Curriculum Mapping

 IT IS A TOOL FOR COLLECTING A DATABASE ABOUT WHAT IS ACTUALLY BEING TAUGHT IN THE CLASSROOM.  TEACHERS ENTER ON A MAP THE KEY CONTENT, SKILLS, AND ASSESSMENTS THAT THEY ARE TARGETING.  SHOWS TIME ACTUALLY SPENT TEACHING A PARTICULAR SUBJECT.

 MAPS INVITE ALL STAKEHOLDERS WHO DEAL WITH CURRICULUM CONCERNS TO ENTER INTO CURRICULUM ANALYSIS.  MAPS ARE A FRAMEWORK FOR CURRICULUM DECISION MAKING AND A SPRINGBOARD FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE PURPOSES OF SCHOOLING.  BY RAISING QUESTIONS, WE ENGAGE IN IDEAS AND NOT JUST PRESENT THEM.

THE PURPOSE OF MAPPING ISN’T JUST TO HAVE THIS INFORMATION, BUT TO USE IT!  TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE TO ALTER, REVISE, AND SHARE INFORMATION WITHIN AND BETWEEN SCHOOL SITES.  MAPPING PRESENTS A CRITICAL OPPORTUNITY FOR TEACHERS TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS IN THEIR TEACHING BASED ON THE PERFORMANCE LEVEL OF STUDENTS.  IT DEALS WITH BOTH VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS TO COLLECTIVELY TAKE A LOOK AT THE OPERATIONAL DATA.  THE MAPPING DATABASE ACTUALLY BECOMES A DATABASE FOR AUTHENTIC EXAMINATION OF A CHILD’S EXPERIENCE, K-12.

CURRICULUM MAPPING IS IMPORTANT SO THAT TEACHERS HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT’S GOING ON IN THEIR OWN CLASSROOMS AS WELL AS THEIR COLLEAGUES’. BY BEING ABLE TO SEE WHERE THEIR CURRENT STUDENTS WILL BE HEADED AND WHERE THEIR POTENTIAL STUDENTS ARE COMING FROM, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DEVELOP A CURRICULUM MOST APPLICABLE AND EFFECTIVE FOR THEIR STUDENTS. THIS WILL PROVIDE A MORE UNIFORM AND FLUID EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN EDUCATION TODAY IS AN EXTRAORDINARY ISOLATION OF CLASSROOM TEACHERS. THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN EACH OTHER’S CLASSROOM!

CURRICULUM MAPPING ISN’T ABOUT A SINGLE CLASSROOM. IT IS ABOUT A CLUSTER OF CLASSROOMS THAT TEACH THE SAME STUDENTS. ALL TEACHERS ARE INTERCONNECTED. IF YOU ARE A MATH TEACHER, YOU ARE A WRITING TEACHER. IF YOU ARE A SCIENCE TEACHER, YOU ARE A READING TEACHER.

“I JUST DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!”  THE FIRST YEAR OF MAPPING IS LABOR- INTENSIVE.  BREAK DOWN THE PROCESS AND PROCEED GRADUALLY, BUT STEADILY.  IT MAY TAKE A YEAR OR TWO BEFORE ONE CAN REALLY GET A SCHOOL MOVING IN THE AREA OF CURRICULUM MAPPING

THE KEY IS TO SPEND LESS TIME ON INEFFICENT MEETINGS AND CLASSROOM TIME, AND PUT MORE ENERGY INTO TEACHING! ASK YOURSELF, AM I TEACHING REPETITIVE SUBJECT MATTER THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN COVERED AND THE STUDENTS ARE BURNED OUT? AM I SPENDING VALUABLE TIME ON A SUBJECT ASSUMING THAT A STUDENT HAS ALREADY BEEN TAUGHT A CONCEPT UNAWARE THAT THERE IS A GAP? DO I MAKE ACCUSATIONS ABOUT WHY “JOHNNY CAN’T READ.”

“WHEN INFORMATION IS ON THE TABLE OR THE COMPUTER, PEOPLE TEND TO ATTACK THE PROBLEM. WHEN THERE ISN’T GOOD INFORMATION, THEY TEND TO ATTACK EACH OTHER.” --DR. HEIDI HAYES JACOBS CURRICULUM MAPPING REQUIRES A STAFF TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE TO PROVIDE CONSISTENCY IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM.

 HAVE A SMALL LEADERSHIP TEAM OF TEACHERS AND AT LEAST ONE ADMINISTRATOR.  ADVANCE SCOUTING WORK.  INITIAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.  VISIT OTHER SCHOOLS, CONFERENCES AND READ THE LITERATURE. CONT’D…

LOOK AT:  RESOURCES  INFRASTRUCTURE  READINESS LEVEL CONSIDER:  EFFECTIVE WAY TO INTRODUCE MAPPING.  FACULTY PERCEPTION OF KID’S NEEDS.

 ALIGNS CURRICULA TO STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS.  BUILDS STAFF CAPACITY AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.  DEVELOPS REALATIONSHIPS AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN STAKEHOLDERS.  USES RESOURCES EFFECTIVELY.

What is Possible with Curriculum Mapping? For the Teacher Have a workable timeline for planning the curriculum that is flexible and can easily be revised. Plan how and when the curriculum will be taught without coping with bureaucratic timelines. Collaborate with other grade-level teachers in planning and coordinating units of study and activities. Helps new teacher feel more confident knowing they are in line with more experienced teachers.

Plan with the media staff ensuring that materials are ready (or ordered) before hand. Updating maps helps teachers keep abreast of new knowledge, new books, ideas, technology, and breakthroughs. Gives teachers the opportunity to reflect on what is being taught, the way they are teaching, and make adjustments to eliminate problems. Maps reveal not only content repetitions but also skill repetitions. By viewing maps non-core classes can articulate with core curriculum. Develops communication between teachers.

For Students: Students moving through the grade levels build on previous year’s experiences. Helps students have a more meaningful educational experience because learning is planned. Avoid repetition of content and skills which can be boring and turn students off to learning.

For Parents: Parents are aware of what their child is working on in school and can:  Prepare for the start of a new unit  Help students study for class  Get more involved in school

For Schools: Increase community, parent, and local interest in the school. Ensures that teachers cover required curriculum. Tells what is really being taught. Tells what is really being taught. Serves as a monitoring device to prove compliance with federal, state, district and school standards. Serves as a monitoring device to prove compliance with federal, state, district and school standards. Curriculum maps can help in budgeting and planning the school year. Curriculum maps can help in budgeting and planning the school year. Increase test scores. Increase test scores.

For the District: Fosters smoother transitions for students as they move through school. Allows for a consistent district wide curriculum for all grades, promoting equality between schools.

What are the benefits of Curriculum Mapping? Alignment of curriculum to standards and assessments Continuity of instruction Time on task orientation Continuous improvement cycle Relationship and consensus building

Benefits Expectations are clear Visual Collaborative sharing and adaptations for instructional effectiveness

Thematic Curriculums Developed around a central concept, idea, or topic Incorporate interdisciplinary activities Utilize a variety of learning strategies and resources Utilize technology Move from general to more specific as concepts and skills are mastered by the students

The Value of Thematic Curriculums Contextualized learning experiences Ties to the workplace Flexibility: Implementation can be accomplished through courses, teams, grades or entire school. In-depth exposure to broader fields of interest Teacher collaboration in planning for interdisciplinary teaching

Value continued... Improved school climate through consensus building and sharing Planning focuses on industry or fields within the workplace and places an emphasis on problem-solving, communications, math, science, and behavioral sciences Underlying premise is to develop skills that equate a school-to-work philosophy.

The Bottom Line Teachers work collaboratively to produce meaningful units of study that develop interest, thinking skills, and allow for multiple learning styles within the classroom. Meaningful activities result in outcomes with practical applications to the real world and do not stop at the classroom door.

Seven Phases of Curriculum Mapping Collect data First Read-through Mixed-Group Review Large Group Review Determine points that can be revised immediately Determine points requiring long-term research Review cycle