SGILIAU CRITIGOL

Critical Reading and

Critical Writing

‘Boys don't do as well as girls at my school. I personally have seen boys playing football when they should have been doing homework. Also, girls of single-parent families often have to stay at home to look after younger children when there Mum goes out to work.’

‘Jones (2004) states that boys don’t do as well as girls in schools in North Wales. Anecdotal evidence from Flint High School indicates that this under-achievement may, in part, be attributable to the fact that many adolescent boys prefer physical and social activities such as football to individual and passive study. However, a recent report from Wrexham Social Services Department (WSS 4.3, 2006 p.67) shows that adolescent girls are also frequently distracted from study by informal responsibilities in the home.’

¢  'Nid yw bechgyn yn gwneud cystal â merched yn fy ysgol. Yn bersonol, rwyf wedi gweld bechgyn yn chwarae pêl-droed pan ddylent fod wedi bod yn gwneud gwaith cartref. Hefyd, yn aml rwyf wedi gweld merched o deuluoedd un-rhiant i aros gartref i ofalu am blant iau pan fydd Mam yn mynd allan i weithio. ' ' Mae Jones (2012) yn datgan nad yw bechgyn yn gwneud cystal â merched mewn ysgolion yng Ngogledd Cymru. Mae tystiolaeth anecdotaidd o Ysgol Uwchradd y Glannau yn awgrymu y gall hyn fod oherwydd, yn rhannol, bod gwell gan rai bechgyn ifanc weithgareddau corfforol a chymdeithasol, megis pêl-droed, na astudio unigol a goddefol. Fodd bynnag, mae adroddiad diweddar gan Adran Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol Trefenai (ADCT 4.3, 2012 t.67) yn dangos bod sylw hefyd yn cael ei wrthdynnu o astudiaeth gan gyfrifoldebau anffurfiol yn y cartref. '

WHAT IS CRITICAL READING?

¢  examine the evidence or arguments presented ¢  are there influences on the evidence or

arguments ¢  are there limitations of study design or focus ¢  examine the interpretations made ¢  decide whether you accept the authors'

arguments, opinions, or conclusions.

BETH YDYW DARLLEN BEIRNIADAOL?

¢  archwilio'r dystiolaeth neu ddadleuon a gyflwynir yn y darn

¢  a oes dylanwadau ar y dystiolaeth neu ddadleuon ¢  a ydyw’r dulliau ymchwilio yn briodol ¢  gwerthuso’r dehongliadau a wnaed ¢  penderfynu a ydych yn derbyn dadleuon, barn,

neu gasgliadau yr awduron .

Activity: The following fictional account refers to a study by a person called Browning where the children were taught to read using phonics or whole word methods of learning to read. ‘In the reading test the five children who were taught to read using phonics performed better overall than the five children taught using the whole word method. This shows that phonics method is a better choice for schools’.

After Wallace and Wray (2006) What questions would you ask in relation to these claims?

Gweithgaredd: Mae'r darn canlynol yn cyfeirio at astudiaeth gan berson o'r enw Browning lle mae'r plant yn cael eu dysgu i ddarllen trwy ddefnyddio ffoneg neu ddulliau gair cyfan o ddysgu darllen. 'Yn ystod y prawf darllen roedd y pum blentyn a oedd yn dysgu i ddarllen trwy ddefnyddio ffoneg yn perfformio'n well yn gyffredinol na'r pum plentyn a addysgir gan ddefnyddio'r dull gair cyfan. Mae hyn yn dangos bod y dull ffoneg yn ddewis gwell ar gyfer ysgolion.

Ar ôl Wallace a Wray (2006)

Pa gwestiynau fyddech chi'n eu gofyn mewn perthynas â honiadau hyn?

READ CAREFULLY !

¢  Is a study of 10 children enough? ¢ What does ‘better overall’ mean? ¢  Is there enough evidence to come to this

conclusion? ¢ How were the two groups taught, under what

conditions. Who carried out the test? ¢ Were the tests biased/unbiased. ¢ Were there other influences? ¢ Were the two sets of pupils matched? ¢ What are the implications of the study?

DARLLENWCH YN OFALUS!

¢ Ydi astudiaeth o 10 o blant yn ddigon? ¢ Beth mae 'yn gyffredinol yn well' yn ei olygu? ¢ A oes digon o dystiolaeth i ddod i'r casgliad hwn? ¢ Sut oedd y ddau grŵp yn cael eu dysgu ac o dan

ba amodau? ¢ Pwy weinyddodd y profion? ¢ A oedd y profion yn unochrog / diduedd? ¢ Oedd yna ddylanwadau eraill ar y canlyniadau? ¢ A oedd y ddwy set o ddisgyblion yn cyfateb? ¢ Beth yw goblygiadau yr astudiaeth?

POSSIBLE RESPONSE:

WHY DO WE NEED TO TAKE A CRITICAL APPROACH TO READING? ¢ Authors make many decisions as they research

and write and we need to come to a decision whether their work is �  unbiased, �  based on sound resources, �  reliable.

¢ Move from blind acceptance to examination and debate.

¢ You need to be prepared to step into the academic debate and to make your own evaluation of how much you are willing to accept what you read.

¢ Need to consider anything you read not as fact, but as the argument of the writer.

PAM MAE ANGEN I NI GYMRYD YMAGWEDD FEIRNIADOL WRTH DDARLLEN?

¢ Awduron yn gwneud llawer o benderfyniadau fel y maent yn ymchwilio ac yn ysgrifennu ac mae angen i ni ddod i benderfyniad a yw eu gwaith yn: �  ddiduedd, �  seiliedig ar adnoddau cadarn, �  ddibynadwy.

¢ Symud o dderbyn yn ‘ddall’ i fod yn feirniadol ¢ Mae angen bod yn barod i gamu i mewn i'r

ddadl academaidd ac i wneud gwerthusiad eich hunan o faint yr ydych yn barod i dderbyn yr hyn yr ydych ei ddarllen.

¢ Angen ystyried unrhyw beth yr ydych yn darllen nid fel ffaith, ond yn ddadl yr awdur.

TYSTIOLAETH ERTHYGL ‘CRITICAL THINKING’

¢ Techneg SQ3R ¢ Sgimiwch yr erthygl. Pa dystiolaeth sydd fod yr

erthygl yn un dibynadwy? ¢  Pa sylwadau fuasech yn gwneud am yr

astudiaeth/ testyn?

I GRYNHOI: ¢ Does the writing

assume causal connection when there may not be one?

¢ Are general conclusions drawn based on only a few examples?

¢ Are inappropriate comparisons being made?

¢ Might there be other explanations apart

from the one proposed? ¢ Are there any hidden

assumption? ¢ Is enough evidence

presented to allow readers to draw their own conclusions?

¢ Does the line of reasoning make sense?

From 'Study Skills Handbook' by Stella Cottrell (2003)

Chapter 10 (Basingstoke: Palgrave

Macmillan)

CRITICAL READING DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ALL NEGATIVE

¢ The aim of critical reading is not to find fault, but to assess the strength of the evidence and the argument.

¢  It is just as useful to conclude that a study, or an article, presents very strong evidence and a well-reasoned argument, as it is to identify the studies or articles that are weak.

¢  ‘Reasonable scepticism: being open minded and willing to be convinced but only if the authors can adequately back up their claims.’

Wallace and Wray 2006

NID OES RHAID I DDARLLEN BEIRNIADOL I FOD YN NEGYDDOL I GYD !

Nid nod o ddarllen hbeirniadolyw dod o hyd i fai, ond yn hytrach asesu cryfder y dystiolaeth a'r ddadl. Mae yr un mor ddefnyddiol i ddod i'r casgliad bod astudiaeth, neu erthygl, yn cyflwyno tystiolaeth dibynadwy . 'Amheuaeth rhesymol’: bod yn agored eich meddwl ond gwirio bod awduron yn gallu cefnogi eu safbwyntiau.

Wallace a Wray 2006

Ysgrifennu Disgrifiadol and Ysgrifennu Beirniadol

YSGRIFENNU DISGRIFIADOL:

¢  yn gosod y cefndir ¢  adrodd ar syniadau, nid datblygu dadl

nid yw’n ddadansoddiad yn gymharol syml ac yn gallu defnyddio llawer o eiriau

¢ nid yw’n gweddnewid gwybodaeth; ¢  ‘r ydych yn adrodd ar syniadau ond nid symud y

ddadl ymlaen Bydd ysgrifennu disgrifiadol yn sgorio dim ond

ychydig o farciau.

YSGRIFENNU BEIRNIADOL ¢ cymryd rhan yn y ‘ddadl academaidd’.

angen mwy o sgiliau ac yn fwy heriol a ‘pheryglus’ pwyso a mesur tystiolaeth a dadleuon pobl eraill a chyfrannu eich barn eich hun.

¢ Bydd angen i chi: �  ystyried ac adrodd ar ansawdd tystiolaeth a dadleuon �  nodi agweddau cadarnhaol a negyddol allweddol �  gwau tystiolaeth i mewn i'r ddadl yr ydych yn

eu datblygu. Bydd aseiniad sy’n cynnwys

ysgrifennu beirniadol yn ennill marciau uwch.

 

ACTIVITY EXAMPLE OF CRITICAL WRITING TO ANALYSE:

¢ There are a number of inherent methodological difficulties in evaluating treatment efficacy in this area, and this has contributed to controversy within the research literature surrounding treatment outcomes for this group of offenders (Marshall, 1997). Firstly, while there is no doubt that the primary criterion of treatment success is a reduction in the rate of re-offending (Marshall et al., 1999), reconviction data does not, in isolation, provide a realistic representation of actual levels of re-offending by this group. It is well established that there is a discrepancy between re-offending and reconviction rates: the latter underestimating the number of offences committed (Grubin, 1999). Indeed, a significant proportion of offences committed by offenders are either unreported, or do not result in the offender being convicted (A)bel et al., 1987

ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC ‘VOICE’ ¢ "healthy scepticism ... but not cynicism; ¢ confidence ... t not 'cockiness' or arrogance; ¢ judgement which is critical ... not dismissive; ¢ opinions ... without being opinionated; ¢ careful evaluation of published work ... not

serial shooting at random targets; ¢ being 'fair‘ and without prejudice; ¢ making judgements on the basis of thought

and evidence ... as opposed to assertions without reason.“

Wellington J., Bathmaker A., Hunt C., McCulloch G. and Sikes P. (2005). Succeeding

with your doctorate. London: Sage.

DARLLEN

¢ Cottrell, S. (2005) Critical thinking skills. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

¢ Cottrell, S. (2008) The study skills handbook. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

¢ Van den Brink-Budgen, R. (2000) Critical Thinking for Students. Oxford: How To Books