A critique about the implications graphic organizers may have in content-based instruction

    In the article Q & A: What’s the big deal with graphic organizers? Ellis (2004) depicts the most frequent uses of Graphic Organizers (GOs) and their effectiveness in content-based classrooms. After conducting research work in educational settings for almost 30 years, Professor Ellis (2004) addresses his last findings to educators who are enthused to implement visual devices in content-based classrooms. This article appears to be an easy-reading source that helps the reader to have an overview of the benefits of GOs in instructional contexts.

    The layout of the article is structured with headings which are written in the form of frequently-asked questions. In so doing, Ellis (2004) clarifies the doubts many of the teachers commonly pose about the regular uses and implications of GOs in content-based classes. Even though the presentation of his conclusions seems to be clearly organized and well-structured, he does not include visual input to make his findings visually appealing. It would have been more eye-catching if Ellis (2004) had included examples of GOs to have illustrations of how they look like. However, an involved reader may refer to his website where he posts resourceful instructional materials for teachers to implement in their practices.

    Throughout this exploratory article, Ellis (2004) limits the scope of his research work to the pedagogical benefits GOs have for the development of reading comprehension strategies. Ellis (2004) explains that using GOs in content-based classes assists learners “to grapple with core ideas of the content and develop… understandings of [the content]” (p.1). Besides, he highlights that not only do visual learners benefit from using GOs but also auditory learners respond positively in reading comprehension lessons. He states that implementing GOs aids students to grasp the meaning of content through illustrations accompanied by the aural explanation provided by the teacher (Ellis, 2004).

    Whereas the discussion of this article centers on the topic of increasing reading strategies in content-based learning environments by means of GOs, little are the implications drawn in relation to the effectiveness of GOs in other language skills. Scholars and researchers such as Hall and Strangman (2002) broaden the scope of the application of GOs to develop written strategies and vocabulary expansion, for instance. At this point, Ellis (2004) does not particularize much but briefly explains further uses of GOs to brainstorm ideas at the beginning of the writing process, for example, as “they serve as effective devices for helping students focus on the relationships between main ideas and details” (p.3). Despite his concise explanations, the reader is invited to further explore following a list of selected works provided at the end of the article. 

    All in all, this is a commendable article for teachers interested in implementing GOs as another pedagogical tool to encourage strategic processes in reading comprehension and content learning. The clearly well-structured presentation of this article appears to favour an easy-reading source of information to be up-to-date with the last contributions in language teaching. The author also provides a list of useful resources for those eager to on-going survey. Even though this article delves into the most frequently-used applications of GOs, it is a noteworthy teaching resource so as to have the first explorations of the implementation of GOs in learning contexts.

References

Ellis, E. (2004). Q&A: What’s the big deal about graphic organizers? Makes sense strategies. Retrieved October 2010 from http://www.graphicorganizers.com/images/stories/pdf/Q&AGraphicOrganizers.pdf

Hall, T., & Strangman, N. (2002). Graphic organizers. National center of accessible instructional materials. Retrieved October 2010 from http://aim.cast.org/sites/aim.cast.org/files/NCACgo.pdf