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Reading And Critical Thinking (1967) — Transcript

by A/V Geeks 16mm Films · 1,951 words · 343 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00[music]
0:05[music]
0:09>> Some things you read are obviously not
0:11in agreement with what you know.
0:13When you see a statement [music] such as
0:15this, you immediately go through a
0:17process of critical thinking.
0:19You think that the statement is false,
0:21or that it may be [music] a misprint, or
0:23perhaps you may even think that whoever
0:25wrote it is off his rocker.
0:28Good for you.
0:29Critical thinking is a trait you should
0:31continue to develop. In fact, [music]
0:33developing that trait is what this film
0:36is all about.
0:37>> [music]
0:43[music]
0:56>> Critical thinking [music]
0:57is an active process which requires an
1:00open mind,
1:01a mind searching for truth [music] and
1:03understanding.
1:05For example, a statement which might
1:07seem false may prove to be true [music]
1:09in some cases.
1:11In Renoir's painting, grass is blue.
1:14[music]
1:16On the other hand, someone describing
1:18this painting by another artist might
1:20truthfully write, "Grass is red."
1:23[music]
1:24From the writer's point of view, it is.
1:27Let's read the poem Silver by Walter de
1:30la Mare,
1:31applying what we've just learned about
1:33the importance of the writer's
1:34viewpoint.
1:37Slowly, silently now the moon walks the
1:39night in her silver shoon.
1:41This way, that way, she peers and sees
1:45silver fruit upon silver trees.
1:48One by one the casements catch her beams
1:51beneath the silvery thatch.
1:57When we understand the writer's point of
1:58view, understand that he was observing a
2:01scene by moonlight, then we can agree
2:04with him that grass is silver.
2:07And we have also learned something
2:08important about critical thinking.
2:11Critical thinking does not necessarily
2:13mean finding fault.
2:16It means thinking about the truth.
2:19And what is true from one point of view
2:21may not be true from another.
2:24Since a writer's point of view must be
2:26considered as you develop your skill of
2:28critical thinking through reading,
2:30let's see how we might discover a
2:32writer's point of view.
2:34Often at the beginning of a story, you
2:37will find some information about the
2:38author.
2:40Two big bears is part of book called
2:43Little House in the Big Woods by Laura
2:45Ingalls Wilder.
2:47The author really is little Laura in the
2:49story.
2:50In it she tells about the exciting time
2:53many years ago
2:54when she was growing up in a log cabin
2:57home in the big woods of Wisconsin.
3:00With this kind of information about the
3:02author, you can read her story knowing
3:05that it was true of the times in which
3:07she lived, a time very different from
3:10the times in which you live.
3:12You can compare her life with yours, and
3:15when you do, you are sharpening your
3:16powers of critical thinking as well as
3:19enjoying an exciting tale.
3:22The textbooks you read are written by
3:24people especially qualified in the
3:26subject.
3:28But beyond noting their qualifications,
3:31the text may not seem to give you any
3:33information about the writer's point of
3:35view.
3:36However, keep going.
3:38Most textbooks have a section near the
3:40beginning of the book directed just to
3:43you in which the authors explain their
3:45point of view,
3:47tell you how they feel about the
3:48subject, why they wrote the book as they
3:50did, and what they hoped you will learn
3:53from it.
3:54And reading this section of the book is
3:56an important step in the critical
3:58thinking you will do about the ideas the
4:01author has presented in the text.
4:04But critical [music] thinking requires
4:06more than understanding of the writer's
4:08point of view.
4:10Turn that thing down.
4:14What's wrong with the TV columnist? It
4:15says here a classical music program
4:17comes on at 8:00. Oh, no, it's supposed
4:19to be longhairs.
4:22Well, they're certainly not longhairs.
4:25That's unbelievable.
4:29The reader who thinks that the term
4:31longhair means only a classical
4:33musician, [music] as it once did, may
4:36not be prepared for critical thinking
4:38about what he reads in today's
4:40television reviews.
4:42Critical thinking requires understanding
4:44ourselves as well as the writer,
4:47and realizing that words [music] may
4:49have different meanings for us than for
4:51the person who wrote them.
4:54To show in another way the effect that
4:56words may have on individuals or groups,
4:59let's watch a play from a football game
5:01on television.
5:03When we say, "Now, look closely to see
5:05what happens."
5:07Now.
5:14Did you see what happened?
5:15Maybe we'd better look at it again.
5:25You saw what happened.
5:28Now, here's what a reporter from the
5:29hometown of the winning team said about
5:31the play.
5:34The game was saved by a brilliant
5:35interception by Stan Williams.
5:39And now, here's the report of the play
5:41you saw as it appeared in the hometown
5:44paper of the losing team.
5:47We were robbed of a victory by the
5:49interception on the part of Stan
5:51Williams.
5:53Was it a brilliant play or was it a
5:55robbery?
5:57The point we're making is that opinion
5:59can lead to different interpretations.
6:02And so can a choice of words.
6:04You have your own opinion.
6:07Which may agree with the opinion of one
6:10sports writer
6:11or with the opinion of the other.
6:14But all their readers will form opinions
6:17based on the different choice of words
6:19used to describe the same action.
6:22To sharpen your powers of critical
6:24thinking, you must be aware of the
6:26effect of words, and you must try to
6:29separate opinions from facts.
6:32How can you do that?
6:34Well, when you read a newspaper, keep in
6:37mind that opinions usually appear on the
6:39sports page
6:41or on the editorial page.
6:44A newspaper editor bases his opinions on
6:47the facts as he sees them.
6:50But a critical reader realizes that what
6:52he finds on an editorial page is a
6:55personal opinion.
6:58An editor's opinion can be valuable in
7:00helping you form one of your own.
7:02For he is usually an intelligent,
7:04well-read person who studied the
7:06problems he writes about very carefully.
7:11As a matter of fact, if you live where
7:13more than one newspaper is available,
7:16it is likely that the newspaper which
7:18comes into your home is chosen because
7:21your parents respect the opinions and
7:23the point of view of its editor.
7:27And it isn't too early for you to take a
7:29moment away from the funnies now and
7:31then to note what grownups are thinking
7:33about.
7:34You may not understand all their
7:36opinions now,
7:37but it's good preparation for the
7:39critical thinking you will do in the
7:41future.
7:43Now, too, is a good time for you to
7:45begin looking at the front page and the
7:47other straight news portions of the
7:49paper.
7:50Our laws discourage the printing of news
7:53which is not true.
7:54So, if you read something in a news
7:56story,
7:57you can be fairly sure that the reporter
7:59gathered the facts and verified them
8:02before the story was written and
8:03printed.
8:05What you read in the news section is
8:07likely to be fact, not opinion.
8:11Some things you read are neither fact
8:13nor opinion, but a twisting of both.
8:16"Chilling," it says.
8:19Hmm.
8:20"Scary."
8:22That's just the kind of movie you like.
8:26So, you go to see it and find out the
8:28hard way that the show is dull, boring,
8:31and about as chilling as a hot bath.
8:35And that is precisely what the one who
8:38was quoted really said about the film,
8:40but one of his words was taken out of
8:43context.
8:45One of his words was used in a way that
8:47it was not intended to be used to make
8:50an untrue, misleading quote that is
8:53neither fact nor opinion.
8:57You can spot such tricks. Become a more
8:59critical reader by a simple test.
9:02Is someone trying to sell you something?
9:05A product, an idea, or a ticket?
9:08Then watch out.
9:10Someone who is trying to sell you
9:11something may play tricks with the truth
9:14to get you to buy what he has to sell.
9:18As you improve your ability to think
9:20critically about what you read, you'll
9:22notice how reliable authors support
9:25their statements.
9:26The bald eagle, selected as our national
9:29bird in 1782, is a noble-looking bird,
9:32well fitted in many ways to be the
9:34symbol of a great free nation.
9:37Here, in red is the statement you heard.
9:40Following it are the supporting
9:42statements the author brought together
9:44for you.
9:45Read the supporting statements for
9:46yourself, and then note how each one of
9:49them supports some part of the original
9:51statement.
10:04And by the way, congratulations.
10:07By checking to see that the writer did
10:09support his statement, you have just
10:11proved that you can employ critical
10:13thinking as you read.
10:16No one can remember everything he reads.
10:20But one who practices critical thinking
10:22tries to discover the most important
10:24facts an author has presented so that he
10:27can remember them.
10:29Here is a tip which will help you
10:30discover which facts are most important.
10:34Help you become a critical thinker about
10:36what you read.
10:37As we travel through Austria, we will
10:39find that there are differences in the
10:41climate from place to place. The
10:43mountains which cover much of the
10:44country cause many of these differences.
10:47The winds that blow across Austria cause
10:49others.
10:51Of course, the first part of the tip is
10:54that you have to read the material.
10:56But we've done that. So, here's the
10:58second part of the tip.
11:01Read the section containing questions.
11:04Often they're found at the end of a
11:05chapter, but wherever you find them,
11:07read those questions. They are your clue
11:10to the most important facts presented.
11:13And if you can answer them, you have the
11:15facts.
11:17Of course, if you can't answer them,
11:19that's a signal to reread the section or
11:21paragraph.
11:23Critical thinking means thinking about
11:25the whole truth.
11:27And you miss the whole truth of what you
11:29read if you miss some of the important
11:31facts.
11:33The road to critical thinking is marked
11:36with its own kind of signs.
11:39Go at a slow pace until you understand
11:41the author's point of view.
11:44Learn whatever you can about his
11:46background and any factors affecting his
11:49ideas or choice of words.
11:52Watch out for the dangerous curves which
11:55your own point of view may put in your
11:57path.
12:00And realize that words have different
12:02meanings [music]
12:03for different people.
12:05Stop occasionally as you read to ask
12:08yourself, is this fact or opinion?
12:11If it is fact, believe it.
12:14If it is opinion, you can agree with it
12:16or not as you choose. But do not treat
12:19it as fact.
12:22Don't be led down a blind alley by
12:24accepting a quotation which may be taken
12:26out of context to make a misleading
12:29statement.
12:31But do resume your own safe reading
12:33speed when you see that an author is
12:36supplying facts you can verify from
12:38other sources.
12:39And also is furnishing you with
12:41additional facts to support the
12:43statement he makes.
12:45And do obey the traffic signals which
12:48guide you to the most important facts
12:50the author has presented.
12:52The traffic signals found in the
12:53questions included in your texts.
12:57There is one other sign a critical
12:59thinker observes. And that is the sign
13:02given to him by any kind of punctuation
13:04mark.
13:06Unless you observe these signs, you
13:08cannot get to the truth.
13:10And that is what critical thinking is
13:12all about.
13:14For example, is there any truth in this
13:16statement?
13:19Is this really a statement at all?
13:22Well, let's see.
13:24That that the fat boy wrote is not that
13:28that the that boy wrote.
13:31Once again, we are back around to points
13:33of view.
13:35Punctuation marks are the signs an
13:37author uses to help you discover his
13:39point of view.
13:41To help you think straight. And when you
13:43think straight, you have the point of
13:45view of the critical thinker.
13:47>> [music]
13:56[music]

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