Curriculum mapping uses software to evaluate teaching effectiveness and hold schools accountable for teaching standards. It was created in the 1980s and a model was formed in 1997 by Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs. Curriculum maps help organize requirements and assess whether they are being met, and can be used as a planning tool. Teachers work together to create them and they are maintained online. They help educators assess what works and what doesn’t, uncover gaps or repetitions in teaching, and uncover effective classroom activities. Curriculum maps are not intended to assess teacher competence, but to enhance student learning.
Curriculum mapping allows educators to use computer software to assess the effectiveness of teaching in the classroom. Its basic premise is that student learning can be improved by documenting and evaluating what is being planned and what is being taught in the classroom. In other words, a curriculum map is a way to hold schools accountable for teaching “standards” or what students should learn.
The concept of curriculum mapping first appeared in the 1980s. In 1997, a curriculum mapping model was formed by Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs, president of Curriculum Designers, Inc., an online organization that provides international curriculum consultation. The company also hosts an annual Curriculum Mapping Institute.
In most places, lessons are geared towards national, regional, and school district requirements that define what must be taught. Teachers usually don’t have a lot of time to add information that they find personally interesting. Curriculum maps are a way to organize the various requirements and assess whether they are being met. Additionally, curriculum maps can be used as a planning tool to ensure that all required topics are covered during a school year or a given time period.
Teachers often work together to create curriculum maps, which are usually maintained online. Keeping information online allows teachers and administrators to easily access information. Data can be reported monthly or by ranking periods. For example, a curriculum map might list which students were taught over a certain period of time and which assessments were used to determine whether students learned the material. The data collected by curriculum mapping can be compared by subject, grade level or the entire school system.
In short, curriculum maps can help educators assess what works and what doesn’t. Carefully designed curriculum maps can uncover gaps or repetitions in what teachers are teaching. This data can be used to make decisions to change or eliminate practices that are ineffective or not in line with standards.
Data can also uncover effective classroom activities. Just as standards are forever changing, so too are curriculum maps. They are always a work in progress that changes with new courses, students and standards.
Curriculum maps are not intended to assess whether a teacher is competent. Rather, they are an assessment tool that can enhance student learning and make the delivery of classroom material as relevant as possible. Curriculum maps work best if teachers buy into the concept and are properly trained and supported in their use.
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