Sunday, April 25, 2010

Curriculum Mapping- A Guide to Your Instruction

The concept of first curriculum mapping first appeared in the 1980s. In 1997, Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs created a model for curriculum mapping. Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs is President of Curriculum Designers, Inc., and according to my professor Dr. Jay Dugan, she is the authority on curriculum mapping. Curriculum mapping is a system that thematically aligns assessment, curriculum and instruction. It shows what is going to be taught, how instruction will be delivered and when instruction will be taught. According to Linda Starr of Education World, who provides an online virtual workshop, creating and working with curriculum maps is a 7-step process involving. The steps are outlined below, but she cautions, curriculum maps are records of implemented instruction -- of what has been taught during the current school year. Projection maps, or pacing guides, on the other hand, project what will be covered in the future.

o Phase 1: Data collection.

o Phase 2: A review of all maps by all teachers.

o Phase 3: Small mixed group reviews, in which groups of five to eight diverse faculty members share individual findings

o Phase 4: Large group comparisons, in which all faculty members gather to examine the findings of the smaller groups.

o Phase 5: Identification of immediate revision points and creation of a timetable for resolution.

o Phase 6: Identification of points requiring additional research and planning, and a timetable for resolution of those points.

  • Phase 7: Planning for the next review cycle.

In the school district that I currently work in, we developed a curriculum map for each grade level. Each grade level was asked to complete Phase 1, to create their own map of what we taught and when. However, that is where the comparison ends. After the initial teacher input, administration was the one who decided what was taught and when it was taught. Then, the curriculum map was given to us for us to implement without further input or opportunity for discussion. Given the words of Linda Starr, our development of the curriculum map is what is driving our instruction now, not just mapping out what has already been taught. Contrary to Linda Starr’s point of view, T. Webster of the website wiseGeek, feels that curriculum mapping can be used as a planning tool to ensure all required topics are being covered during a school year or a certain time frame. With this difference in explanation and application, my district uses curriculum mapping as a planning tool.

However, to me there are many positives to having curriculum mapping in districts. For instance, when students move from one school in a district to another, curriculum mapping ensures that what the student was learning prior to the move, they will still be learning when they get to the new school. It will also help over the course of when students move from school to school because of graduations. Previous teachers can have a firm handle on what was taught the previous year and when. This translates into layering, expanding and deepening the students understand of material. In addition, this puts all students on a level playing field. It does not allow material to be glazed over or skipped all together.

Outlined below are additional positive outcomes to having curriculum mapping in school districts.

o Positives: 1. Timeline. This timeline says what and when things are taught in all subjects and all grades. This ensures that all material is covered. 2. Collaboration. Provides time for teachers to collaborate, plans lessons together and share ideas. It reduces the need to focus on details when teachers have common planning time or Professional Learning Communities. 3. Generalization. Curriculum mapping helps students to generalize information from one subject to another. 4. Allows educators to review the curriculum to check for unnecessary redundancies, inconsistencies, misalignments, weaknesses, and gaps. 5. Documents the relationships between the required components of the curriculum and the intended student learning outcomes. 6. Identifies what students have learned, allowing teachers to focus on building on previous knowledge.

Despite the numerous positive outcomes using curriculum mapping, there can be drawbacks.

o Drawbacks: 1. Lack of agreement of on what should be taught when. 2. Inflexible. With curriculum mapping, there is no flexibility to what is taught and when. It is very rigid. 3. Some teachers do not teach certain material.


To me, curriculum mapping can be used as a tool to ensure that all students are given the benefits of a complete education. However, it should not put a strangle hold on instruction. There should be some leeway for "fun" instruction. That will let students know that school is not all about what MUST be learned. But sometimes, can be what is FUN to learn!

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