Greatness and Curriculum Mapping

Here is another opportunity for me to take the blame. You would think that with all I have learned about leadership, I would understand that any initiative, if it is to be effectively implemented, needs to be explained fully in a passionate yet disciplined fashion. I have yet to demonstrate a true passion or belief or commitment as to the value of Curriculum Mapping, and for that I am truly sorry. Brenda Montgomery deserves kudos for demonstrating a true commitment to the process, despite the fact she has been left stranded. Achieving greatness means you need to change, and thus I need to change my lackadaisical approach to Curriculum Mapping. I remain totally convinced it is worth the change.

Academic greatness begins with the belief we are all part of a learning environment, and that we possess a strong desire for our own personal learning to grow and develop. To become a great academic institution requires (and I am sure we can all think of much more to add to this list): discourse, organization, knowledge, accountability, change, constant improvement, and development. As well, it is extremely important we address the scope and sequence of our curriculum. This is a definite weakness at Selwyn House (as is the case with many schools), and it is an important component of the academic standards established by CAIS. All of this must be used to support a legitimate goal of lifelong learning.  We cannot settle for anything less.

A well-thought-out, well-designed Curriculum Map deals with all of these aspects and much more.  At Selwyn House, there are not a lot of demands placed upon teachers in terms of curriculum documentation. That, in my opinion, is a good thing. As a result, it is imperative that our Curriculum Map is up to date, innovative, imaginative, consistent, and complete. We should be celebrating the structure, content, innovation, and creativity. There needs to be a much more of a definite attempt to showcase the work. A Curriculum Map creates an advantage for any new teachers to Selwyn House. It gives them information in terms of what students have already learned and where they should start.

From a marketing point of view, a vibrant Curriculum Map is vital. Every open house should be an opportunity to present our map with pride, and it should clearly showcase the uniqueness of the Selwyn House curriculum. We need to continually think about what we can add (or subtract), and this simple concept requires a consistent (but not daunting) effort from all. For example, the Physical Education component should be prominent, as should learning skills, social skills, and any creative curriculum ideas or pedagogical innovation. To be even more specific, consider the moot court unit in our Grade 10 and 11 law class. There should be a clear indication as to the learning outcomes that exist by completing this exercise.  Continuing on, if we take our Grade 10 class away for a leadership development week there should be an indication as to the value, objectives, and learning outcomes. This is all included as a part of a dynamic, active, ever-changing Curriculum Map, which is all a part of academic greatness.

A Curriculum Map should serve as a catalyst for innovation. It allows us to think critically, and to look at the importance of content in terms of what is valuable and what should be eliminated. Ultimately, it helps us answer that important question: What really matters?

Finally, and as always, our Curriculum Map should relate to our Vision and Mission. Within the content of the map, we should be able to see where and how we build self-awareness, self-confidence, self- respect, and self-advocacy. We should know where we teach respect, organization skills, empathy, note taking, kindness, study skills, fitness, résumé building, public speaking, nutrition, singing, and the list can go on and on.

Cleary, we need to allow more time to spend on the mapping concept. I will be working with Brenda, Colin, and our Divisions Heads to see what can be done about this. My immediate suggestion is that everyone makes a commitment to work on their own component of the map before leaving for the summer. There should be time for this. We will follow this up with a clear demonstration of our map when we return in August.  As well, it is my intention to showcase a model map, which we will find from one of the CAIS schools.

Selwyn House needs a strong vibrant Curriculum Map in order to be great. I offer my own commitment to using our map, we will celebrate the map, we will showcase the map, and we will own the map. We all must be committed. We need academic greatness.