Curriculum Map Template: Key Benefits Of Effective Curriculum Mapping
A curriculum map template is an outline that helps teachers structure the process of teaching, organize the resources and materials used, and categorize the assessment or outcomes of the lessons. These maps consist of a matrix or table and provide an overview of what students are expected to learn over an entire term or school year.
Here are some curriculum map templates to look at:
Why is Curriculum Mapping Important?
Curriculum mapping has become popular as learning has become increasingly standards-based, particularly among educators who wish to align their curriculum to national or state guidelines, or even to the curriculum of other teachers teaching the same topic and grade level.
- A full curriculum map allows teachers to evaluate or explain the learning outcomes they or others have already undertaken. Curriculum maps are also used as a resource for preparing future lessons.
- Curriculum mapping serves to increase academic uniformity from grade to grade, creating clear targets for students to reach content- or school-level objectives in addition to aiding with reflective practice and improved communication and collaboration among staff.
- A curriculum map generally covers an entire term or school year and provides a long-term overview of the content standards being taught in a course.
Creating Curriculum Map Template
The structure of curriculum maps often varies from school to school, however, a chart layout is most commonly used. Every school district may possess its own curriculum map templates, or teachers may be free to construct their own.
Regardless of the structure, every curriculum map will likely include:
- The sequence of units in which courses of study should be delivered.
- The state standards addressed in those units.
- An estimate of how much time should be devoted to each unit.
Certain curriculum maps are quite extensive and contain a resources section with links to supporting textbook sections, books, laboratory equipment, and websites. An exemplar section with specific lesson ideas within each unit could be provided on a curriculum map. Skills, essential/higher level questions, and assessments are some other areas that might be incorporated.
Curriculum maps can be acquired or created in multiple ways. Some states provide a model curriculum map that demonstrates how the standards could be delivered in order. Certain districts, particularly those with large student enrollment, may hire district or school-level experts for each core content area, whose duty is to create curriculum maps for each grade level.
In high schools, the department heads may develop the maps, or a group of teachers may collaborate on a map design. If there is just one instructor allocated to a course, he or she may even be able to develop the curriculum map for that subject.
Things To Consider
When selecting how much time to devote to a specific unit or standard, take into account both the topic's difficulty and the proportion of the standardized test that will cover it. State education agencies frequently publish standardized exam guides providing this information.
- Always keep in mind that curriculum mapping is a continuous process. Just like changing routes is important while driving in heavy traffic, altering a curriculum map may be necessary based on your students' academic needs.
- If many students are having trouble with a concept, consider devoting more attention to it and adjusting the scope and pacing of upcoming content.
- Make it a point to conduct frequent formative assessments and incorporate activities and materials that students find engaging and interesting.
- Frequently (or continuously) revise and update the curriculum map with new resources and remove any links to out-of-print textbooks or old websites from the map to keep it from becoming outdated.
- Consider maps of the grades below and above to ensure vertical alignment while creating a curriculum map. This will help determine what students should already understand as well as the abilities the students will require for future lessons.
Systematic Curriculum Mapping Creates Coherence
The continuity of learning is most efficient when a curriculum map is created for the entire district. Even though a single teacher may build a curriculum map for the subject and grade level they teach, curriculum mapping is most successful when conducted collaboratively. A methodical approach to curriculum mapping should include cooperation among all of the school's teachers who teach students.
Improved coherence between horizontal, vertical, subject area and interdisciplinary planning are the key benefits of thorough curriculum mapping:
- Horizontal Coherence
When a unit, module, or grade level's curriculum is similar, it is said to be horizontally aligned. When the learning results of a 10th-grade calculus course in a public school in Knoxville match the learning results of a 10th-grade calculus course in a public school in Portland, for example, they are horizontally coherent.
- Vertical Coherence
When the curriculum is rationally sequenced, it is vertically coherent. This means that one lesson, course, or grade prepares students for the lessons, courses, or grades that follow.
- Subject Area Coherence
Within a subject area, the curriculum is cohesive when teachers engage students in instruction that covers the same units in all classes. If a school has three distinct teachers teaching 9th-grade biology, the learning outcomes in each class should be equal irrespective of the teacher.
- Interdisciplinary Coherence
When teachers from several subject areas (such as math, English, science, and history) collaborate to strengthen the important cross-curricula abilities that students need to excel in all grades and topics, the curriculum is interdisciplinary. Reading, writing, and critical thinking abilities are only a few examples.
Importance of Curriculum Map Template
- Adds Documentation of Special Efforts
Teachers might document particular efforts in curricular units to give proof of the work, such as creative thinking or diversity and inclusion work, when schools pledge to specific programs.
- Builds a Collaborative Environment
Curriculum mapping is collaborative by nature and enables curriculum coordinators to cooperate directly and effectively with teachers, fostering a collaborative faculty culture.
- Creates a Resource Center
A curriculum map should list assessments and activities all in one spot with contextualized linkages to resources to create an easy-to-reference resource center for the schools.
Tips for Curriculum Mapping
The following pointers will assist you in developing a curriculum map for the courses you teach:
- Identify and write the course goals.
- Identify and write the course learning objectives.
- Prepare support materials for students that are both engaging and instructional.
- Plan formative and summative course assessments.
Bottom Line
Schools are confronting more hurdles than ever before in improving student achievement. Curriculum mapping promotes student success by bridging the communication and learning gaps between students, administrators, and teachers.
