Course Name Communication Skills

Course Code CSK 1114

Lecture Five – Reading Skills (2)
Instructor (s) Biryomumeisho Joshua
The journey so
far...
RECAP OF THE LAST LECTURE –
LECTURE 4

By the Time we ended the Lecture, Students should

have been able to;
1)Barriers to Communication

2)What is Reading

3)UnderstandingReading across the Various

Stages of Academic Growth

4)The SQ4R Method of reading effectively

ANNOUNCEMENTS – LECTURE NOTES
1) Lecture Notes
I have Posted Lectures 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 On the
Learning Management System
2) Assignment 1 is Posted its about Writing
Professional Emails and due this Friday 17th
February 2017. Its and Individual Assignment

3) Assignment 2 which is a Group Assignment

is also Posted it shall be due on Monday 20th
February 2017.

4) Assignment 3 is also Posted it shall be due

on Monday 27th February 2017
ANNOUNCEMENTS – SELF GUIDED
STUDY
 Mid-Semesters Tests are Coming Close

 In future, I shall Post all the Lecture Notes by

Friday before our Lecture. I suggest that you
come to lecture prepared - at least read
through the material we're going to
cover before class, you'll be amazed at
how much more you will get out of lecture!
ANNOUNCEMENTS – SELF GUIDED STUDY
 I know that it can be hard to figure out how
to learn from the Textbooks or research on
your own.

 I have created a series of Self-Guided

Studies that help guide you through the
Communication Skills concepts for this class
and make effective use of your study time.
 ..\..\Self Guided Study Questions\Lecture 1 - S
elf Guided Study Question.pdf
TODAY LECTURE & TALKING POINTS
By the End of the Lecture Students Should
be able to understand the Following
Concepts;
1)Critical Reading and Its Interpretation

2)What does it take to be a critical

reader?

3)Critical Reading v. Critical Thinking

4)Making Summaries

5)Library Skills
GROUP EXERCISE
CRITICAL READING AND
INTERPRETATIONS

 Critical reading is a technique for

discovering information and ideas within a
text.

 This means that a reader applies certain

processes, models, questions, and theories
that result in enhanced clarity and
comprehension.

 It is more involved, both in effort and

understanding, in a critical reading than in a
mere "skimming" of the text.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A
CRITICAL READER?
1. Prepare to become part of the writer's
audience.
 After all, authors design texts for specific

audiences, and becoming a member of the

target audience makes it easier to get at the
author's purpose. Learn about the author, the
history of the author and the text, the
author's anticipated audience; read
introductions and notes.
2. PREPARE TO READ WITH AN OPEN
MIND.

 Critical readers seek knowledge; they do not

"rewrite" a work to suit their own
personalities. Your task as an enlightened
critical reader is to read what is on the page,
giving the writer a fair chance to develop
ideas and allowing yourself to reflect
thoughtfully, objectively, on the text.
3. CONSIDER THE TITLE.

 This may seem obvious, but the title may

provide clues to the writer's attitude, goals,
personal viewpoint, or approach.
4. READ SLOWLY.

 Again, this appears obvious, but it is a factor

in a "close reading." By slowing down, you
will make more connections within the text.
5. USE THE DICTIONARY AND OTHER
APPROPRIATE REFERENCE WORKS.

 If there is a word in the text that is not clear or

difficult to define in context: look it up. Every word
is important, and if part of the text is thick with
technical terms, it is doubly important to know
how the author is using them.
6. MAKE NOTES.

Jot down marginal notes, underline and

highlight, write down ideas in a notebook, do
whatever works for your own personal taste.
Note for yourself the main ideas, the author's
main points to support the theory.
 Writing while reading aids your memory in

many ways, especially by making a link that

is unclear in the text concrete in your own
writing.
CRITICAL READING V. CRITICAL
THINKING
WE CAN DISTINGUISH BETWEEN
CRITICAL READING AND CRITICAL
THINKING IN THE FOLLOWING WAY:
 Critical reading is a technique for discovering
information and ideas within a text.
Where as
 Critical thinking is a technique for evaluating

information and ideas, for deciding what to accept

and believe.
CRITICAL READING V. CRITICAL
THINKING CONT..

 Critical reading refers to a careful, active,

reflective, analytic reading.
Where as
 Critical thinking involves reflecting on the

validity of what you have read in light of our

prior knowledge and understanding of the
world.
FOR EXAMPLE
“Parents are buying expensive
cars for their kids to destroy
them”.
 As the terms are used here, critical reading
is concerned with figuring out whether, within
the context of the text as a whole, " them "
refers to the parents, the kids, or the cars,
and whether the text supports that practice.
 Critical thinking would come into play when

deciding whether the chosen meaning was

indeed true, and whether or not you, as the
reader, should support that practice.
NOTE:
 By these definitions, critical reading would
appear to come before critical thinking: Only
once we have fully understood a text (critical
reading) can we truly evaluate its assertions
(critical thinking).
GROUP EXERCISE AND CLASS TUTORIAL
MAKING SUMMARIES
What is a summary?
 A summary is a concise restatement in your

own words of the main ideas or information

from your sources.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO
SUMMARIZE?

1. Summaries help to avoid plagiarism.

2. A good summary shows that you understand the

original source material and that you are able to
use this for your own purposes.
3. Writing summaries enables you to understand
the main issues of a topic and helps ensure that
your writing is relevant and focused on the
question or task.

4. It is usually a better way to present information

than by quoting. You should only quote if the
original author states something in a particularly
interesting or concise way, or uses language
which cannot be changed.
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A
SUMMARY?

 Summaries are always shorter – usually

much shorter – than the original. They can, of
course, vary in length, depending on the
length of the original.
 They must be written in your own words,

without extended quotes or paraphrases.

 They concentrate on the main points,
omitting unnecessary detail such as
examples.
 They preserve the original meaning and
emphasis.
 They do not contain your own ideas or comments.

 The writer of the summarized information is

always clearly identified by an appropriate

reference. If not, you are plagiarizing.
 Any summary must be an integral part of your

own text; it must serve a purpose.

 A SAMPLE SUMMARY

Today, pornography attempts to make its audience focus their fantasies on specific people. The "Playmate

of the Month" is a particular woman about whom the reader is meant to have particular fantasies. In my

view, this has a more baneful effect on people--makes them demented, in fact, in a way that earlier

pornography didn't. Today's pornography promises them that there exists, somewhere on this earth, a life

of endlessly desirable and available women and endlessly potent men. The promise that this life is just

around the corner--in Hugh Hefner's mansion, or even just in the next joint or the next snort--is

maddening and disorienting. And in its futility, it makes for rage and self-hatred. The traditional argument

against censorship--that "no one can be seduced by a book"--was probably valid when pornography was

impersonal and anonymous, purely an aid to fantasizing about sexual utopia. Today, however, there is

addiction and seduction in pornography.

From: Decter, M. (1998) The Growth of Pornography in Society London: Raymonde Press
SUMMARY:
 Decter (1998) argues that because pornography is
more realistic now, using photographs of people with
names and identities, it is more harmful to its readers
and viewers, who can easily grow dissatisfied and
frustrated with fantasies.
Or
 Pornography is more realistic now, using photographs
of people with names and identities, it is more harmful
to its readers and viewers, who can easily grow
dissatisfied and frustrated with fantasies (Decter,
1998).
LIBRARY SKILLS
DEFINITION OF LIBRARY
 A library is an organized collection of books and
other literary material kept for reading, study and
consultation.

 A Library is a collection or group of collections of

books and other materials maintained for reading,
study and research, organized to facilitate access by
a specific clientele and staffed by librarians and
other staff, trained to meet the needs of its users.

 A University student is expected to read study and

research in the library. A good student visits the
library often and knows how to access books in the
library.
INFORMATION LITERACY
The American Library Association (ALA) presidential
Committee on Information Literacy Final Report (1989) states
as follows:
“To be information literate, a person must be able to

recognize when information is needed and have the ability to

locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information”.

To realize this goal, it requires a structuring of the learning

process so that students are taught problem solving
techniques for life-long learning.

Information literacy in institutions of higher learning is

necessary for both students and staff. The goal of
information literacy is to ensure that users are equipped and
encouraged to learn from the range of information resources
available.
INFORMATION LITERACY – (2)
 According to Bruce (1994) information literacy
involves the following:
 Understanding the nature of information society;

Acquiring values which promoted information

access to use.

 Being able to implement the process of identifying

an information need locating, retrieving, evaluating
and synthesizing the information required;

 Developing a high level of communication skills,

including the ability to communicate with
colleagues and information professionals;
INFORMATION LITERACY – (3)
 Developing a sound knowledge of network sources
and strategies for using them; and

 Developing the ability to manage the information

retrieval through the appropriate use of, for example
word processors, spreadsheet, and bibliographic
management software.
ROLE OF INFORMATION
 When well organized and disseminated information
can be effective in the following areas:

 Facilitate planning, decision-making and problem

solving. Enhancing social economic cultural scientific
and technological development.
 Enable the development of the national economy.

Promotion of recreation and leisure.

 Develop a cohesive nation of intelligent people

In Academia, information is required to:
 Facilitate research, study and teaching; and

 Enable success in studies, assignments and the

passing of examinations.
TYPES OF INFORMATION
RESOURCES
 Information resources are materials that are
used as resources of information for
reference research, study and recreation.
 Information resources are found in form of

1) Books,

2) Newspapers,

3) Periodicals

4) Journals

5) Magazines

6) Abstracts

7) Index

8) Archival Sources

9) Serial Publications
INFORMATION RESOURCES – (2)
 Patents
 Standards

 Audio Visual Materials (computer disks/ tapes,

listening (radio), viewing (TV), and speaking (oral).

 Computerised Sources (Online Information Resources

& The Internet)

THE CATALOGUE
 The Catalogue an important part of the
library

 A Definition A Catalogue is a list of books

periodicals, maps or materials in a specific
collection, arranged in a definite order
usually alphabetically, by author, title or
subject.

 The purposes of a library Catalogue are: To

enable a person to find any intellectual
creation whether issued in print or non print,
when one of the following is known;
THE CATALOGUE – (2)
 The Author
 The Title

 The Subject

 To show what the library has

 By a given Author

 On a given and related subjects

 In a given kind of literature

 To assist in the choice of a book:

 As to the edition

 As to it’s character ( Literary or character)

CLASSIFICATION OF BOOKS IN THE
LIBRARY
 Classification of Books in the Library are
classified
 Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC),

 Library of Congress Classification

 WHAT ARE DOCUMENTATION STYLES?
 A documentation style is a standard approach to the
citation of sources that the author of a paper has
consulted, abstracted, or quoted from.

 It prescribes methods for citing references within the

text, providing a list of works cited at the end of the
paper, and even formatting headings and margins

 Using sources in your research paper is an important

part of building and supporting your argument.

 Different academic disciplines use different

documentation styles. It is important to note that
different disciplines use different documentation styles.
However the most commonly used documentation style
OTHER STYLES
• University of Chicago Press (Chicago Manual of Style)

• Modern Language Association (MLA)

• Council of Science Editors (CSE)

• American Chemical Society (ACS)

 This is very Critical when writing your Final Year Thesis

WHAT IS CITATION

 A citation is both a signpost and an acknowledgement.

 As a signpost, it signals the location of your source

(Source is the book or internet site or journal you have
gotten your information from). As an acknowledgement,
citing reveals that you are indebted to that source.

 A citation can appear in different formats: within the

text (in-text citation) at the bottom of the page
(footnotes), or at the end of the paper (endnotes).

 We cite when we have used other peoples works

in our essay.
REASONS WHY CITATION IS
IMPORTANT
 Citation is important because it is the basis of
academics, that is, the pursuit of knowledge. In the
academic endeavour, individuals look at evidence and
reason about that evidence in their own individual ways.

 That is, taking what is already known, established, or

thought, they use their reasoning power to create new
knowledge. In creating this knowledge, they must cite
their sources accurately for three main reasons:
1) Because ideas are the currency of academia

2) Because failing to cite is considered as plagiarism

(Academic stealing)
3) Because academics need to be able to trace the
genealogy of ideas.
NEXT LECTURE

Lecture 6 Shall Focus on the Interpersonal

Skills
 The end.

Thanks for your attention and participation.