ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a specific Critical Thinking-based construct of ‘reading’ in the context of an Advanced Level Philosophy and Ethics class for students of 17 years of age. It focuses on reading events surrounding students’ engagement with an extract from a philosophy textbook in an A Level Philosophy lesson. Critical Thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored and self-corrective thinking. A Critical Thinking-based approach to teaching had been institutionally sanctioned, being devised and led by senior leaders in the school, who, over the course of 8 years, had worked with teachers across all curriculum areas taught at A Level in the school. The agentive dimension of the classroom is important to take into account as, although teachers and students are influenced by the classroom and educational context, their conduct is not driven by some pre-ordained script. The enactment of reading was integrated into the flow of classroom interactions that comprised a great deal of talk.
