Thinking about Thought, Reading to Learn, and Writing for Class
“ABILITY is what you are capable of doing. MOTIVATION determines what you do. ATTITUDE determines how well you do it.”
-Lou Holtz
Figure 4.1 – The Read Reader (AKA The Bookman) by Terry Allen, 2003, found in the free speech area
[Source: Texas Tech University Rights: All Rights Reserved.]
Where Are You Now?
Assess your present knowledge and attitudes.
| Yes | Unsure | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. I am a good problem solver. | |||
| 2. I am considered creative by my friends. | |||
| 3. I have good judgment. | |||
| 4. I find it easy to make decisions quickly. | |||
| 5. I am a good reader and like to read for pleasure. | |||
| 6. I feel overwhelmed by the amount of reading I have to do for classes. | |||
| 7. I usually understand what is written in textbooks. | |||
| 8. I get frustrated by difficult books. | |||
| 9. I find it easy to stay focused on my reading. | |||
| 10. I take useful notes when I read. | |||
| 11. I use a dictionary when needed while reading. | |||
| 12. I enjoy writing and am a confident and productive writer. | |||
| 13.I begin working on papers early and always revise my first full draft before turning in the paper. | |||
| 14. I understand what plagiarism is and always cite online and print sources as required. | |||
| 15. I seek out help whenever needed as I work on paper assignments. |
Where Do You Want to Go?
Think about how you answered the questions above. Be honest with yourself. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your level of thinking skills at this time?
| Poor thinking skills | Excellent thinking skills | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |||||||||
In the following list, circle the three most important areas in which you think you can improve your thinking skills:
- Applying information
- Analyzing information
- Thinking critically
- Asking questions about information
- Evaluating information
- Coming up with new ideas
- Solving problems
- Making decisions
- Identifying weaknesses in ideas
- Choosing sources for research
In the following list, circle the three most important areas in which you think you can improve your reading:
- Preparing for reading
- Understanding what you read
- Staying focused while reading
- Selecting the best location and time for reading
- Breaking down assignments into manageable pieces
- Working my way through a difficult text
- Setting priorities for reading assignments
- Reading faster
- Taking notes while reading
- Finding strategies for highlighting and marginal notes
- Reading primary source documents
- Improving my vocabulary
In the following list, circle the three most important areas in which you think you can improve your writing:
- Citing sources in the proper form
- Being productive with brainstorming and other pre-writing activities
- Sharing my work in drafts and accepting feedback
- Organizing ideas clearly and transitioning between ideas
- Understanding the difference between proofreading and revision
- Developing ideas fully
- Drafting and redrafting in response to criticism
- Using correct sentence mechanics (grammar, punctuation, etc.)
- Using websites, reference books, and campus resources
- Developing an academic “voice”
Are there other areas in which you can improve your thinking skills? Write down other things you feel you need to work on.
__________________________________________________________________
Are there other areas in which you can improve your reading and writing? Write down other things you feel you need to work on.
__________________________________________________________________
How to Get There
Here’s what we’ll work on in this chapter:
- Learning how to think
- Knowing the types of thinking
- Establishing critical thinking habits
- Developing creative thinking habits
- Solving problems
- Making decisions
- Understanding why reading is so important for college success
- Learning how reading fits into the learning cycle
- Learning how reading in college is different from reading in high school
- Discovering the principles of reading to learn (active reading)
- Knowing where, when, and how long to read
- Discovering the anatomy of a textbook
- Learning tips for reading textbooks in specific subjects
- Learning tips for reading primary sources
- Learning tips for reading digital texts
- Building your vocabulary
- Reading to Learn
- Learning how writing in college differs from writing in high school
- Identifying common errors and become a better editor of your own work
- Using the writing process to achieve your best work
- Using sources appropriately and avoiding plagiarism
