Curriculum Mapping

1. Curriculum Mapping Presented by Dr. Dan Bertrand

2. Questions to ask • What must we know to survive the day? • Why are we in THIS class TODAY? • What are curriculum maps, mapping? • Why should we do them? • Why are the assessments important? • What are essential questions? • What is the product you need to complete for credit?

3. Additional questions: • Do you know what is taught the year before the student gets to you, and what is taught the year after they leave you? • Do all faculty use Illinois Learning Standards as their target for instruction? • Do faculty cover ILS Performance Descriptors appropriate to their content? • Do all feeder school students come to the next level equally prepared? • Do teachers plan classroom curriculum together?

4. S. = T. = P. = Situation Target Path THE S.T.P. APPROACH

5. Data Analysis • In terms of Prairie State / ISAT…how is your school doing? • Where are your strong areas? How did you build that strength? • What populations are not succeeding? What are you doing to address them?

6. How do I know that students are succeeding? • With the content? • With the standards? • With higher order thinking?

7. And finally, are my students . . . • Learning how to write in the context of my subject? • Learning how to read in the context of my subject? • Reinforcing math skills as applicable?

8. Standards, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment . . . • Are they integrated? • Does assessment drive instruction? • Do standards drive curriculum?

9. All Teachers are Teachers of Reading and Writing If it is hard for them to read, it is also hard for them to succeed!

10. Take a few minutes to define curriculum mapping • Chose a facilitator and a recorder*. • Facilitator: Make sure everyone is heard. • How would you define curriculum mapping? • *Facilitator = least veteran; Recorder = most veteran

11. What is curriculum mapping? Curriculum mapping is a process. • It is a method of systematically identifying what is currently being taught in a given subject or curriculum. • It includes discussion, analysis, revision, and a review cycle. • It extends beyond one classroom.

12. Important ideas: • The process is well-defined. • The process includes several steps. • Your learning team now has its own working definition.

13. Factors to Consider • Is my curriculum standards-driven or textbook driven? • Is my curriculum student-centered or content-centered? • Is my curriculum articulated through scope and sequence? Discuss how you could find out these things from the maps.

14. More Factors to Consider • Do standards drive curriculum? • Are the standards touched on or taught? Benchmarks reached? • Does assessment drive instruction? • Are the assessments appropriate? • Are assessment and instruction aligned? • Where are there gaps? • Where are there repetitions?

15. Stop and Reflect • How does my school currently study and discuss the factors to consider listed in slides 11 and 12? • How might curriculum mapping help our discussion? • How and when would we be able to get to this discussion?

16. Let’s Look at a Map • What kind of information is on the map? • What would you be able to do if you had this information? • How could you shape staff meetings to discuss the maps? *The facilitator should be whoever has been the quietest so far.

17. Calendar – WHEN Topic or Content – WHAT Essential Question(s) – WHY Skills –SHOW Assessment – HOW WELL Illinois Learning Standards Performance Descriptors – REACHING WHAT **Modifications for Special Needs or Others Who Need Extra Assistance – FOR WHOM Useful Headings on a Map

18. Calendar – WHEN Topic or Content – WHAT Essential Question(s) – WHY Skills –SHOW Assessment – HOW WELL Illinois Learning Standards Performance Descriptors – REACHING WHAT WORKPLACE SKILLS **Modifications for Special Needs or Others Who Need Extra Assistance – FOR WHOM Then include for added value:

19. Let’s Take a Closer Look A Flexible Template Some Essential Questions

20. Essential Questions The focus is not so much on TEACHING as it is on LEARNING

21. An Essential Question is a Hanger Upon which to mentally hang information It ties things together.

22. Important aspects of E.Q.’s • Emphasis on WHY: “Why do(es) –----happen?” • Emphasis on HOW: “How do(es)-----happen? How can I use this?” “How could this be applied or improved?

23. More on E.Q.’s • WHAT? What are the core components, steps, or elements? • WHATA • WHATA • WHATA • What? So What? Now What?

24. MIND MAP Black holes

25. Essential Questions Elaborating Questions Clarification Questions Hypothetical Questions Divergent Questions Probing Questions Inventive Questions Planning Questions Comprehension Questions Unanswerable Questions Telling Questions Types of Open-ended E.Q.’s

26. Stop and Reflect • How do teachers in your school currently share the important learnings that will be covered in a unit with the students? Give an example. • If teachers are not using essential questions, how would you lead them to that process? How long would it take to start the process?

27. Why might teachers struggle with formulating Essential Questions?

28. Process Overview • You can focus on NCLB: math, reading, and science, or do every subject, every grade. • Each teacher maps his/her own class • Grade level subject teachers meet to share maps and agree on a grade level subject map • Evaluate maps for scope and sequence • Work toward integration across the curriculum through emphasis and active learning

29. Mapping Process (continued) • Teachers can then align maps vertically and horizontally for scope, sequence, and integration of key skills • A good place to begin is with reading as all teachers are teachers of reading • Look at 1, 2, and 3 year time frames • Special ed should work with regular division teachers

30. Timeline for implementation • All teachers are teachers of reading first! • Weak NCLB area – first year ---- Individual classroom maps ---- Grade level maps ---- Use Illinois Interactive Report Card site

32. Sample Timeline • USE THE STANDARDS AS YOUR GUIDE: • Year 1 Classroom and grade level mapping* • Year 2 - Vertical articulation* • Year 3 - Horizontal articulation with integrated projects • Year 4+ - Ongoing analysis and fine-tuning *data collection MUST be done as you go: What is working? How are we doing it? What is NOT working? How can we do it differently?

33. Where do we start? Day 1: Map as we go!

34. What “technology” should we use? • Paper and pencil? • Pro’s and Con's • Computer software? • Pro’s and Con’s

35. ATLAS CURRICULUM MAPPING SYSTEM www.rubiconatlas.com/mapping.htm TECH PATHSinfo@techpaths.com .   CURRICULUM MAPPER www.curriculummapper. com The CMDT - Curriculum Mapping and Design Tool.www.ael.org/cmdt/ ODDSEY CURRICULUM MAPPING TOOLhttp://www.santarosa.k12.fl.us/odyssey Software Options

36. Planning and Collaborating District-wide • THE IDEAL • Year 1: Plan the lessons together across buildings • THE DO-ABLE • Option A: Plan together at grade level within buildings and share to finalize • Option B: Grade or subject level team leader

37. In aligning maps with the developmental needs of students: • Use IIRC • Use Performance Descriptors • Pay attention to Modifications Column • ANALYZE how much, how well, and how diversely a standard is addressed through multiple performance descriptors. • Do the students know it ? ?

38. Different maps for different folks • Elementary vs. PROS & CONS • Middle school vs. + / - • High School

39. Look at a 3-year time frame: • Year 1 Mapping • Year 2 Inter-grade and inter-subject analysis and articulation YEAR 3 CROSS GRADE AND CONTENT ARTICULATION FOR SCOPE AND SEQUENCE

40. At the same time, keeping analyzing the data • MORE DATA • PLEASE ! ! !

41. BECAUSE IT IS THE DATA THAT GUIDES: STAFF DEVELOPMENT CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION

42. The continuous improvement cycle: If we don’t know where we are going, we will end up somewhere, but it may not be where we want to be.

43. If we don’t know where we are going, we will end up somewhere . . .

44. Also, along the way…. • Keep looking for opportunities for cross-content and cross-curricular integration

45. Denial is epidemic in times of rapid change

46. Marketing to schools and teachers We do not market a product or process; We market a promise.

47. Never doubt that a small group of dedicated, committed individuals can change the world.In fact, that is the only thing that ever has.----Margaret Mead

48. “Where attention goes, energy flows, and results show.” ----Dennis Waitley

49. Application Time!