In Curriculum 21 HH
Jacobs discusses curriculum mapping and although I had heard the term, I had
never seen or used the software. I found an article aptly named Curriculum
Mapping 101 and figured that it would be a good place to start! Some of the
ideas I liked around the mapping were that it had a vertical alignment
curricula, this is important as my school want to focus more on collaborative
cross curricular planning and implementation. Seeing the visual would better
help them plan in their disciplines, this would aid in less overlapping and
more enhancement of the material.
Teachers
play an active role in mapping; they are empowered and encouraged to be leaders
and make curricula decisions. In a private school setting this independence is
encouraged and demanded by most teachers. Mapping is never really completed but
an ongoing process; teachers need to record, reflect, study and revise. My school is going to be requesting formal
documentation of curriculum, mapping maybe an excellent option. My biggest
concern once the map is made has to do with the reflection, study and revise
stage, teachers have so little time during the school year and I could see
resistance.
Overall I think
mapping seems like a well thought out tool in helping to organize curriculum.
The active role teachers’ play can only enhance what they do with their
students and cross curricular activities, mapping also will make sure standards
are being met. Being in a prep school teachers have very little free time,
having classes 8-3, coaching 3:30-5:30, then office hours and duty 7-12:00 am.(once
a week) Weekend duties every third week, plus games on weekends and countless
meeting, being on all the time because you live with your students, plus your
own family activities. I only add this because I feel it will help people make
sense of some of the concerns or questions around implementation I may be
addressing.
"My biggest concern once the map is made has to do with the reflection, study and revise stage, teachers have so little time during the school year and I could see resistance."
ReplyDeleteYes, always the issue. Easy to collect data, but much more difficult to actually do something with it.
And not to minimize the amount of time you put in, but curriculum work is always a question of what we think is important. If curriculum mapping is important...and it certainly can be...then we try to find time to do it by giving up something else! Not always easy.
As I read this and the amount of hours you put in in a week I was amazed. In awe, I shared the hours with my husband, Kents Hill class of '88, he didn't remember office hours until midnight. Chuckling he said, "lights were supposed to be out at 10:00!"
ReplyDeleteWhether using the mapping process or another process I don't think that any sort of curriculum development is ever complete. I believe that curriculum should be reviewed each year by a team of educators, those educators teaching at the particular grade level plus a grade level above and a below. Those educators should be the ones reviewing, reflecting and revising curriculum when necessary.
Just a question, when developing curriculum, are teachers at Kents Hill working together to write curriculum? Are all of the English teachers working together? Then is there "across discipline" team development?