Curriculum Mapping

Curriculum mapping is a technique employed by school districts to create a uniformity and continuity within their curriculum. A district wants there to be there to a uniform curriculum for students in each grade level, regardless of which teacher they have or which school they are in. School leaders also employ curriculum mapping to insure that the subject curriculums from grade to grade fit together without overlap or contradiction. It affords the district a way to create positive change by being inclusive with faculty and appealing to teachers to take part in the process.

In my district, we do not employ curriculum mapping. The concept of teacher isolation that we have discussed before in class is on display in my school. There is a disconnect between department members where we do not communicate as we should on a professional level. Even more severe is the disconnect between the high school and the middle schools. The curriculum for social studies on the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade level has been created with little regard to what students will learn in high school, and we move forward in our curriculum without acknowledgement or regard for what students have already learned.

As an assistant principal/disciplinarian, my department supervisor is inundated with his main office responsibilities. He is very little time to concern himself with our social studies department, which is composed almost entirely of veteran teachers. I think his general attitude is that he trusts us to make responsible decisions with regard to our practice and to communicate with one another as needed. That is the key: “as needed”. Curriculum mapping is not an essential element of school planning. Its benefits are obvious and I would be excited at the prospect of participating in its design. However, as a non-essential tool, it will never be given its fair consideration until it is mandated from the superintendent. If our district has been proactive about anything, it has been technology. Curriculum development is not something that we place a premium on.

Curriculum mapping can be a positive element of curriculum change because, first and foremost, it is inclusive rather than exclusive. Rather than having change forced upon them, the teachers take an active role in its creation. In this way there is a sense of ownership amongst the faculty. The creation of curriculum mapping also depends on an open dialogue between teachers, something that we should be fostering anyway. By creating “horizontal consistency” and “vertical consistency” within schools, we are encouraging communication between teachers not only in the creation of mapping, but also in its continued use. This strengthens the sense of community within a department, school, and district.