Curriculum mapping
Encyclopedia
Curriculum Mapping is a procedure for reviewing the operational curriculum
as it is entered into an electronic database
at any education
setting. It is based largely on the work of Heidi Hayes Jacobs
in Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment K-12 (ASCD
, 1997) and Getting Results with Curriculum Mapping (2004, ASCD). Schools are using curriculum templates that display key components of the curriculum: content, skills, assessments, and essential questions.
Some states such as South Dakota have adopted Curriculum Mapping on a state-wide basis and provide detailed online Curriculum Mapping Resources for their professional staff. Other states such as Indiana have mandated Curriculum Mapping as a tool for schools which do not meet Annual Yearly Progress and also provide numerous online tools.
Key to the approach is that each teacher enters what is actually taught in real-time during the school year, in contrast to having an outside or separate committee determine decisions. The entries by teachers are not left alone, however; in fact, because the work is displayed via internet-based programs, it is open to view by all personnel in a school or district. This allows educators to view both K-12 and across grade levels and subjects what is transpiring in order to be informed and to revise their work.
The curriculum mapping model as originally defined by Dr. Jacobs has seven specific steps that schools use to thoroughly examine and then revise their curriculum. There are both commercial companies and not-for-profit groups
that have generated curriculum mapping software used around the world. Related to mapping, but separate from it, is the concept of a curriculum audit, described by Fenwick W. English
. in "Deciding What to Teach and Test: Developing, Auditing, and Aligning the Curriculum" (1999, Sage).
Curriculum mapping is not limited to United States
public schools. A number of independent schools have adopted the curriculum mapping process to review and revise their curriculum. The bulk of schools using curriculum mapping outside the US tend to be independent schools that follow an international curriculum (such as IB
, AERO
, or IGCSE) or public schools located in Anglo-Saxon countries.
Curriculum mapping requires a cultural shift in certain schools. The curriculum needs to be perceived as a 'work-in-progress', a 'living and breathing' document, whose ultimate owners are students. Curriculum mapping is a 'process', not a one-time initiative. Curriculum mapping software are just tools available to make the review process easier.
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
as it is entered into an electronic database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
at any education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
setting. It is based largely on the work of Heidi Hayes Jacobs
Heidi Hayes Jacobs
Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs is an author and internationally recognized education leader known for her work in curriculum mapping, curriculum integration, and developing 21st century approaches to teaching and learning....
in Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment K-12 (ASCD
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, or ASCD, is a membership-based nonprofit organization founded in 1943. It has more than 175,000 members from over 100 countries, including superintendents, principals, teachers, professors of education, and other educators...
, 1997) and Getting Results with Curriculum Mapping (2004, ASCD). Schools are using curriculum templates that display key components of the curriculum: content, skills, assessments, and essential questions.
Some states such as South Dakota have adopted Curriculum Mapping on a state-wide basis and provide detailed online Curriculum Mapping Resources for their professional staff. Other states such as Indiana have mandated Curriculum Mapping as a tool for schools which do not meet Annual Yearly Progress and also provide numerous online tools.
Key to the approach is that each teacher enters what is actually taught in real-time during the school year, in contrast to having an outside or separate committee determine decisions. The entries by teachers are not left alone, however; in fact, because the work is displayed via internet-based programs, it is open to view by all personnel in a school or district. This allows educators to view both K-12 and across grade levels and subjects what is transpiring in order to be informed and to revise their work.
The curriculum mapping model as originally defined by Dr. Jacobs has seven specific steps that schools use to thoroughly examine and then revise their curriculum. There are both commercial companies and not-for-profit groups
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that have generated curriculum mapping software used around the world. Related to mapping, but separate from it, is the concept of a curriculum audit, described by Fenwick W. English
Fenwick W. English
Fenwick W. English is an American educational leader, author, professor, editor, auditor and advocate of improved school leadership. He is generally considered to be the "father" of the curriculum management audit and curriculum mapping...
. in "Deciding What to Teach and Test: Developing, Auditing, and Aligning the Curriculum" (1999, Sage).
Curriculum mapping is not limited to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
public schools. A number of independent schools have adopted the curriculum mapping process to review and revise their curriculum. The bulk of schools using curriculum mapping outside the US tend to be independent schools that follow an international curriculum (such as IB
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
, AERO
Alternative Education Resource Organization
The Alternative Education Resource Organization or AERO is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 to advance learner-centred approaches to education...
, or IGCSE) or public schools located in Anglo-Saxon countries.
Curriculum mapping requires a cultural shift in certain schools. The curriculum needs to be perceived as a 'work-in-progress', a 'living and breathing' document, whose ultimate owners are students. Curriculum mapping is a 'process', not a one-time initiative. Curriculum mapping software are just tools available to make the review process easier.