To understand the mapping process it is important to recognize three things:
- mapping is reporting, not planning.
- mapping is revealing the true (operational) curriculum.
- mapping is changing the way schools do business.
We all plan for our instruction by developing projects around themes, identifying the sequence of instruction in our lesson plans, even creating interdisciplinary units. All of these occur before instruction takes place and specify what we hope to accomplish with our students. We then face the stark reality of the classroom and our plans change. This is when the first maps are created: after instruction has taken place. Planning is a blueprint of the home we want to build and mapping is the picture of the house we actually constructed. As you can imagine – especially in education – these can be two very different things.
Maps are a monthly view of what really did take place in the classroom. We take time at the end of the month to write down the essential elements of what we actually taught, what skills our students worked on, and what tools we used to assess the level of student learning. Over time, this process, known as diary mapping, reveals the operational curriculum. Mapping is all about authenticity. If the maps we create are going to help us improve teaching and learning, we need to have an accurate picture of what we are all doing.
Once we have this accurate data, we can use the maps to begin aligning the curriculum, K-12. Mapping transforms the curriculum from a static document created by a committee to a living process that involves everyone who teaches our students. The mapping process is ongoing and involves teachers working together, studying their instruction, and making critical decisions in order to create a seamless journey for the students who have been placed in our care.
-- Michael Rush, Vice President, Professional Learning Associates™
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