Tuesday, April 21, 2009
ch. 12 identifying and evaluating arguments
CRCB CH. 12 IDENTIFYING AND EVALUATING ARGUMENTS
When people create and critique arguments, it's helpful to understand what an argument is and is not. Sometimes an argument is seen as a verbal fight, but that is not what is meant in these discussions. Sometimes a person thinks they are offering an argument when they are only providing assertions. An argument is a deliberate attempt to move beyond just making an assertion. When offering an argument, you are offering a series of related statements which represent an attempt to support that assertion — to give others good reasons to believe that what you are asserting is true rather than false. The purpose of an argument: to offer reasons and evidence for the purpose of establishing the truth value of a proposition, which can mean either establishing that the proposition is true or establishing that the proposition is false. If a series of statements does not do this, it isn’t an argument.
Another aspect of understanding arguments is to examine the parts. An argument can be broken down into three major components: premises, inferences and a conclusion. Premises are statements of (assumed) fact which are supposed to set forth the reasons and/or evidence for believing a claim. The claim, in turn, is the conclusion: what you finish with at the end of an argument. When an argument is simple, you may just have a couple of premises and a conclusion. Inferences are the reasoning parts of an argument. Conclusions are a type of inference, but always the final inference. Usually an argument will be complicated enough to require inferences linking the premises with the final conclusion.
Unfortunately, most arguments aren’t presented in such a logical and clear manner as the above examples, making them difficult to decipher sometimes. But every argument which really is an argument should be capable of being reformulated in such a manner. If you cannot do that, then it is reasonable to suspect that something is wrong.
When people create and critique arguments, it's helpful to understand what an argument is and is not. Sometimes an argument is seen as a verbal fight, but that is not what is meant in these discussions. Sometimes a person thinks they are offering an argument when they are only providing assertions. An argument is a deliberate attempt to move beyond just making an assertion. When offering an argument, you are offering a series of related statements which represent an attempt to support that assertion — to give others good reasons to believe that what you are asserting is true rather than false. The purpose of an argument: to offer reasons and evidence for the purpose of establishing the truth value of a proposition, which can mean either establishing that the proposition is true or establishing that the proposition is false. If a series of statements does not do this, it isn’t an argument.
Another aspect of understanding arguments is to examine the parts. An argument can be broken down into three major components: premises, inferences and a conclusion. Premises are statements of (assumed) fact which are supposed to set forth the reasons and/or evidence for believing a claim. The claim, in turn, is the conclusion: what you finish with at the end of an argument. When an argument is simple, you may just have a couple of premises and a conclusion. Inferences are the reasoning parts of an argument. Conclusions are a type of inference, but always the final inference. Usually an argument will be complicated enough to require inferences linking the premises with the final conclusion.
Unfortunately, most arguments aren’t presented in such a logical and clear manner as the above examples, making them difficult to decipher sometimes. But every argument which really is an argument should be capable of being reformulated in such a manner. If you cannot do that, then it is reasonable to suspect that something is wrong.
crcb ch.11 summary
CRCB CH. 11 READING, UNDERSTANDING AND CREATING VISUAL AIDS
Visual aids help your presentation make things happen. Visual aids help you reach your objectives by providing emphasis to whatever is being said. Clear pictures multiply the audience's level of understanding of the material presented, and they should be used to reinforce your message, clarify points, and create excitement.Visual aids involve your audience and require a change from one activity to another: from hearing to seeing. When you use visual aids, their use tends to encourage gestures and movement on your part. This extra movement reinforces the control that you, the speaker, need over the presentation. The use of visual aids, then, are mutually beneficial to the audience and you.Visual aids add impact and interest to a presentation. They enable you to appeal to more than one sense at the same time, thereby increasing the audience's understanding and retention level. With pictures, the concepts or ideas you present are no longer simply words but words plus images. The chart below cites the effectiveness of visual aids on audience retention.
People tend to eye-minded, and the impacts visual aids bring to a presentation are, indeed, significant. The studies, below, reveal interesting statistics that support these findings, Visuals add an important dimension to a presentation, and you, the speaker, must capitalize on this dimension. It is critical that you prepare visual aids that reinforce your major points, stimulate your audience, and work well in the physical setting of your presentation.Visual aids and audio-visuals include a wide variety of communication products, including flip charts, overhead transparencies, slides, audio-slide shows, and video tapes. Demonstrating a process or simply passing around a sample of some equipment or model are also effective way to clarify messages visually. If visual aids are poorly selected or inadequately done, they will distract from what you are saying. The tips listed below will help you in the selection and preparation of visual aids.
Visual aids help your presentation make things happen. Visual aids help you reach your objectives by providing emphasis to whatever is being said. Clear pictures multiply the audience's level of understanding of the material presented, and they should be used to reinforce your message, clarify points, and create excitement.Visual aids involve your audience and require a change from one activity to another: from hearing to seeing. When you use visual aids, their use tends to encourage gestures and movement on your part. This extra movement reinforces the control that you, the speaker, need over the presentation. The use of visual aids, then, are mutually beneficial to the audience and you.Visual aids add impact and interest to a presentation. They enable you to appeal to more than one sense at the same time, thereby increasing the audience's understanding and retention level. With pictures, the concepts or ideas you present are no longer simply words but words plus images. The chart below cites the effectiveness of visual aids on audience retention.
People tend to eye-minded, and the impacts visual aids bring to a presentation are, indeed, significant. The studies, below, reveal interesting statistics that support these findings, Visuals add an important dimension to a presentation, and you, the speaker, must capitalize on this dimension. It is critical that you prepare visual aids that reinforce your major points, stimulate your audience, and work well in the physical setting of your presentation.Visual aids and audio-visuals include a wide variety of communication products, including flip charts, overhead transparencies, slides, audio-slide shows, and video tapes. Demonstrating a process or simply passing around a sample of some equipment or model are also effective way to clarify messages visually. If visual aids are poorly selected or inadequately done, they will distract from what you are saying. The tips listed below will help you in the selection and preparation of visual aids.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Chapter 8 CRCB
Chapter 8 Critical Reading for College and Beyond
Organization (or reorganization) is a continuous process„it goes on simultaneously with other activities, such as narrowing your topic, forming your thesis statement, and conducting your research. However, formal organization generally involves two components: determining a method of organization for the essay, and drawing up an outline which applies your ideas to that method.
Textbook authors usually organize information using certain classic methods or patterns. Being able to recognize organizational methods will help you understand the ideas in your textbooks and how they are connected to each other, because they will fit into logical patterns you are already familiar with. It will also help you to remember what you have read, because you are not memorizing facts in isolation, but relating them to each other to form patterns that hold and organize them in your memory. A useful way to dentify an author's metod of organization is to look for the organizationaal word clues (OWCs) that indicate which patterns he or she is using. It is also important to assess an author's overall method of organization. An author will frequently use more than one method from paragraph to paragraph, but have one overall method for each textbook chapter
Organization (or reorganization) is a continuous process„it goes on simultaneously with other activities, such as narrowing your topic, forming your thesis statement, and conducting your research. However, formal organization generally involves two components: determining a method of organization for the essay, and drawing up an outline which applies your ideas to that method.
Textbook authors usually organize information using certain classic methods or patterns. Being able to recognize organizational methods will help you understand the ideas in your textbooks and how they are connected to each other, because they will fit into logical patterns you are already familiar with. It will also help you to remember what you have read, because you are not memorizing facts in isolation, but relating them to each other to form patterns that hold and organize them in your memory. A useful way to dentify an author's metod of organization is to look for the organizationaal word clues (OWCs) that indicate which patterns he or she is using. It is also important to assess an author's overall method of organization. An author will frequently use more than one method from paragraph to paragraph, but have one overall method for each textbook chapter
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
chapter 4 crcb what is efficient reading
CHAPTER 4 CRCB
What is Efficient Reading?
In today's fast-paced information age, it is simply not good enough for anyone to be an OK reader. It is more important than ever to possess efficient reading skills.
Not just with paper-based reading, but with the Internet, Web pages, and e-mails, we are deluged with a greater quantity of information than ever before, and we need to process it quickly. With efficient skills, we can absorb more material in less time, increasing our productivity and effectiveness in all aspects of our lives.
Efficient readers not only read faster, but they also read with better comprehension. They read text in much the same way that most of us learn to identify objects in the world around us.
For example, when efficient readers come across the word "blue,” they don't repeat the word "blue" to themselves, nor do they actively think about the meaning. Instead, they visualize and understand the color much in the same way people do when they look at a blue sky. They don’t say "blue sky" then think about what that means, but instead they absorb the meaning immediately and effortlessly.
Reading is an enjoyable experience for efficient readers. It not only makes their life easier, but can actually be fun, as well. Students need to understand this, since it can motivate them to learn the techniques that will improve their knowledge and productivity.
What is Efficient Reading?
In today's fast-paced information age, it is simply not good enough for anyone to be an OK reader. It is more important than ever to possess efficient reading skills.
Not just with paper-based reading, but with the Internet, Web pages, and e-mails, we are deluged with a greater quantity of information than ever before, and we need to process it quickly. With efficient skills, we can absorb more material in less time, increasing our productivity and effectiveness in all aspects of our lives.
Efficient readers not only read faster, but they also read with better comprehension. They read text in much the same way that most of us learn to identify objects in the world around us.
For example, when efficient readers come across the word "blue,” they don't repeat the word "blue" to themselves, nor do they actively think about the meaning. Instead, they visualize and understand the color much in the same way people do when they look at a blue sky. They don’t say "blue sky" then think about what that means, but instead they absorb the meaning immediately and effortlessly.
Reading is an enjoyable experience for efficient readers. It not only makes their life easier, but can actually be fun, as well. Students need to understand this, since it can motivate them to learn the techniques that will improve their knowledge and productivity.
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