Lesson 5: Evaluating Messages and/or Images Reading critically does not, necessarily, mean

of Different Types of Texts Reflecting Different being critical of what you read. Critical reading
Cultures involves scrutinizing any information that you hear
or read. It is an active process of discovery
What is Message?
because when you read critically, you are not just
Message refer to any form of communication receiving information but also making an interaction
9information, feelings, and ideas) passed or with the writer.
transmitted using a channel. Turrow (2007) goes
Ramage, Bean and Johnson (2006) identified the
further by saying that it is a collection of symbols
following requirements in critical thinking:
that appear purposefully organized (meaningful) to
those sending or receiving them. The purpose of o The ability to pose problematic questions
message is to inform, to persuade or goodwill. It is o The ability to analyze a problem on all its
important to think about what you want to say and dimensions
how you want to say it. o The ability to find, gather, and interpret data,
Types of Texts facts, and other information relevant to the
problem.
Text types are general semantic-functional o The ability to imagine alternative solutions
concepts and are not to be confused with test forms to the problem and to see different ways in
(advertisements, editorials, sermons, shopping which the question might be answered.
lists, poems, telephone, books, novels, etc.) o The ability to analyze competing
approaches and answers.
NARRATIVE. Narrative texts have to do with real-
o The ability to write an effective augment
world events and tie. They may be fictional (fairy-
tales, novels) or nonfictional (newspaper, report). justifying your choice while acknowledging
They are characterized by a sequencing of events counter-arguments.
expressed by dynamic verbs and by adverbials 7 CRITICAL LEARNING STRETEGIES
such as “and then”, “first”,”second”,”third.”
1. Previewing – learning about a text before
DESCRIPTIVE. Descriptive texts are concerned really reading it.
with the location of persons and things in space. 2. Contextualizing – Placing a text I its
They will tell us what lies to the right or left, in the historical, biographical, and cultural
background or foreground, or they will provide contexts.
background information which, perhaps, sets the 3. Questioning to understand and remember
stage for narration It is irrelevant whether a – Asking questions about the content.
description is more technical-objective or more 4. Reflecting on challenges to your beliefs
impressionistic subjective. and values – Examining your personal
DIRECTIVE. Directive texts are concerned with responses.
tangible future activity. Central to these are 5. Outlining and summarizing – Identify the
imperatives. (Hand me the paper) or forms which main ideas and restating them in your own
substitute for them such as polite questions (Would words.
you hand me the pen?) or suggestive remarks (I 6. Evaluating an argument – Testing the logic
wonder what the paper says about the topic.) of a text as well as its credibility and
emotional impact.
EXPOSITORY. Expository texts identify and 7. Comparing and contrasting related
characterize phenomena. They include text forms readings – Exploring likeness and
such as definitions, clarifications, summaries and differences between texts to understand
many types of essays. It may be subjective (essay) them better.
or objective (summary, explication, definition) may
be analytical or synthetic. Many of the authors we read are concerned with
the same issues or questions, nut approach how to
ARGUMENTATIVE. Argumentative texts depart discuss them in different ways. Fitting a text into an
from the assumption that the receiver’s beliefs uts ongoing dialectic helps increase understanding of
be changes. They often start with the negation of a why an author approached a particular issue or
statement which attributes a quality or question in the way he or she did.
characteristic activity to something or someone
(esp. scholarly texts). They also include advertising FOUR MAIN TYPES OF READING TECHNIQUES
texts, which try to persuade their readers that a SKIMMING. Skimming is sometimes referred to as
product is somehow better, at least implicitly, that substance reading. It may help in order to know
others. what the text is about at its most basic level. You
READING CRITICALLY might typically do this with a magazine or
newspaper and would help you mentally and
What is Critical Reading? quickly shortlist those articles which you might
consider for a deeper read. Comprehension is very
low and understanding of overall content very 1. Rephrase and Repeat Statements
superficial. 2. Compare and Contrast Interpretations
3. Research Points of Interest or Contention
SCANNING. It involves getting your eyes quickly
dart across sentence and is used to get just a
simple piece of information. Interestingly, research
has concluded that reading off a computer screen
actually inhibits the pathways to effective Purposeful Stride
scanning=ng and thus, reading of paper is far more
helpful to speedy comprehension of texts. Speaking, listening, viewing, representing are all
unique forms of communication used for conveying
INTENSIVE READING. This type of reading is and receiving information. Speaking and listening
beneficial to language learners as it helps them both use language to epitomize ideas. Therefore,
understand vocabulary by deducing the meaning of understanding language reflecting diverse cultures
words in context. It moreover, helps with retention is the key to develop good speaking and listening
of information for long periods of time and skills. Altogether, speaking, listening, viewing and
knowledge resulting from intensive reading persists representing are the building blocks of
in long term memory. communication and of the one's view of the world.
EXTENSIVE READING. Involves reading for
pleasure. Because there is an element of
enjoyment in extensive reading it is unlikely that LESSON 6: Communication Aids and Strategies
students will undertake extensive reading of a text Using Tools and Technology
they do not like. It also requires a fluid decoding Content Purposes
and assimilation of the text and content in front of
you. If the text is difficult and you stop every few It is inevitable that teachers and students use
minutes to figure out what is being said or to look technology as an avenue for learning. They use the
up new words in the dictionary, you are breaking computer to learn modern ideas and updated
your concentration and diverting your thoughts. researches. Now technological innovation shapes
the future of learners. Communicating with a
LISTENING CRITICALLY purpose requires effective use of technology that
There is a lot more to listening than just hearing continues beyond the classroom. Knowledge and
words. Listening involves active participation. awareness of the various communication aids and
Listening critically involves evaluating and making strategies using tools and technology can lead to a
judgments about what you hear. student's development for life-long learning hence,
they will be able to apply these communication aids
What is listening? in their future workplace when necessary.
Listening is the active intellectual process of Communication Aids and Strategies Using
decoding, interpreting, understanding and Tools and Technology
evaluating messages. It is a mode of
communication just as important as the other 1. Printed Media. This is considered one of the
modes like speaking, reading and writing. oldest forms of instructional media used in the
classroom. Printing has evolved from the previous
TYPES OF LISTENING Woodblock printing to the digital printing we use
nowadays. Printed media are used to inform,
1. CRITICAL – Listen for facts and supporting
instruct, motivate readers which we can be utilized
details to understand and evaluate the
in the classroom, as training materials in
speaker’s message.
workshops, seminars, or for information
2. EMPHATIC – Imagine yourself in the other
dissemination. In the classroom, this may come in
person’s position, and try to understand
the form of worksheets, activity sheets, textbooks
what he or she is thinking.
and modules. Likewise, training materials include
3. APPRECIATIVE – Identify and analyze
handouts and manuals while printed information
aesthetic or artistic elements such as
materials may include brochures, newspapers,
character development, rhyme, imagery,
newsletters, journals and magazines.
and descriptive language.
4. REFLECTIVE – Ask questions to get 2. Visuals and Visual Media. Anything like pictures
information, and use or reflect on the used to make communication interesting to the
speaker’s responses to form new questions. audience are called visual/s. they help convey the
message more clearly and more appealing to the
Part of being a critical listener is knowing how to
intended audience. On the other hand, visual media
adjust your listening according to the situation.
pertains to images, pictures and graphic
EVALUATING YOUR LISTENING organizers. Readers or listeners need to acquire
visual literacy (the ability to interpret images). We
Use the following strategies to help you:
acquire visual literacy if we are endowed with
interpreting skills, can understand and appreciate are many popular video websites as Youtube,
the meaning of visual messages, communicate Vodcasts.
more effectively with the use of visual designs,
8. Video Conferencing. This can be used to give
produce visual messages using the computer and
lectures, seminars to students who cannot be
other technology devices, and use visual thinking to
present during the lecture.
conceptualize problem solutions at hand. Visuals
may be categorized as the following: realistic Skype is a program or an application used to
visuals, mnemonic visuals, analogical visuals, communicate with other people using webcams.
organizational visuals, transformational visuals,
interpretive visuals, and decorative visuals. 9. E-mail. This is the opposite of "snail mail".
Electronic mail may be used to send message
3. Graphics, Tables, and Charts. These are visual through a mailing website such as www.yahoo.com
representation of numerical data, may be used to or www.gmail.com, etc.
illustrate relationships among units and trends of
data. They may be used to present statistical 10. Multi-modal Texts. "Multi-modal as defined in
results used to compare and contrast, present an the Australian curriculum is the strategic use of two
eye-view of the whole information. Graphs may be or more communication modes to make meaning
of different types as Bar Graph, Pictograph, Pie as image, gesture, music, spoken language, and
graph, Line graph, posters, cartoons, maps, written language."
photography. Tables and charts may also be used (https://creatingmultimodaltexts.com/, Annemaree
for graphic communication. O'Brien, 2013)
4. Projected Visuals. The most recent projected "A multimodal text can be paper such as books,
visual nowadays is with the use Liquid Crystal comics, and posters. A multimodal text can be
Display (LCD) Projector. digital - from slide presentations, e-books, blogs, e-
5. Smart Television (Smart TVs). The most recent posters, web pages, and social media, through to
device used inside the classroom for audio-lingual animation, film and video games. A multimodal text
presentation. can be live - a performance or an event."

6 Digital Audio. Digital audio files come in different According to Jenkins in 2011, multi-nodal text can
formats as wave (.wav) files and WMPEG Layer-3 also be transmedia; that is where the story is told
(.mp3) files. Other audio formats are Windows using "multiple delivery channels" through a
Media Audio (.wma), Real Audio (.ra, .ram) or combination of media platforms as book, comic,
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI). magazine, film, web series, video game mediums -
working together to form part of the same story.
Digital files are kept in digital storage as CD,
computer hard drive, flash drive, or digital recorder. Purposeful Stride
Computers are digital devices. The challenge for 21st century learners is to be
Audio files can be accessed through streaming able to communicate effectively using appropriate
audio, podcasting, Internet radio, and digital communication aids and strategies and to be
players. familiar or adept on using various tools and
technology devices. Communication aids come
* Streaming audio is a method where audio before us in the form of printed media, visual
signals are delivered to your computer via the media, graphics, projected visuals, smart television,
Internet. It lets you hear the sound in your and digital audio, streaming audio, podcast,
computer. Among the most popular websites with Internet Radio, Digital Player, Video, Video
audio streaming are Spotify (www.spotify.com), Conferencing, Skype, E-mail and multi-modal texts.
(www.rhapsody.com). Rhapsody The challenge is for us to be able to use them
purposively and judiciously
* Podcast (Origin: Pod and Broadcasting) audio
files are recorded in MP3 format and are distributed
in the Internet. Podcasts are use. TEDtalks,
Podcasts.com are among the many websites that
provide podcasts.
• Internet Radio. Wi-Fi radios provide access to
thousands of internet radio stations.
• Digital Players. These are mobile digital media
players; portable electronic gadgets used to store
and play audio files.
7. Video. Video is a series of images that when
combined will form moving visual images. There