Critical Reading Improves Student Writing

Students cannot synthesize sources!

This is one of the most common complaints that faculty have about student writing --

However, the real problem seems to be that students do not know how to read critically in the discipline so that they more fully understand what they read.

Students who do not know how to read and understand discipline-specific scholarly sources are more likely to

1. Read all sources as if they were textbooks – skim from first to last; highlight with a yellow marker (Bean, p. 164)

2. Cite a single sentence (“sentence-mine” their sources rather than reading critically)3. Use a single source in each paragraph (no “synthesis”)4. Choose material from the abstract or pages 1-3 (which means that students may not

read the discussion sections of articles)5. Fail to recognize the scholars in the field6. Create “summaries” that are nearly identical to the original source with a few minor

word substitutions7. Choose a topic and even a claim before they have read any sources – then simply skim

sources to find a relevant quote8. Fail to understand the material and create a “report on the topic” rather than a

persuasive argument that contributes to the ongoing conversation 9. Be unable to summarize or synthesize material they do not understand deeply

(Jamieson)

What Should I Teach? -- Model your reading process for students Scholarly sources are part of an ongoing conversation on a topic that students will “join”

and actually contribute to with their own insights Scholarly sources attempt to persuade the reader; don’t accept all sources as “Gospel truth” Model your own reading process (or at least provide examples of articles that you have

thoughtfully annotated, etc.). Possible strategies might include some of the following:1) Preview by skimming (What are the headings? How will this relate to your study? Etc.)2) Read the article as slowly as necessary (In what order should students read the source?

Don’t just use the introduction in your modelling or students will not know how to critically read other parts of the source)a) Note confusing placesb) Note key pointsc) Note relevant references to other sources, etc.

3) Analyze & Summarize as you read (identify evidence, assumptions, tone, stance, etc.)4) Ask Questions of the source5) Reread relevant or confusing material (this section is a compilation from Bean; Jamieson;

Jamieson & Howard; Jolliffe; & Perrin & Dykema) Consider referring students to Student Development courses 214R or 305. These are NOT

for remedial reading – these courses are for critical reading training.

Scaffold writing assignments to promote deeper critical thinking (Here is one possible process to scaffold writing assignments)

1. Teach students how to critically read an article2. Require students to submit a scholarly article on their research topic that they have read

(require student comments on the article, etc.) + a summary of what surprised or “disturbed” them; what would they like to read to help them further understand something?

3. Require a second scholarly source marked up + summary that includes the following:a. What ideas support or negate the first article?b. What seems to be “common knowledge”?c. How do the articles differ?d. Having read these 2 articles, what gaps do you see? What claim are you considering? Etc.

4. Locate 6-8 additional sources a. Find, read, and annotate 1 additional source before searching for another source. b. Summarize how each source will support your claimc. Repeat this process until students have the required number of sources (this process

eliminates students randomly choosing sources and then “making them fit”)5. Have students submit a draft of the “problem or research question,” claim, and “solution”6. Draft and submit the proposed thesis + evidence7. Submit draft of intro + 1 section . . .

Remember: Students’ goal is NOT to understand material; their goal is to Write the Paper (Jamieson). We can help students critically engage in the reading so they can improve their understanding and writing.

References

Bean, John C. (2011). Engaging ideas: The professor’s guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Jamieson, Sandra. (2013). What students’ use of sources reveals about advanced writing skills. Across the Disciplines, 10(4).

Jamieson, Sandra & Howard, Rebecca Moore. (2013). Sentence-mining: Uncovering the amount of reading and reading comprehension in college writers’ researched writing. Randall McClure and James P. Purdy (Eds.). The new digital scholar. Exploring and enriching the research and writing practices of nextgen students. Medford, NJ: American Society for Information Science and Technology by Information Today, Inc.

Jolliffe, David A. (2003). Who is teaching composition students to read and how are they doing it?: A review essay. Composition Studies, 2. 127-142.

Perrin, Porter & Dykema, Karl W. (1959). Writer’s Guide and Index to English. Chicago: Scott Foresman.

Other Sources for Reading Journal Articles:

“Critically Reading Journal Articles”: http://ento.psu.edu/graduateprograms/handbook/degree-information/degree-requirements/phd/CriticallyReadingJournalArticles1.pdf

Jordan, Christian H., & Zanna, Mark P. (n.d.). How to read a journal article in social psychology. The self in social psychology. Philadelphia: Psychology Press. pp. 461-470

FHSS Writing Lab1049 JFSB 801-422-4454 https://fhsswriting.byu.edu/Pages/Home.aspx fhss-writinglab@byu.edu

Faculty Supervisor: Joyce Adams (422-8168) Student Lab Manager: Jayden (422-4454)