School districts across the United States are making the transition from teachers working in isolation to teachers and administrators operating as a Professional Learning Community. A Professional Learning Community is more than a group of teachers having a common meeting date and location on a weekly basis. If organized properly, DuFour, Eaker and DuFour (2005) explain that the following questions will guide the work of a Professional Learning Community. 1. What is it we want all students to learn? 2. How will we know when each student has mastered the essential learning? 3. How will we respond when a student experiences initial difficulty in learning? 4. How will we deepen the learning for students who have already mastered essential knowledge and skills? In this article, I want to share how curriculum mapping is a tool which supports the work of a Professional Learning Community. Question number one asks 'what’ do we want all students to learn. Without curriculum maps, teachers have not documented ‘what’ students should learn. If teachers in one building agree on ‘what’ students should learn and teachers in another school decide on ‘what’ students should learn, then vertical alignment within the school district will be virtually nonexistent. How will we know when each student has mastered the essential learning? Once again, in the absence of curriculum maps it is difficult to know what is essential. If a Professional Learning Team develops common formative assessments, but they lack curriculum maps then how will the educators know ‘what’ to assess? Some researchers have indicated that teachers should identify the curriculum using the following descriptions: Introductory, Review, and Mastery or Understanding. Until teachers develop a curriculum map, some teachers may teach the state standards for Introductory and other teachers may teach the same standards until students develop Mastery. Wiggins and McTighe (2005), wrote, "In the absence of a learning plan with clear goals, how likely is it that students will develop shared understandings on which future lessons might build." (p. 21)? Question three asks educators to respond when students experience difficulty in learning. It is difficult to respond when students struggle with learning, if each teacher is aiming for a different goal. Some educators struggle with this approach and argue that a common curriculum is a scripted curriculum. What I am describing is a common curriculum which outlines the enduring understandings, key concepts, key skills and power standards. If we can clarify what we want every student to know and be able to do, then we will be able to support students when they struggle with the essential learning(s). ‘How’ a teacher chooses to lead students to understand essential skills and concepts is not dictated by a curriculum map. The best educators understand that student learning styles and readiness levels vary from one class to the next. One teacher may teach a concept differently in first period than she does in second period. A curriculum map will help educators organize the district’s common curriculum. Marzano (2003) calls this the ‘guaranteed and viable curriculum’ and his research led him to believe that this is the number one factor which impacts student achievement. The fourth question asked in a professional learning community allows educators to challenge each student at their respective readiness level. If a student is ready for the next level of learning, then teachers can use the curriculum maps to guide their instructional decisions. It is difficult for teachers to differentiate instruction if they do not share a common starting point to differentiate from. Curriculum maps provide teachers with a starting point. Vertical alignment helps teachers see where students will take their learning at the next level. If a concept is taught for Introduction in the third grade, but two students are ready to move to the next level then teachers can create learning experiences which challenge those students and teach the introductory level of knowledge to the rest of the class. The attached resource was developed by Steven Weber (2009) and it shares the curriculum mapping process. If your staff operates as a Professional Learning Community, but you do not frequently discuss a common curriculum you may also benefit from Unpacking Standards – The Process. References: DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & DuFour, R. (Eds.). (2005). On common ground: The power of professional learning communities. Bloomington, IN: National Education Service. Marzano, R.J. (2003). What works in schools: Translating research into action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design:Expanded 2nd edition. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 
CommentsLeave a Reply | AuthorSteven Weber is the Director of Secondary Instruction for Orange County Schools in Hillsborough, NC. Weber has served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, and state department of education consultant in Arkansas and North Carolina. He consults school systems in aligning their curriculum and in unpacking curriculum standards.  ArchivesMarch 2010 CategoriesAll | ||
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