Curriculum Mapping: a process to support personal learning?

John Pallister

May 2009

Background: a learning journey

• Interest in ePortfolios evolved out of work with Key Skills, Wider Key Skills and Employability Skills;

• ePortfolios development work led to the use of Web 2 tools;

• ePortfolios and Web 2 created interest in Personal Learning Environments;

Plan what youneed to do

Check and share your plan

DO IT!

Record evidence of whatyou have done or learnt

Share and presentevidence

Select and linkevidence

ePortfolio

Review and reflect on what you have done

The ePortfolio ProcessRecognise that something needs to be done or learnt

The ePortfolio process and Learning

Gain experience by engaging in activities

Encounter problems

Recognise the needfor learning

Develop strategies toovercome the problem

Experiment withstrategies

The ePortfolio Process

Plan what youneed to do

Check and share your plan

DO IT!

Record evidence of whatyou have done or learnt

Share and presentevidence

Select and linkevidence ePortfolio

Review and reflect on what you have done

Found That:

• Learners could use ePortfolio tools;

• Not possible to introduce ePortfolio unless the process is integrated into the curriculum;

• Learners need to be clear about what it is that they need to evidence

• Learners would use the ePortfolio process in their Personal Learning environment

Towards personalised learning??

• The Dcsf expect schools to “put personalising learning at the heart of their vision for transforming teaching and learning” http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/personalisedlearning/about/

• “At this stage, it is plausible to suggest that personalised learning is at a crossroads moment, where it has taken on heightened significance in policy texts, but …”

• “Personalisation is inherently rooted in the idea of providing coherence in learning for children by ensuring that children are represented in the design of learning experiences. “

• “They should be granted some degree of voice, a right to make decisions about important things that affect them. This does not mean teachers renege on their responsibilities as professionals. It requires teachers and students to work closely together, ..”

http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/curriculum_and_teaching_innovation.pdf

A Personal Learning Environment: • where learners take more control of their own learning and, by taking more responsibility for the

management of their own learning, become more independent learners;

• where learners set their own learning goals, manage their learning and communicate with others;

• that provides learners with access to information sources and a common interface for communication and collaboration with others;

• that encourages the learner to explore, develop and learn;

• that encourages the learner to recognise, reflect on, share and celebrate their achievements;

• that is centred around the interests of the learner, their learning needs and provides the learner with opportunities to learn by ‘doing’;

• that will enable learners to develop plans in terms of their competencies, skills and progression routes;

• that supports any where any time learning + lifelong learning;

• Helps learners to find things (information and things they have created) and other learners;

• That supports a way of learning that gives greater value to the individual as a learner and moves the focus away from what is being taught towards what is being learnt.

A PLE requires learners to develop Personal Learning and Thinking Skills

• “six groups of skills that, together with the functional skills of English, mathematics and ICT, are essential to success in learning, life and work. “– independent enquirers– creative thinkers– reflective learners– team workers– self-managers– effective participators.

• Consistent with the ePortfolio Process that promotes reflective learning, planning etc

Introduction of Functional Skills

• need to map and integrate into the curriculum – [introduce, practice and develop]

• need for application in a wide range of contexts and situations [cross curricular opportunities]

• need for learners to operate as independent learners [Level 2]

• Need for all teachers to share a common understanding of Functional Skills

Schools are expected to:

• design and deliver “a dynamic, forward-looking curriculum that creates opportunities for learners to develop as self-managers, creative thinkers, reflective learners, problem-solvers, team workers, independent learners, and effective communicators.” http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/skills/index.aspx

• deliver the subject specific curriculum; all wrapped up in a package that interests, inspires and engages the learner.

Shift from Teaching to Learning

• Be expected to reflect on their learning; identifying how they can improve and exercising choice as they develop as independent, lifelong learners.

• need to be self motivated and self regulated making decisions about what they need to learn, how and when they learn – have voice in the design of learning experiences

will require the learner to take on new roles and responsibilities. They will:

What will the learner do in their Personal Learning Environment?

• Make decisions about: what it is that they will do; what it is that they will try to learn; what it is that they will try to learn how to do; who they will seek advice and support from;

Moving towards personalised learning

Currently, teachers plan a curriculum and deliver it by guiding the learner; by metering out and controlling the learning diet.

• How will schools ‘control/influence’ what learners experience or learn?

• How will the learner know what it is that they ‘should’ learn?

• How will the learner know what opportunities and learning activities are available to them?

Need for a curriculum that:

• Integrates, maps and highlights generic skills; • Supports the individual learner identifying

content and skills that need to be learnt, along with activities resources that will support the learning;

• The learner can use to help them make their own decisions about what it is that they learn; when and how;

• Is accessible to the learner; anywhere, anytime in an appropriate format.

Collaboration

• Increasingly, learners will work in a number of different settings; school based, college based and training provider based;

• All partners will need to share a common understanding of the Functional Skills, Personal Learning and Thinking skills, Diploma requirements etc;

• This common understanding must permeate through into the experiences and opportunities provided for the learner in each of the settings that they work in;

• Teacher will need to collaborate on curriculum development.

Curriculum Development

The tools and techniques that we currently use to ‘push’ learning towards the learner need to be either adapted, or traded-in for something that will support and service this learner ‘demand’;

Need to make the learner aware of what they don’t know and what they need to know before they can plan their own learning.

Towards a Web 2 SolutionNeed to:• Plan; • Support Collaboration + multi-site learning;• Audit and Map Generic skills;• Accessible to learners • Support anywhere, anytime access; • harness technology

= Web 2?

= Web based Curriculum Planning or Mapping tools?

Web based curriculum mapping.

• a process that focuses on what is taught, how it is taught, when it is taught, how it is resourced and how it will be assessed

Learning Menu/Agenda

Planned Curriculum• available Learning opportunities• suggested Learning opportunities• Links to supporting activities and resources

Feeding Learning in a Personal Learning Environment

Curriculum Drivers

National Curriculum

etc

Curriculum Mapping Process

Teachers collaborate to design, map and resource the curriculum

Status – December 2008

• Could see potential of Curriculum Mapping – could not move forward without setting up a map to demo/work with

Status May 2009

• Created Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 ICT course;

• Created Units for Years 7, 8,9 and 10;

• Begun to map in Functional Skills and Personal Learning and Thinking skills;

• Now able to explore functionality and demonstarte.

Findings

• A time consuming process – it did promote reflection about objectives and practice that in turn influenced the planning. Time well spent thinking about content, skills, activities, resources and assessments;

• I worked as an individual – but recognised the potential of the process to support collaborative curriculum development;

• Curriculum Mapping ‘conventions’ take time to master – but, there is value in just ‘doing it’ and then refining to conform to conventions;

• The tool was quite easy to use.

The next stage

• Share experience and explore functionality with other teachers;

• Add other subjects and courses;• Collaborate with other teachers on the

development of a course;• Investigate how learners might be able to

access Unit Maps;• Investigate whether the process will

support personal learning.

But, it does Match 15 out of 24 of the Becta, Appendix A: trends in pedagogy and

curriculum research4. Online learning environments: Increasing investment in learning platform technologies particularly at school level5. Curriculum innovation: Implementation of curriculum innovations, including support for collaborative and cross-

curricular learning7. Non-traditional education providers: Expanded role for the third sector in learning8. New pedagogies and teacher roles: New technology creating the conditions for new types of learning and teaching9. 21st-century teachers: teachers developing skills in exploiting technology for creativity and social networking10. Co-option of technologies designed for business and social use: Striking the right relationship between the

technology used in 11. education and in the workplace, and the financial issues raised for education 11. Ubiquitous mobile devices: Mobile and ubiquitous technologies offering opportunities for personally managed

learning within and outside the classroom12. Personalisation and Web 2.0 services: Technologies developed for personalised commercial sites being adopted

for education15. Just-in-time learning: Knowledge-based technology enabling learners to access content and services to meet their

immediate needs16. Reconfigured learning spaces: Learning spaces being reconfigured to facilitate new modes of learning which

support personalisation 18. Technology-enabled whole-school services: Institutional services becoming more integrated19. Learners as participants and co-creators of learning: Learners being engaged in designing and creating their own

learning, enhanced by technology20. Online assessment: Technology offering new forms of personal and formative assessment21. The learning habits of the Net Generation: Younger learners, used to pervasive digital technology, transferring their

habits of working with that technology to their learning23. Changing IT user skills: New ways of interacting with the internet affecting how learners study and learn

http://emergingtechnologies.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=etr&rid=14522

Tools and Support

• Used www.RubiconAtlas.org software;

• I used Janet Hale’s book, ‘A Guide to Curriculum Mapping: Planning, Implementing, and Sustaining the Process’ (www.curriculummapping101.com) to develop my understanding of the Curriculum Mapping process;

• I was very fortunate in that I was able to call upon Janet, via Skype, for advice and support.

Have a look at Curriculum Mapping

• http://lis.tees.ac.uk/ukan/rubiconscreenshots.pdf

• Draft Presentation prepared for http://lis.tees.ac.uk/ukan/hale_session_advert.pdf