I had a conversation with a friend who is a teacher this weekend, who was interested in this class and what we were learning about curriculum and collaboration. We chatted about the whole curriculum development aspect, and until she made it to the higher ranks and got on the curriculum team, she didn't have much input.
The text's information about curriculum mapping was really interesting. The different ways to develop the curriculum is always fascinating, and I think the layout of it is as important as the content. At one point, the author talked about a school who had the curriculum up on the wall and marked it up with post-it notes. What a great idea! It keeps it visible at all times, and accountability is probably higher when no one can claim they did not see it.
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Hi Ann,
ReplyDeleteI agree that as professionals there should be more discussions regarding the curriculum which is the basis for acceptable student achievement. Curriculum mapping, collaboration, documentation, and corporate revisions are very important to establish a successful teaching and learning environment. As both a classroom teacher for over ten years and a library media specialist for over two years; I have learned to take advantage of professional development days and try to collaborate with as many teachers as possible. Whenever we can really focus on collaborative projects such as curriculum maps and lesson plans the entire school years runs a whole lot smoother!
Ann,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about making the map visible to everyone. This way there is a bigger buy in. I especially like the idea of having post-its. Curriculum mapping is an on-going process. Like you mention it has to be revisited and edited. The post-it notes allows for you to move things around. The visibility of the map allows for great conversations.
I've been thinking about visibility and buy-in for the map as well, even in smalled terms in how to get the library support staff to be aware of the curriculum map and buy-in even when they may not be part of faculty training and the larger conversations. And to see the link between their role and the bigger picture of the curriculum of the school.
ReplyDeleteI, too, really enjoyed these chapters. I liked them so much that I picked up David V. Loertscher's "Collection Mapping in the LMC: Building Access in a World of Technology" at the Crown Library. I haven't started it yet but I plan to this weekend. I am excited about the topic and hope that the school that I end up at next year does collaborate in mapping their curriculum.
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