Divided We Fall: Mapping, Implementation, and the Possibilities if We Get It Right

Andrea Fanjoy

Assistant Head, Academics

Kingsway College School, Toronto, Ontario

The Curriculum Review Cycle

Each individual teachercreates and/or annually updates their maps1

The Curriculum Review Cycle

Each individual teachercreates and/or annually updates their maps1

The Curriculum Review Cycle

Whole-school read-through of single subject: Teachers anonymously read and identify gaps, repetitions, questions, observations in the curriculum.

2

The Curriculum Review Cycle

Each individual teachercreates and/or annually updates their maps12

Whole-school read-through of single subject: Teachers anonymously read and identify gaps, repetitions, questions, observations in the curriculum.

The Curriculum Review Cycle

Whole-school feedback collected and collated into single document3

The Curriculum Review Cycle

Each individual teachercreates and/or annually updates their maps12

3Whole-school feedback collected and collated into single document

Whole-school read-through of single subject: Teachers anonymously read and identify gaps, repetitions, questions, observations in the curriculum.

The Curriculum Review Cycle

Subject teacher meeting: Review of current research and relevant data, followed by sorting of whole-school feedback

4

The Curriculum Review Cycle

Each individual teachercreates and/or annually updates their maps12

3Whole-school feedback collected and collated into single document

4

Whole-school read-through of single subject: Teachers anonymously read and identify gaps, repetitions, questions, observations in the curriculum.

Subject teacher meeting: Review of current research and relevant data, followed by sorting of whole-school feedback

The Curriculum Review Cycle

Activity begins on easy and complex resolution items5

The Curriculum Review Cycle

Each individual teachercreates and/or annually updates their maps12

3Whole-school feedback collected and collated into single document

4

Whole-school read-through of single subject: Teachers anonymously read and identify gaps, repetitions, questions, observations in the curriculum.

Subject teacher meeting: Review of current research and relevant data, followed by sorting of whole-school feedback

5Activity begins on easy and complex resolution items

The Curriculum Review Cycle

Culture of teacher-led problem- identification and resolution fuels ongoing improvement

6

The Curriculum Review Cycle

Each individual teachercreates and/or annually updates their maps12

3Whole-school feedback collected and collated into single document

45

Culture of teacher-led problem- identification and resolution fuels ongoing improvement6

Whole-school read-through of single subject: Teachers anonymously read and identify gaps, repetitions, questions, observations in the curriculum.

Subject teacher meeting: Review of current research and relevant data, followed by sorting of whole-school feedback

Activity begins on easy and complex resolution items

1Support from senior leadership – Mapping can have big implications for the direction of a school. Support it, or forget it.

2Preparation – Make mapping fit your school. Don’t take up teachers’ time untilit is ready to serve them.

3Faith in the process – Integrity is inherent in the process. Rushing reveals an agenda that undermines the whole exercise.

4Trust – Teachers are being asked to share what has historically been hidden.Be patient and unerringly supportive.Do not introduce mapping as an exercise in ensuring compliance.

5Time – Teachers need time to map,and they need maximum time free from mapping. Administrators who forget this will rightfully lose goodwill.

6Have faith in teachers’ professional judgment – Administrators need to listen.

7Curriculum leadership – Mapping will identify the problems and opportunities. Someone in the school needs to take things from there.

8Follow-through – This is the pay-off for teachers’ time and effort. Visible action must happen.

9Patience – The pace of formal reviews may slow down because you and your faculty are so busy following through on worthy projects. So be it.

10Focus – Mapping software and current dialogue supports doing much more with maps. Use extreme caution here.

Super Skills and WorkshopsTeam meetings

Students leadershipStudent Voice

Service learningBrainiacs

Orton GillinghamReading Mastery

ElectivesLego robotics

Outdoor educationWordQ

“Six Plus One Traits of Writing”Blogging

SMART goal-settingKCS Habits of Mind, Body and Action

Rosetta Stone French and international languagesWake Up With the Arts

Class meetingsCooking

GeocachingEtc

“If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don't bother trying to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which

will lead to new ways of thinking.”

Richard Buckminster Fuller

Andrea Fanjoyafanjoy@kcs.on.ca@afanjoy

www.kcs.on.ca@KCSMatters

Postscript

The habit loop, described most recently in The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, helps explain the power of mapping :

Cue – teacher concern for students Routine – problem identification and resolution catalyzed

by mapping Reward – student needs increasingly met, small win by

small win Belief – “I can make a difference!”