Why You Should Use Curriculum Maps
Curriculum standards are constantly changing. It can be very difficult for teachers to keep up with the changing pace of technology and pedagogy. As new methods of teaching are developed, and technology evolves, the content that students must understand also evolves. In the world of the Internet, we are flooded by information and it can be very difficult to sift through and find what actually matters to students.
Standards provide a high level benchmark for what students should be able to achieve at various levels of their educational journey. These are often vague and can be difficult to translate into actionable lessons and assessments.
Curriculum maps help to create a bridge between standards and lesson plans, by bringing curriculum into the classroom. This has implications on every stakeholder within the school district community.
Check out our free guide to learn more about curriculum maps.
What is a Curriculum Map?
In simple terms, curriculum mapping is a process that enables districts to gather data on what is actually being taught and what students are actually learning. The result of this process is a curriculum map which teachers can use as a tool to stay organized and as a framework for daily lesson planning. Curriculum maps are created for each subject and grade level.
A curriculum map for a subject consists of a collection of unit plans that align to a set of the content standards. The unit plans define the scope of the content being covered by considering the desired learning outcomes. The unit plans are also tied to a defined sequence based on the appropriate scaffolding of the content standards. This is commonly referred to as the ‘scope and sequence’ document.
Effective curriculum is planned backward from long-term, desired results through a three-stage design process (Desired Results, Evidence, and Learning Plan). This process helps avoid common problems such as treating the textbook as the curriculum rather than a resource, or activity-oriented teaching in which no clear priorities and purposes are apparent.
We go more in depth into the stages of designing effective curriculum in our free guide.
Why curriculum map?
The greatest benefit to curriculum mapping is its ability to improve the links between curriculum, assessment, and instruction in schools.
Teachers take pride in delivering lessons that engage their students, but they must also consider how their work aligns with standards.
Curriculum mapping supports teachers’ efforts to track how many of the required standards, content and skills have been addressed and what remains to be covered.
Teachers are already analyzing, synthesizing, and organizing their curriculum, to find gaps and repetitions in how standards are actually carried out. A curriculum map built for the teachers would ease this process and allow them to go more in depth. With this in mind, teachers can begin to formulate their own cross-curricular connections between subject matter and enhance an interdisciplinary approach to learning.
Curriculum mapping results in changing the instructional focus towards the deeper understanding beyond basic content acquisition. Curriculum mapping is a learning process for the teacher and helps them take ownership of the curriculum.
Good curriculum maps at a district follow a common format that enables educators to have conversations around effective teaching and increase transparency across grade levels and subject areas.
Curriculum maps must be periodically reviewed to ensure that they are meeting the requirements and expectations of the school. We describe the review process in more detail in our free guide.
Benefits of using a Curriculum Map
- Teachers gain a more thorough understanding of the curriculum by associating learning goals to the standards, resulting in improved practice
- Teachers feel more comfortable contributing to the curriculum taught in their classroom, reducing their reliance on textbooks
- Enables a better understanding of how you can build on what your students already know while minimizing gaps and repetition in the district wide curriculum
- Educators gain greater insight into curriculum structures, student progress throughout the discipline, and awareness of curricular content
- With online tools that aid transparency across a district, curriculum maps become the vehicle to enhance interdisciplinary teaching strategies, knowledge sharing and resource across the districts
- More efficiently collect data about the operational curriculum and further increase transparency to stakeholders
Curriculum maps will benefit every stakeholder in your institution. Teachers, administrators, students, and parents will all benefit by understanding the link between standards and day to day lessons. But curriculum maps cannot just be created and forgotten. In order to truly enhance education at your school, they must be living documents that are continually used, reviewed, and updated.
Are you interested in adding curriculum mapping to your school? Our new guide gives you tips and tricks for getting started.
