate use of words improves our thinking. They give forms to our thoughts so that we can make use of them. Words enable us to communicate with others and ourselves. Knowing the words for things and experiences helps us see and perceive more.

Writing helps us learn more about words and how to use them. When we struggle to select words that describe our experiences, we realize that words are only translations of experience and not the experience itself.

Clear thinking depends on a clear understanding of the word we use. Word confusion leads to less consciousness, or disequilibrium, which can only be restored through word clarification.

We need to understand what dictionaries can and translating nonverbal experiences and ideas into words; the dictionary helps us when we are reading and interpreting the words of others.

The thesaurus helps us when we are writing and translating nonverbal experiences and ideas into words; the dictionary helps us when we are reading and interpreting the words of others.

TFY Chapter 1

TFY CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY

OBSERVATION SKILLS: WHAT’S OUT THERE


If we want to develop more conscious thinking habits, we have to first observe our own thinking processes so we can recognize our strengths and weaknesses.
Careful observation can help us see details that contain the key to unlocking problems or arriving at insights. It can also help us discover new knowledge.
Observation is a process of sensing, perceiving, and thinking. Sensing is collecting data through the sense organs. Perceiving is holding sense data in consciousness until we can categorize and interpret it. Thinking organizes our perceptions.
Careful observation requires us to stay awake, take our time, give full attention, suspend thinking in an attitude of listening.
The rewards of cultivating observation skills are self- understanding, creativity, rapture, power, and wonder.

CRCB Chapter 7 Using Inference to Identify Implied Main ideas

CRCB Chapter 7

Using Inference to Identify Implied Main Ideas
Summary

In order to fully understand a reading assignment, you need to read the material and combine what is stated with the additional information you generate using inference as tool. While inference is a skill you practice every day, inferring meaning from textbooks and other college reading material requires you to use specific strategies such as detecting an author’s bias, nothing comparisons, and recognizing information gaps.

CRCB Chapter 6 Using Inference to Identify Implied Main Ideas

CRCB Chapter 6
Using Inference to Identify Implied Main Ideas
Summary

In order to understand a paragraph, you need to be able to pinpoint the topic and locate the main idea. The main idea is the "key concept" being expressed. Details, major and minor, support the main idea by telling how, what, when, where, why, how much, or how many. Locating the topic, main idea, and supporting details helps you understand the point(s) the writer is attempting to express. Identifying the relationship between these will increase your comprehension.

CRCB Chapter 5 Locating Stated Main Ideas

CRCB Chapter 5 Locating Stated Main Ideas
Summary

The ability to an author’s main idea is key to understanding your reading. In order to see the relationship between the main idea and the details that support it, you must first distinguish between general ideas and more specific ones. The topic is the most general idea. The main idea is the most specific controlling idea of a piece of writing. The details, which are the most specific, support and illustrate the main idea.

Some main ideas are started directly in a reading and are easy to identify. Others are implied, and you must infer their meaning from the reading and then restate them in your own words.

CRCB Chapter 4 Managing your reading time

CRCB Chapter 4 Managing your reading time
Summary


Comprehension should be your main reading goal, not how fast you read. Develop a general study schedule that shows specifically when you plan to study for each class and for how long. Choose the times you study based on when you are most alert, and determine the length of each study session using your reading averages for the subjects you are taking. Some classes will require more hours of study than others, and the amounts of time you to set aside can vary from week to week depending on the complexity of the material for a specific course.

Track your reading rates so you 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 find that you begin to complete your reading assignments on time. Your reading comprehension will also improve, and you may even read a little faster. The reading tips suggested in this chapter that will contribute to your becoming a more efficient reader are; reading quickly when appropriate, skimming, regressing or rereading, subvocalizing, pacing.

CRCB Chapter 3 Remembering what you read

CRCB Chapter 3 Remembering what you read
Summary

Memory is the process of storing and retrieving information. You will have difficulty remembering what you read if you do not know the stages in the memory process, and purposely use strategies at each stage to ensure that newly learned information becomes permanently stored. The single most important aspect of memory is understanding what you are trying to remember. It is difficult, if not impossible, to remember concepts you do not understanding.

The three primary stages in the memory process are sensory, short- term memory, and long- term memory. Specific strategies you can use to enhance your sensory memory include the following: reading your text aloud, drawing pictures of the information you are learning, acting out a chapter in front of a mirror or an audience, visualizing information in your head, using your fingers to point to new words, and reading while riding an exercise bike. Chunking is an effective strategy for organizing and remembering new information so that it remains in your short- term memory long enough to transfer into your long- term memory. In order to permanently store new information you can use strategies such as organizing newly learned information, mastering difficult vocabulary, creating a memory matrix, connecting new information you already know, going beyond the textbook, reviewing, and teaching the new information to someone else. Recall techniques called mnemonics can help you retrieve information once it has been learned and stored properly. Some mnemonics introduced in this chapter are key words, acrostics, and acronyms.

CRCB Chapter 2 Developing Yout College Vocabulary

CRCB Chapter 2 Developing Your College Vocabulary
Summary

Vocabulary building is one of the most important reading strategies you can lean. By increasing your vocabulary, you increase your understanding of textbook information. You also increase your ability to speak and write well- to communicate effectively. A rich vocabulary allows you access to many types of reading material, while a limited one prevents you from fully understanding what you read. Increasing your word power not only enhances your academic ability but also increases your chances of getting the job of your choice when you graduate.

Although no one knows every word, or interrupts reading to look up every unfamiliar word in the dictionary, using the simple strategies presented in this chapter will help you figure out and remember the meaning of new words. These strategies include using context clues, word analysis, writing in your textbook, creating word maps, understanding denotation and connotation, journal writing, and the card review system (CRS). Don’t skim over words you don’t know. It prevents you from really understanding what you read, makes it difficult for you to participate in class discussions, and can hurt you on exams.

An important way to make new word a part of your regular vocabulary is to use them in your everyday speech and writing in your journal daily will help.

CRCB Chapter 1 Reading in college

CRCB Chapter 1 Reading in college
Chapter Summary

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. One way to read actively is to connect what you already know to the new information you are learning. Active learners become involved in their learning experience by previewing their reading assignments, outlining chapter or lecture notes, creating visuals, and reading books, other than their textbooks, to learn more about the subject they are studying.

Keeping a learning journal is also an active learning task. It helps you identify what you understand in a reading assignment and what is still unclear. It can also help you to understand how you learn, which learning styles work best for you, how you can improve those with which you have difficulty. Using a learning journal will help you to identify, analyze, and correct reading and learning difficulties.

Concentration involves purposely focusing your attention on a task while simultaneously blocking out distractions. The first step in achieving this is to learn what internal and external distracters block your concentration. The step is to record your concentration habits in your reading journal. By using this information, you can learn to change your study environment and state of mind so that you can read and learn effectively.

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