Transition to University

For students to maintain a high level of academic performance students must need to read critical. Reading critical requires students to apply context in a reading strategy, read with a purpose or for a purpose, and be aware of the language used and for what reason. Context can be defined as “the situational, cultural, or historical set of circumstances out of which a text grows” (Elkins, 1999), for example, listing the characteristics and even describing the context. When reading with a purpose or even for a purpose

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In conclusion, “critical thinking [, reading and writing] is necessary to… [being a critical student]” (Warren, 1995, pg. These expectations, of such a high level, could not be achieved if a student was not to read, think and write critically. When developing an “issue tree” (Elkins, 1999), students develop a controlling statement containing the central argument and major purpose then draw an argumentative plan. As a critical student, ‘you’ need to look for “bias in language…, word play… or stereotyping” (Elkins, 1999), as well as check and test assumptions: Is it convincing? Is it reliable? And is it accurate? Exploring issues from multiple perspectives, students must be aware of the differing views of experts. When branching ideas, critical students, map or branch out the “composing process” (Elkins, 1999) using ideas found within the text and let these ideas branch out the flow of ideas. For example, “writing is a matter of prewriting, writing, and rewriting” (Elkins, 1999). Students also need to recognise that there is “no right or wrong” (Elkins, 1999), just different ways to interpret. The ability to think, form judgments and draw conclusions, to argue or discuss ideas and back them up with reasons are a high expectation universities have set for critical students. When reading, students need to be aware of the author’s language by learning strategies to help become more conscious of the words authors choose, the associations of those words, pattern of words, and common figures of speech. Students may seek the exact dictionary meaning; implication, associations or suggestions caused by particular words or phrases: and figures of speech which parallel the author's intent. On accepting, they can then explore each interpretation on its strengths and weaknesses. There are many pressure associated with writing at university level, such as: writing graded as an exercise in grammar, intimidation of submitting a work to an lecturer who is viewed as an expert and therefore raises the question “what can I tell him/her?”, different assignments and examinations due at or near the same time, safety in writing only what you think your lecturer wants to hear. On the other hand, lateral thinking is associated with humour, insight, and creativity. When identifying bias and testing assumptions ‘you’ need to know what are your particular beliefs, personal preferences or tastes, convictions, and assumptions.

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Approximate Word count = 1301
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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