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Leadership in Curriculum Mapping
Transforming Our Teaching And Learning
Module 3
Working with staff personalities and dynamics
Staff development considerations for implementing curriculum mapping
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Supporting Teachers through Change
Teachers may not be team oriented and prefer the autonomy of their own classroom
Teachers may be unwilling/fearful of being totally open about what they teach
Curriculum mapping will identify gaps and repetitions that call for teachers to change what they are teaching
Teachers must be willing to change if what they are doing does not benefit the child. The challenge for the administrator is to establish a culture that supports teachers through change.
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Consistency vs. Flexibility
A district must determine where consistency in the curriculum delivered is critical for the success of their students
On the other hand, a district must determine where flexibility in the curriculum delivered is just as important for the success of their students
Each discipline presents different considerations when coming to consensus on what needs to be consistent across the grade level classrooms and what should be flexible
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Consider the dynamics of the change process on the members of the faculty
Determine how individual teachers react to or approach change Suggestion – Use Phil Schlecty’s work, “On the
Frontier of School Reform with Trailblazers, Pioneers and Settlers”.
Identify the “trailblazers, pioneers and stay-at-homes” on your staff.
Determine how your leadership group will support the various factions on the faculty
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Typical Teacher Concerns:
1. Is mapping the “educational fad of the year”?2. How will the maps be used?3. Who will see the maps?4. Will the maps be used for teacher evaluation?5. How will my peers react to my maps?6. Does my name need to be on the map?7. Where will we find the time to map?8. I already do lesson plans9. Where is the research on the impact of mapping on
student achievement?
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Consider the dynamics of the change process on the
members of the school faculty
Determine how individual teachers react to or approach change Suggestion – Use Phil Schlecty’s work,
“On the Frontier of School Reform with Trailblazers, Pioneers and Settlers”.
Identify the “trailblazers, pioneers and stay-at-homes” on your staff.
Determine how your leadership group will support the various factions on the faculty
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Staff “Trailblazers” are:
Motivated by novelty, excitement, risk and sometimes by the possibility of fame and glory
Will go “where no man has gone before” Guided by their belief in themselves and
in the vision Invaluable sources of inspiration and
direction (both teachers and administrators) for the staff “pioneers”
Who are your “trailblazers”?
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Staff “Pioneers” are:
An adventurous and hardy lot Willing to take considerable
risks Have a considerable need for assurance that the trip is
worthwhile Staff who sometimes begin their
journey because of intolerable conditions, but will stay the course only if they are convinced that the new world is a better place.
Who are your “pioneers”?
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Staff “Settlers” are:
Are bold…but are not adventurous Staff who need to know that the world they are being asked to move to is better than the one they are leaving and that
the way to get there is known…they do not appreciate being sent on a fool’s errand.
Staff who want to know they are not taking the trip alone. Staff who need more detail and more carefully drawn
maps Staff who need strong, constant, reassuring leadership
that inspires them to keep going when they are tempted to turn back
Who are your “settlers”?
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Staff “Stay-At-Homes” are
NOT bad people Staff who don’t particularly want to
change but aren’t opposed to others changing
Staff who “stay-at-home” because they truly love it Staff who will only move when all…or
nearly all.. of their friends and neighbors have deserted them or when they muster the courage to “come for a visit” and find that they prefer it.
Who are your “stay-at-homes”?
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Staff “Saboteurs” are: Staff who will never come along, or if they do, they will make the trip as difficult as possible. Staff who may have behaved as “trailblazers” in the past but were betrayed by their leaders. As a result, they are cynical about the prospects of change. Actively committed to stopping change. Not only do they
refuse to take the trip, but they do not want others to go either.
Staff who want to be assured that those who are sounding the call to move will stay the course rather than turn around and go back.
Who are your “saboteurs”?
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Your organization functions and grows through conversations… …the quality of those conversations determines how smart
your organization is.
David Perkins,King Arthur’s Round Table
2002 N.Y. Wiley
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Training Issues To Consider Pre-requisites (log-ins, standards
assigned to courses, etc.) Group Size Hardware Bandwidth Room Set-up Follow-Up Training Settings vs. Normal Usage
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One District’s Plan Made Public
The Principia St. Louis Academy
http://www.prin.edu/acorn-upper/academics_common/curriculum/progress_chart.htm
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Consider a range of venues for meeting the varied staff professional development needs
Various groupings Labs Workshops Work sessions On-line courses Observations Coaching Video conferencing Staff development days based on data
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Differentiating Staff Development: Data Entry on Maps
#3
Low Curriculum Writing High Technology
#2
High Curriculum Writing High Technology
#4
Low Curriculum Writing Low Technology
#1
High Curriculum Writing Low Technology
High
Low
High
Tech
nolo
gy
Com
fort
Curriculum Writing Strength
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Building and District Structures to Support Curriculum Mapping
•The building school improvement team can take on this leadership role for the curriculum mapping initiative as it is integral to the school improvement process
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Preparing for Success
The site becomes the focus for the mapping initiative.
Collegial support is essential for curriculum mapping success.
A leadership group should be formed at the building level consisting of: classroom teachers with interest in
curriculum renewal; teachers representing a a range of
grades/ departments; at least one administrator; a media specialist if possible.
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Leadership Group – Ideas to Consider
Rotate leadership group membership Consider having teachers serve 1, 2 and 3 years so
no one is on the council for ever Determine times for meetings, lengths of meetings Generate agendas for all to see - meetings always
open Create a job description for members
Responsible for training new staff members on process of mapping, etc
Determine how teachers will be rewarded for their time on the council
The principal is a sitting member of the council
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Training options forleadership cadre
Attending workshops from area service centers
Attending national workshops
Visiting school sites experienced with mapping
Video conferencing
Bringing in mapping consultant
Viewing video tapes from ASCD
Book groups that discuss readings on mapping
Website research
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Leadership Group Activities
1. Collect information on curriculum mapping2. Identify existing time frames for carrying out the phases of
curriculum mapping3. Become knowledgeable about mapping basics4. Draft an action plan to introduce the faculty to mapping5. Rethink your existing support structure in light of your needs
for successful CM implementation Teacher leaders Department chairs/grade level
leaders Building School Improvement
Teams District School Improvement
Teams Technology support District office support
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Standardizing Input
Determine the format teachers will use to enter data such as: Abbreviations Referring to materials Columns to be used Contents – nouns and noun phrases
with descriptive adjectives Skills – start with verbs – higher levels
of blooms
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Getting Buy In
Develop a three year plan Clearly articulate how using curriculum
mapping will improve student learning Teachers are usually resistant because
they are fearful….so be well organized Get to read throughs quickly so that
teachers see the value of the process Bring the union in at the beginning of
planning and development
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Steps in the CurriculumMapping Process
Work to create buy-in and connect with District’s focus Develop and share definition of curriculum mapping process Develop a timeline for implementation Develop a plan to train staff in the mapping process Develop a plan to train staff on the mapping software Select content area for district mapping focus for first year Select course each teacher will be assigned to map Complete 2 to 3 months of diary maps Conduct first read throughs Vertical Horizontal Work to resolve issues/concerns/questions that surface during read-
throughs Revise individual maps or record agreed upon revisions in a draft Core
Map Continue read throughs and revisions through remainder of year District-wide consensus on Core (District, Essential, Consensus) Maps Subsequent year for that content area use mapping process to integrate
cross-curricular skills (and possibly work on alignment of assessments) Second year begin another content area for K-12 consideration
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Assessment of Your School’s Mapping
Process
After the first year of mapping, use the Rubric for Implementation of Mapping to measure your school’s progress.
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First Time Mapping First Time Mapping AdviceAdvice
First time advice: Concentrate on one discipline or
content area or strand when first mapping.
Add others in subsequent years.
Choose initial focus based on data - identified student needs.
Technology can assist in data collection.
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Rubric for Implementation of Mapping
Aspect Score of 4 Score of 3 Score of 2 Score of 1
Review of Data Honest exchange employing mapping and assessment data with a focus on both horizontal and vertical articulation
Exchange between teachers employing mapping data and assessment data but only on vertical OR horizontal articulation
Occasional reference to data in exchanges with limited articulation concerns
No use of direct assessment or mapping data and no articulation
Resolution of Problems Focus is maintained consistently on the needs of the population
Focus is maintained on learners but on occasion veers
Focus is highly inconsistent on learners
No focus on learners
Range of Participation Every teacher in the building has made entries consistent with the site criteria
Majority of teachers have made entries using the site criteria
Only some teachers have made entries using the site criteria
No entries have been made by any staff
Mechanics Exhibits correct spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, grammar and usage. Error free
Exhibits generally correct spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, grammar and usage. Few errors
Exhibits minor errors in spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, grammar or usage that do not interfere with communication
Exhibits errors in spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, grammar or usage that interferes with communication
Presentation Neat, professional; attractive, extra care in details. Employs template consistently
Neat, easy to read. Sometimes hard to follow; inconsistent use of format; careless
Confusing and inconsistent entries with little attention to template
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Rubric for Curriculum Map Entries
Map Component
Score of 4 Score of 3 Score of 2 Score of 1
Degree of Detail on Content
Details succinct, clear, specific references to key concepts, facts, materials
Describes main concepts and subject matter
Identifies title of unit or course Generic heading, vague
Essential Questions Engaging, targeted, insightful question that frames and aligns content, skills and assessment
Clear focus question Simplistic, uneven in quality and lacking in relevance
Absent
Precise Skills Commences with an action verb; reflects standards and desired proficiencies
Clear action verb Generic verb; broad process verb
Vague, missing or inaccurate
Targeted Assessment Specific product and performance providing evidence of student learning; aligns with other elements
Product or performance is listed
Generic products only; teacher role is noted but not students’ roles (i.e. – teacher observation)
Absent, incomplete or unfocused
Developmental Focus Age, stage of development is reflected in all entries
Uneven reflection of developmental appropriateness
Limited attention to developmental appropriateness
No attention to developmental considerations
Accuracy of Entries Consistent and accurate reflection of operationalized curriculum anchored in real time
Reasonable representation of operational curriculum
General representation of curriculum with little attention to timeframes
Inaccurately displays data on maps
Conceptual Understanding
Conveys a depth of understanding of curriculum supported by salient details
Shows understanding with adequate support
Shows some understanding with some support
Understanding is not evident
Internal Alignment Demonstrates a clear, coherent, complete correspondence between content, assessment, skills and essential questions
Demonstrates alignment between some of the key elements internally but not all
Minimal attention evident to alignment
No alignment; elements are missing
Alignment to Standards Clear precise evidence of alignment to both content and proficiency standards throughout all entries
Alignment is evident to most standards; minor revision is necessary
Alignment is spotty; many entries do not correspond to external standards
No alignment; elements are missing