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Critical & Synthesizing Texts

The document outlines critical thinking skills such as being curious, asking questions, considering multiple viewpoints, and applying logic. It also discusses skills needed for synthesis like summarizing information, making connections between new and old knowledge, and forming one's own conclusions. Graphic organizers and synthesis journals can help integrate multiple sources on a topic and build understanding. The process of synthesis is described as a journey toward forming new insights or putting together a puzzle to see the full picture.

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179 views18 pages

Critical & Synthesizing Texts

The document outlines critical thinking skills such as being curious, asking questions, considering multiple viewpoints, and applying logic. It also discusses skills needed for synthesis like summarizing information, making connections between new and old knowledge, and forming one's own conclusions. Graphic organizers and synthesis journals can help integrate multiple sources on a topic and build understanding. The process of synthesis is described as a journey toward forming new insights or putting together a puzzle to see the full picture.

Uploaded by

floradawat
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Critical Skills

curious about the world.


creative questioners.
frequently asking "why?" and seeking reasons to
defend a position.
interested only in credible sources of information.
able to take into account the total situation or context
when interpreting something.
relevant thinkers who stick to the main point.
always looking for alternative explanations, positions,
or arguments.
open-minded and who seriously consider points of
view other than their own.
willing to change a position when the evidence is
sufficient to make them do so.
able to withhold judgement when the evidence is
insufficient.
eager to seek precision.
able to realize the limits of knowing; hence they look
for probability rather than proof.
able to realize the role of personal bias in the process
of knowing something.
able to deal in an orderly manner with the parts of a
complex whole and anticipate the next step in a
process.
sensitive to the feelings, levels of knowledge, and
degree of sophistication of others when presenting
their findings.
able to apply critical thinking abilities to a wide variety
of subjects.
How to achieve
Clarification Abilitiesthe ability to discern the thesis
and main points of what you read and hear.
Inference-related Abilitiesmaking an inference that
some true statements provide reasons to think that
other statements are true.
Ability to Employ Strategiesadapting to unique
situations and problems effectively in a carefully
reasoned way
e.g. Referencing skills
The ability to identify and distinguish the evidence
(premises) from the conclusion.
The ability to draw correct conclusions from the
information given.
The ability to assess the truth/strength of the
evidence.
The ability to dig out the presuppositions of the
argument.
The ability to consider the relevance of the
information to the conclusion of a line of reasoning.
Definition of Synthesis
Synthesizing is the process whereby a student merges
new information with prior knowledge to form a new
idea, perspective, or opinion to generate insight
(Shannon Bumgarner).
Therefore, synthesis is an ongoing process. As new
knowledge is acquired, it is synthesized with prior
knowledge to generate new ideas.
Skills Needed for Synthesis
Synthesis is the most complex of the reading
strategies. Synthesizing lies on a continuum of
evolving thinking. Synthesizing runs the gamut from
taking stock of meaning while reading to achieving
new insight (Harvey and Goudvis 144).
The skills needed to synthesize reading materials are
the ability to summarize information, paraphrase it,
and compare and contrast it. Other necessary skills are
the ability to separate fact from opinion, draw
inferences based on the facts presented, and evaluate
that information to form your own conclusions.
Metaphors
A Journey
Synthesizing can be compared to a journey. You begin
with prior knowledge of a topic, gain new knowledge
about that topic from a variety of sources, combine
and analyze this information, and at your final
destination, evaluate the information and form an
opinion.
Another Metaphor
The Jigsaw Puzzle Metaphor
Another way to view synthesizing is to look at it as
putting the pieces of a puzzle together. You collect the
pieces of information from various sources and find
connections to put together the entire picture.
The Scaffolding Metaphor
Building upon Prior Knowledge
Since newly acquired information should be
synthesized with previously learned information, you
should activate your prior knowledge of a topic being
studied, researched, or discussed in class.
Make connections between new and prior knowledge
in a synthesis journal as you read. This will result in
easier understanding of new information
(www.greece).
Synthesis Journal
Synthesis journals take multiple perspectives on a
topic from various sources and attempt to synthesize
them all. . . .[The information can come] from a text, a
video . . . classmates, and personal experiences . . . to
develop an overall synthesis (McAlexander and
Burrell).
Therefore, a synthesis journal will contain knowledge
brought to the lesson and all information learned in
the course of the lesson from a variety of sources.
Graphic Organizers
As an alternative to a synthesis journal, Shannon
Bumgarner suggests the use of a graphic organizer to
aid students in synthesizing reading materials.
The graphic organizer contains three columns: Five
Key Concepts, Put the Concept in Your Own Words,
and Explain Why the Concept Is Important & Make
Connections to Other Concepts.
Conclusion
Finally, by activating prior knowledge of a topic,
comparing and contrasting information, and
separating fact from opinion, you will be able to
synthesize information from a variety of sources, form
educated opinions, and draw logical conclusions.
Sources
Bumgarner, Shannon. Ohio Resource Center for
Mathematics, Science, and Reading.
http://ohiorc.org/adlit/strategy
McAlexander and Burrell.
www.aiz.vic.edu.au/.../Resource-Reading-Strategies-
that-Assist-Content-Area-Reading-1.doc
Reading Strategies: Scaffolding Students Interactions
with Texts. Key Concept Synthesis Strategy.
http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction
Harvey, Stephanie and Anne Goudvis. Strategies That
Work. Chapter 10, p. 144. http://www.readinglady.com

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