“Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.” Celebrated football coach Tom Landry may have said these words for a game of football but the same principle could aptly be applied to the task of designing a curriculum. The broad framework of a curriculum can be laid down by the education governing bodies but how those goals are achieved is left to each individual institution. Curriculum mapping is an effective tool that can help bring about clarity to the teaching process, define learning goals, pave the way to achieve those goals and also help reflect on the results and outcomes.
What is curriculum mapping
For every educational institution imparting knowledge and skill training, its methodology and approach define its mission and vision. It differentiates one institute from another. Aligning resources, outlining activities, spelling out assessment methods and teaching methodologies form the crux of the plan. Each aspect is closely studied and a plan for the curriculum session drawn up to ensure that learners get to understand and learn better. This exercise of planning what is taught and how it is taught is what curriculum mapping is all about.
Benefits of curriculum mapping
Over the years, the education system has undergone many changes. Undoubtedly, times are more challenging to both educators and learners. There is a need to cover a range of subjects and activities, all within a limited time period. How does an institution ensure that it is able to provide the best to its pupils? It all comes down to preparing a comprehensive plan, a well chalked out curriculum. How does curriculum mapping help?
Alignment: Curriculum mapping can help ensure that all components of a curriculum are aligned with the overall learning goals of a program or course. By mapping out the curriculum, teachers and administrators can see how each component fits into the larger picture and ensure that all learning objectives are being addressed.
Cohesion: Curriculum mapping can promote cohesion across a program or department by ensuring that all courses are building on each other and addressing the same core skills and concepts. This can create a more consistent and coherent learning experience for students.
Closing learning gaps: When taking an overall view of the entire curriculum it is possible to point out the possible gaps and take actions to close them. It is like laying out the entire syllabus like a jigsaw puzzle and making sure that the complete picture emerges. All required concepts are covered with nothing important being left out.
Accurate assessments: Assessments need to be aligned with learning objectives in order to properly measure what students are actually learning. This can be achieved by a well-planned curriculum as clearly defined learning objectives can serve as pointers to design appropriate assessments.
Professional Development: Curriculum mapping can provide opportunities for professional development by allowing teachers to collaborate and share best practices. By working together to map out the curriculum, teachers can learn from each other and develop a deeper understanding of the curriculum and its goals.
Long term planning and improvement: Creating a curriculum map for one academic year will definitely be relevant for that given year but it also holds good for forthcoming sessions. It serves as a basis on which the next year can be planned. It helps review if there were any shortcomings and how those could be erased in the next plan. Every new iteration can be an improvement upon the previous one.
Teaching and learning consistency: When teachers know what is to be taught and how subjects are aligned with one another it leads to a consistent teaching practice. When concepts overlap and flow from one subject to another smoothly it creates a bridge between subjects, concepts are understood better, there is better retention and greater chances of successful application.
How can ELDC help with curriculum mapping?
As part of the learning and development industry, ELDC understands the significance of creating curriculum maps and what goes into creating effective ones.
With its pool of industry experts and years of experience, ELDC helps create curriculum maps for multiple learner groups. These include schools, universities, corporates, businesses, publishers, governments, etc., and these to a range of disciplines.
Curriculum maps created with ELDC are learner focused, goal oriented and aligned both vertically and horizontally.
Curriculum mapping lays down a clearly defined path to be followed for both teachers and learners. There is no chance for digression and hence no ambiguity. It is a healthy practice that every educational institute adopts to provide the best learning opportunities to its students.
Curriculum mapping lays down a clearly defined path to be followed for both teachers and learners. There is no chance for digression and hence no ambiguity. It is a healthy practice that every educational institute adopts to provide the best learning opportunities to its students.
