Curriculum Mapping

Patty Quinn Benn

Curriculum Evaluation

Dr. Dugan

9 July 2009

Curriculum Mapping

“A plan that shows how standards, frameworks, or state and district curricula are related to what goes on in particular classrooms on each day of the school year” (Ravitch 67).

Since ESEA, federal government has been intervening into a once state and district run classroom. Since then, a number of research-based models and theories have been born to “help cultivate educational reform” (www.curriculumapping101.com). Now, more than ever, it is not only important to analyze what the teachers are teaching, but what the students are learning and experiencing from those teachers. One proven way in which to do such is through curriculum mapping. Although this keyword has been in the spotlight for last ten years, the concept has been around much longer. Curriculum mapping originated in the 1980’s and has been enhanced upon since. The hope is that schools which utilize curriculum mapping will discover that the maps become “the hub for making decisions about teaching and learning” (www.curriculumapping101.com). But, with so many different frameworks out there, why is curriculum mapping believed to work?

Many teachers find themselves frustrated with the current conditions of the American educational process. Many feel they are stuck “teaching to the test” and are desperately hoping for a change. A teacher who is able to help his/her students discover the world and what it has to offer can make a difference. These same teachers realize that memorization and compliance will many times not get the job done. Instead, these teachers understand that schools should be “built around real-world problems and solutions” (Giessman). But, how does this occur when schools are devised into individual content areas that rarely collaborate? Curriculum mapping is a process that takes dedication and communication to be effective. It is a challenging and time consuming task that when completed successfully can offer positive results to schools.

The reasons in which curriculum maps are used are plentiful and abundant. Some of the most common found amongst researchers and advocates say: (following information was obtained from Payne and Starr)

1. To help teachers understand what is taught, when, in all subject areas and all grades (Payne)
2. To document the relationships between the required components of the curriculum and the intended student outcomes (Starr)
3. To help identify opportunities for integration among disciplines (Starr)
4. To create a unified interdisciplinary unit that fosters students’ understanding of concepts, ideas, and activities across many subject areas (Payne)
5. To identify what students have learned, allowing educators to focus on building upon previous knowledge
6. To help teachers reflect and adjust their own lessons during the school year and to check for unnecessary redundancies, inconsistencies, weaknesses and gaps (Payne and Starr).

But, how does a school create a map? One aspect of the curriculum map is the fact that it is both within grade level and across grades K-12. The time consuming and all-encompassing process begins by identifying one standard at a time. Then the creators of the map have to identify what they want students to know followed by the development of an assessment. Once the assessment is identified, then the lesson can be created. It is a backwards-kind of mapping which identifies how and when content will be taught (including actual dates or frames of time) (Horowitz). Many different researchers identify specific steps to developing the curriculum map. For example, Linda Starr in her website, “Virtual Workshop: Curriculum Mapping” identifies the following seven-step process after each individual teacher creates his/her own desired map:

1. Phase 1: Data collection
2. Phase 2: A review of all maps by teachers
3. Phase 3: Small mixed group reviews, in which groups of five to eight diverse faculty members share individual findings
4. Phase 4: Large group comparisons, in which all faculty members gather to examine the findings of the smaller groups
5. Phase 5: Identification of immediate revision points and creation of a timetable for resolution
6. Phase 6: Identification of points requiring additional research and planning, and a timetable for resolution of those points
7. Phase 7: Planning for the next review cycle

Schools across the United States are using the curriculum maps and having success. There is collaboration amongst grades and within grades as to what is being taught and what is truly meaningful for students. Teachers today are faced with a daunting task of trying to teach many diverse backgrounds and learning styles. Also, they cannot forget the way technology has invaded society and taken up a majority of their students’ lives outside of school. How do they combat that? Curriculum mapping may be one answer to that discouraging question. Many believe that curriculum mapping “travels to the heart of the profession: caring about the journey a child takes upon entering as a Kindergartener, exiting as a high school graduate, and enrolling in a high-education learning environment – to be successful for a lifetime (www.curriculumapping101.com). Teachers have a difficult job for they only have a short, specified timeline in which to make a difference before the student is given to another teacher. Maybe if all teachers worked together, the separate destinations students arrive at year-to-year would become a unified, lifelong journey.

For more information, check out the following websites:

1. www.curriculumapping101.com.
2. http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/virtualwkshp/virtualwkshp004.shtml
3. http://www.tnellen.com/alt/curr_maps.html
4. http://www.curriculumdesigners.com/resourcesmapsoftware.htm#