EDU545+Group+Project+-+Curriculum+Mapping

EDU545 Group Project - Curriculum Mapping Stephanie Buck, Jennifer Conner, Kelly Reiter

Udelhofen, S. (2005). //Keys to Curriculum Mapping: Strategies and Tools to Make it Work.// Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
 * **__Mapping Format__** || **__Advantages__** || **__Disadvantages__** ||
 * Backward Mapping || * Is not as time consuming in the beginning
 * It only takes a small amount of time each month to record the content, skills, assessments
 * Has shown to show a more accurate account of what is actually being taught
 * Time will be allocated each month for teachers to reflect and record || * It takes longer to complete the mapping because the data is not collected until the end of the month, therefore the data will not be ready until the end of the year or the beginning of the next
 * You could lose the mapping momentum
 * Having a monthly check-in with teachers to ensure all data is being collected and to see the progress ||
 * Forward Mapping || * The initial curriculum maps are completed within a short amount of time at the beginning of the school year
 * This in-turn makes it easier for teachers to move to the next step in the mapping process which will allow for completion of the initial cycle to happen within the same school year (if the district has established an appropriate timeline)
 * Teachers will have to plan their content, skills, and assessments for the entire school year || * The initial mapping is very time consuming
 * Can become difficult for teachers that cannot project what they will teach and/or cannot recall what they have previously taught in past months
 * What happens if the students already know the content before the assessment ||

Curriculum mapping is a system that thematically aligns assessment, curriculum, and instruction. It is a technique for exploring the primary elements of curriculum:
 * __Curriculum Mapping __**
 * What is taught
 * How instruction occurs
 * When instruction is delivered

(Tern, 2003)
 * __Mapping Systems can be: __**
 * Web-based and made in-house
 * Server-based and made in-house with software specifically for mapping
 * Web-based and hosted by a web-based company
 * Web-based and hosted by a consulting company
 * Portable in-house documents, posted in a shared folder
 * Software-based and saved to local computers

Curriculum Mapping focuses on three Cs: //Communication, Curricular Dialogue, & Coherency.//
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Curriculum Mapping Focuses __**


 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Communication //**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> -- easy access through internet-based commercial programs to both the planned and actual horizontal and vertical curricula for present and past school years. The commercial systems' search features allow teachers to gain instant information in regard to mapping data to aid in curricular dialogue.


 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Curricular Dialogue //**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> -- Teachers take part in collegial relationships wherein they make data-based decisions about grade-level, cross-grade level, disciplinary, and cross-disciplinary curricula and instructional practices. Curriculum Mapping has two guiding principles: the students and the data. All curricular work must focus on the students best interest. Second, if it is in the students' best interest to change, modify, stop, start, or maintain curriculum practices, programs, and/or other related issues, there must be data-based proof to do so (Jacobs, 2002). It is of utmost importance to provide teachers with ample professional development to hone their skills in all facets of curriculum mapping and collegial, curricular dialogue. Allowing teachers time to build personal ownership in the mapping process empowers them, and subsequently, improves student learning.


 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Coherency //**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> -- Curriculum Mapping is designed to ask teachers to record, reflect on, study, and revise their individual and corporate work. This cyclic endeavor eventually leads a school or district to developing and maintaining an aligned curriculum that makes sense to all. (Jacobs, 2004)


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">A curriculum map will: __**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">help identify seams and gaps
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">identify repetition within scope and sequence
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">allow vertical alignment of assessments, content, and methods across grade levels
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">support horizontal alignment of assessments, content, and methods between subjects
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">improve both curriculum delivery and assessment over time


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">A curriculum map is useful in: __**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">helping teachers understand what is taught and when in all subject areas and grades
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">assisting teachers in creating unified interdisciplinary units that foster students' understanding of concepts, ideas, and activities across many subject areas
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">assisting in scheduling without interfering with major testing blocks in the academic subjects
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">helping coordinate areas of study into larger interdisciplinary
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">fostering conversation about curriculum and instruction among all faculty members
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">assisting the students in finding "common threads" of understanding between a specific academic subject and other subjects
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">assisting teachers in reflecting upon and adjusting lesson units during the school year

v <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Specific subject, specific teacher, specific course v <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">General subject area v <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Grade v <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Assessment strategy v <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Essential questions, standards applied, relevance to goals and objectives v <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Day, Month, Year, trimester, semester, quarter, season v <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Teaching tools, methods (hard/software, projects, products, hands-on, strategies) v <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Skills, general and specific lesson content (Tern, 2003) <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">References <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tern, L. (2003, July). //Curriculum mapping what is it? A practical explanation from least tern//. Retrieved from []
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">A Useful / Successful mapping system is: __**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">adaptable to school-specific content and categories
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">network or web-based (available to all faculty anywhere, anytime, collaborative)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">platform independent (all computers can view and use)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">easily updated by individuals
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">capable of displaying comparative data
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">capable of storing and linking to media elements and websites that clarify/support content
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">supportive of communication: links to faculty e-mail addresses/discussion groups
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">secure to the level desired by the school (teacher, parent, student, administration, faculty)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">relevant to a school’s goals, mission and standards
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">searchable by:

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jacobs, H. H. (2004). //Curriculum model: Curriculum mapping 101//. Retrieved from []

Jennifer Conner EDU 545 Backward Curriculum Mapping

1. WHAT IS BACKWARD MAPPING AND UbD AND WHY IS IT CALLED THIS? * Educational planning with a focus on teaching for understanding. habits-Steven Covey) *Prioritization due to amount of curriculum  *Content Standards  *exit outcomes  *Describe what concepts need to be learned.  *Course understandings  *Course essential questions (similar to what one might see on a test)  *Design summative for the end of the unit (see above)  *align with standards
 * Begins with the end in mind and works backward to student learning (Connect to 7
 * It’s backward to what and how we are used to doing.
 * 1) HOW IS BACKWARD MAPPING ACCOMPLISHED?
 * Looks at Essential Questions, Big Ideas, Critical Issues, Learning Goals, and what concepts need to be learned and are clearly defined.

*Choose resources that support essential questions, big ideas, learning goals, etc.
 * Primary source documents, co-curricular activities that support learning, textbooks, etc.

*Curricular units and lessons are designed to support Big Ideas and Essential Questions.

3. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BACKWARD MAPPING AND UbD? ***Identifies gaps in the curriculum** “//Alignment// – the curricula must be systematically aligned with the program objectives. Alignment involves clarifying the relationship between what students do in their courses and what faculty expect them to learn. Analyzing the alignment of the curricula with program objectives allows for the identification of gaps which can then lead to curricular changes to improve student learning opportunities.” (McTighe and Wiggins, 2012) ***Assessment is not an afterthought.** “An important point in the UbD framework is to recognize that factual knowledge and skills are not taught for their own sake, but as a means to larger ends. Acquisition of content is a means, in the service of meaning making and transfer.” “For many educators, instruction and assessing for understanding are viewed as incompatible with high-stakes accountability tests. This perceived incompatibility is based on a flawed assumption that the only way to raise test scores is to cover those things that are tested and practice the test format.” (McTighe and Wiggins, 2012) ***Process helps avoid the common problems of treating the textbook as the curriculum rather than a resource, an activity oriented teaching in which no clear priorities and purposed are apparent.**
 * *Helps organize the year for teachers and parents **

3. WHAT ARE THE STEPS IN IMPLEMENTING BACKWARD MAPPING OR UbD? *District Officials, Teachers, and Parents need to recognize and understand the rationale for and requirements of UbD. *District needs to ensure that teachers have access to high quality curriculum materials and strong examples. Time, time, and more time to implement. *Long term professional development

References: McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2012). //Introduction: What is UbD Framework? (PDF).// Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Tomlinson, C., & McTighe, J. (2006). //Integrating differentiated instruction and// //Understanding by Design: Connecting content and kids.// Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2007). //Schooling by design: Mission, action, achievement.// Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Online Resources: __[|www.learnquebec.ca/export/sites/learn/en/.../**curriculum**_**mapping**.ppt]__ __[|http://www.assessment.uconn.edu]__ **[PDF]** __[|Examples - UbD **Curriculum Maps**]__ itgs.icthelp.biz/lib/.../fetch.php?...**curriculum**...ubd**curriculummaps**...
 * [|Aiming High Toolkit: Promoting Standards-Based Education to Improve Student Achievement] (DOC; 3 MB; 215pp.), California Department of Education, 76.
 * [|Backwards Mapping Tool] (Outside Source), Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership (TICAL).

__[|www.greece.k12.ny.us/district.cfm?subpage=1220]__