Module 7
Improving Instructional Design

Reflecting on The Seven-Step Process: A Quilt in the Making

God is a Quilter

I think God is a quilter
Who takes His needle and thread
To piece our world from nothingness
And give it form, instead.

I think God is a quilter;
Stitching tight and tiny rows,
Adding to my scraps and pieces,
Seaming everything He knows.

I think quilts are lessons
God uses just to teach
That our pieces and our remnants
Have kaleidoscopic reach.

So in the life I'm living
With pieces everywhere
I'll give them to the Quilter
To stitch with loving care.
-Anonymous

God,
Where I've treated a piece as the whole,
Forgive me.
Where I need to learn where the pieces fit,
Teach me.
Where I need to finish what I started,
Encourage me.
(Salter, 2001)

Dear God, Protect me from responding to the pieces of my life as the whole story. It is the same as treating pieces of the truth as the whole truth. Help me understand that nothing need be wasted when stitched together by Your will. I offer You my gathered pieces to be stitched together for Your purpose. (Salter, 2001)

Gini Shimabukuro (2000) who has been the inspiration behind Phase II of Catholic Curriculum Online and whose Seven-Step Process of Curriculum Development for Catholic Schools provided the impetus for the development of these modules offers us a quilt work for Improving Instructional Design in Catholic schools. Module 7, which is about assessing the entire Curriculum Development Process, should in no way be viewed as being separate and apart from that which has preceded, nor should it be viewed as something that can only come at the end of the process. Instead, this module should be seen as the thread that is stitched throughout the entire fabric of Catholic Curriculum Development. This Module, along with the previous six modules and introduction, should be viewed as part of the same quilt. All modules were developed with the intention of providing Catholic educators with reflective opportunities geared to the improvement of teaching and learning.

Shimabukuro (2000) writes:

"Ideally, the teacher, at points throughout the cycle, ponders effective as well as ineffective aspects of the curriculum and its delivery, and initiates needed adjustments along the way…. During this reflective undertaking, the teacher might consider such issues as whether continuity was exhibited between each step of the cycle; which curricular areas could have been developed further, eliminated, or rearranged to better promote student understanding; to what extent the religious dimension was meaningfully integrated throughout the process; and the degree to which students were engaged in learning. With the insight derived from dedicated reflection on factors that either hindered or advanced student learning, the teacher then proceeds to implement necessary changes for instructional improvement, and, thus, concludes a complete cycle of learning and instruction among his or her students."

The main goal that we want to achieve in Catholic Curriculum Development is the Education of the Whole Child as has so frequently and eloquently been pointed out in the Catholic school literature. This has become the key pedagogical challenge of Catholic schools. Shimabukuro's Seven-Step Process is an important tool in achieving this most noble of goals.

What does the star seen in all the above quilts have in common with the official logo of Catholic Curriculum Online? How can the metaphor of the quilt help us better understand Module 7 which is all about Improving Instructional Design? What can the above poem and quotes teach us about the Curriculum Development in the context of Catholic education? If Catholic Curriculum Development is like a quilt, what are the pieces that we need to put together to form a whole? How do we put the pieces together? In Catholic education, the secular pieces of the quilt need to connect with the Catholic pieces? How is this possible? Is it possible to separate them and still achieve the goals of Catholic education? Where do I, as teacher, fit into the quilt? Use the quilt metaphor to explain what it means to educate the whole child. How can the quilt metaphor help us assess what is good and what is lacking in Catholic Curriculum Development?

The Quilt of Catholic Curriculum Development: What is the Common Thread?

I place before you the colorful spools of God's precious thread. Imagine him sewing the collage of people and events that have shaped the teacher that you have become. They will all be stitched and fitted together with this very unique and precious thread - sewn and fitted into a collage of reminders and assurances of God's presence - a collage of God's people, God's goodness, God's forgiveness, God's care, God's comfort, a collage sustained by God's Word and Holy Sacraments. (Adapted from Kraus, 1998)

It is the cumulative design of the pieces that give the quilt its character, but, it is the thread that holds the quilt together. Catholic Curriculum Development is much the same. To improve instructional design, we need to pay attention to not only the pieces, but also to the thread that holds it all together. The pieces described in Modules 1 through 6 can only take on a shape or design if they are securely bound together by a common thread. When paying attention to Improving Instructional Design, we must constantly be asking ourselves: What is the common thread?

The diagram, Catholic Curriculum Development for Saskatchewan Catholic Schools can perhaps be viewed as a blueprint for the quilt of Catholic Curriculum Development. At the center of the diagram is Jesus himself. To apply our quilt metaphor, Jesus is the thread that binds it all together. In other words, any improvement effort of current curriculum practices in Catholic schools must first assess whether or not this basic thread is in place. It is only by putting Jesus at the center that we can hope to Improve Instructional Design. By so doing, we are free to experiment with, modify and reshape the pieces in a manner that best serves the child and the teaching mission of the Catholic Church.

For Catholic educators to recognize Jesus as the thread of Catholic Curriculum Development and Improvement, they need to know what the thread is made of and they need to have faith in its strength. Once again the diagram, Catholic Curriculum Development for Saskatchewan Catholic Schools can be a valuable tool in understanding where this strength lies. While the formal curriculum is an important contributing factor, the informal curriculum is the final determining factor. However the two are very much interrelated and interconnected.

Borrowed with permission from the Catholic Education Office in Sydney, Australia, the informal curriculum rectangle identifies seven criteria for evaluating Catholic curriculum and Improving Instructional Design. Under each criteria, various reflective questions are proposed. These questions are intended to provoke reflection on the extent to which the Catholic school, in its curriculum, structures, procedures and life, is the kind of place which will promote the desired growth and fullest development of its students. As Catholic Curriculum Designers of Saskatchewan, let's individually and collectively work out our own answers to these questions as we think of each piece of the Catholic educational quilt presented in the previous modules. The following list has been adapted and is not exactly as it appears in the Australian document Purpose and Outcomes (1987).

Whenever you see a thinking character, it's time to STOP, THINK, and REFLECT, and have a PROFESSIONAL CONVERSATION about Improving Instructional Design.

What does my school do to promote each of the above criteria? What do I do in my teaching and interactions with others to promote each of the above criteria? How can these criteria help me better understand and incorporate the main principles outlined in each of the seven modules? How can I ensure that these principles are incorporated into my instructional planning and delivery? What other criteria can I add to this section?

Religious: What would be the characteristics of a Catholic school in which students' growth in faith is promoted?

• The community regularly worships and prays together and celebrates liturgy and sacraments.
• Staff and students collaborate in preparing and leading prayer and liturgy.
• The school takes account of the seasons of the Church year: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Saint's Day.
• The school has a Religious Education program and organization with the same high degree of excellence, professional preparation and resource materials as other academic aspects of the school's work.
• Teachers understand and adapt to each student's multiple intelligences and stages of moral and intellectual growth.
• The curriculum thrust is both toward theological understanding and faith development.
• Parents are informed regularly of the content and emphasis of the Catholic curriculum and are involved in defining its purposes and outcomes.
• Members of the clergy are welcomed and involved in the formulation and delivery of the school's Catholic curriculum.
• All staff are involved in the spiritual formation of students, actively participate in retreat programs, and engage in personal discussions with students on religious and spiritual matters.
• The school seeks means to help parents examine their own faith and cooperates with them in the cognitive, religious and psychological development of their children.
• Students perceive individual staff members and the staff in general as witnessing in their lives the values of the Gospel.
• All students are offered opportunities to participate in retreats and extended reflective experiences in which they can explore their personal and religious values.
• The need for students and staff for times of quiet and reflection are recognized by the provision of time within the day to day program.
• All subjects throughout the curriculum contain significant references to religious issues and questions.
• Open consideration of religious issues often take place in a social or semi-social setting, and all feel comfortable about participating.
• Students demonstrate that they have incorporated prayer into their daily lives.
• Students can articulate the extent to which their faith values are reflected in their day to day decisions and behaviours.

Loving: What are the characteristics of a Catholic school in which students become understanding of themselves and grow in care, concern and compassion for others?

• Interactions are characterized by friendliness, openness and effective listening.
• Friendly relationships continue after confrontation between pupils and teachers, parents and teachers, pupils and pupils, and teachers and teachers.
• Conflict involving members of the school community, including staff, students, parents and pastors is resolved through negotiation and other conflict resolution techniques.
• When conflict occurs between the values of school and home, serious attempts are made to find solutions which respect the different value positions expressed.
• There is a general agreement among staff that sarcasm, ridicule, undue impatience and punishments which diminish the students' sense of worth are not acceptable.
• Staff refrain from making open derogatory comments about colleagues or students.
• The student is aware that he or she is expected to exert a positive influence on the school's environment, to work in harmony with others, to be tolerant of the views of others, and to be eager to find solutions rather than criticize the actions or interests of others.
• Teachers identify student needs and in conjunction with them negotiate student rights and responsibilities.
• Mutual respect for the needs and rights of others is demonstrated in the way staff and students relate.
• The school provides opportunities for students to contribute actively to the life of the family, parish, and local community. It also promotes involvement in national and international communities where possible and appropriate.
• The school provides opportunities for students to meet formally and informally. Social functions and field trips where students are given opportunities to relate to adults or members of both sexes from their peer group are encouraged.
• The school reaches out a loving hand to its alumnus and invites and welcomes them to many of its functions.
• The school lives the philosophy advocated by former ASCD president Arthur Combs (1999) who wrote: "For many adults and children, home is where we live at night and school is where we live during the day. Why not make school as loving, intimate, and caring as a home should be?" (Combs, 1999)

Open to Growth: What features would be apparent in a Catholic school which encourages openness to growth among members of the school community?

• The school takes a multiple intelligences approach to instruction and celebrates each student's God-given gifts.
• The school uses rubrics as a way to demonstrate student growth and use this in communicating to both parents and students.
• The school curriculum is flexible enough to create situations for challenge, choice and success for all students.
• Throughout the school there is encouragement of creativity in all its forms and students are exposed to a wide range of artistic influences and experiences.
• Students and staff are given opportunities to excel in areas where they are specifically talented and are affirmed publicly for their achievements and efforts.
• Students and staff are prepared to try new things, to take risks and feel safe in doing so. The administration has positive attitudes to this experimentation.
• Experimentation with its inherent risks of failure is accepted by staff and students as a normal part of life and growth.
• Failures, mistakes and misdemeanors do not reduce an individual's future opportunities or affect the quality of future relationships.
• Students and parents are given opportunities to participate in the teaching of others.
• Opportunities exist for both staff and students to be given regular feedback and counseling about both the satisfying and less satisfying aspects of their performance.
• Students are involved in setting learning objectives, in self and peer assessment, and in evaluating the quality of teaching programs and teacher effectiveness.
• The assessment and reporting procedures in the school are oriented towards affirming the achievement of individuals rather than emphasizing their weakness.
• Decision making in the school typically involves collaboration and consultation with those affected by the outcome.
• Staff and students are regularly invited to contribute to decision-making in the life of the school, and to accept responsibility for the welfare of others. The emergence of natural leaders is encouraged.
• Community participation is encouraged in school problem-solving and decision making; for example, through the establishment of school improvement committees, parent advisory councils, student representative councils and the like.
• Student and staff relationships are characterized by openness, trust, and an acceptance of individual differences. Opportunities are provided for all to acquire skills such as active listening, asserting one's needs, conflict resolution and problem-solving which promote effective communication and the growth of relationships.
• There is a systematic, planned approach to the identification of staff development needs and the meeting of them.
• Staff meetings and pupil-free days, participatively planned, are held regularly and are directed towards staff development.
• In-school administrators and those aspiring to be administrators take advantage of opportunities to develop their own leadership skills.
• Cooperative learning is encouraged for both students and staff.
• The school recognizes the diversity of student learning styles and provides a range of learning environments and opportunities.
• Students and staff express and demonstrate adherence to the principle of "life long learning."

Committed to Justice: What are the characteristics of a Catholic school which forms students who are committed to justice?

• The poor and the disadvantaged are given the same priority for admission to the school as are the affluent.
• Ethnic and aboriginal students are welcomed, their culture and heritage are valued and links with the wider multicultural community are promoted.
• The school is sensitive to the difficulties experienced by the poor and disadvantaged and makes specific provisions for them.
• The curriculum has been designed to meet the needs, interests and abilities of all its students, for this too is a Social Justice issue.
• Programs exist and courses are presented which stimulate and reward those less academically oriented, and those students with specific learning difficulties.
• Within existing teaching programs there is provision for extension activities for the gifted and talented, and remedial work for students with specific learning problems.
• The school's formal curriculum places emphasis on sensitizing its students to local, national and international issues of social justice.
• The norm in the school is for mixed ability classes rather than grouping on the basis of ability.
• Where homogeneous groupings exist, regular opportunities are provided for review and modification of class placement.
• Individualized programs and small group learning are preferred to graded classes as a means of providing for individual differences.
• Teacher assignments allows all students to have opportunities to share and benefit from the varied talents and expertise of staff.
• Resources are distributed equitably across the school in ways that reflect community consensus on needs and priorities.
• Students feel free to speak out openly in class without fear of discrimination.
• There is recognition of the prime responsibility of parents in the education of their children and this is manifest in active consultation with and involvement of them in the development of school aims and policies, and Religious Education programs.
• There is close and frequent communication, both formal and informal, with parents and pastors.
• Parents and children are involved in designing new programs.
• Parents and children are consulted regarding their opinion of the school curriculum and proposed changes to it.
• Students are invited to comment on the extent to which their education is satisfying, stimulating and relevant. The school takes this student input into account when evaluating and modifying the curriculum.
• Students view authority figures in the school with respect and esteem. Students perceive that power is exercised fairly by their teachers. Students who hold authority positions within the school strive to be fair and just in their own use of power.
• The school has a clear discipline policy that takes into account the rights of both offender and offended.
• When an issue arises, the needs and rights of students and parents are balanced with the needs and rights of staff.
• The school administration and other professionals within the school take issue with those members of the school community whose behaviour is detrimental to the school as a whole.
• Students voluntarily provide service to each other, as well as the needy outside their school community. School programs are organized to recognize the "social action" side of "social justice."

Intellectually Competent: What are the characteristics of a Catholic school in which students can assimilate knowledge and develop positive attitudes and intellectual skills appropriate to their age and abilities?

• Students understand the premise that "to be Catholic is to be intellectual."
• The school has a competent, qualified and dedicated staff who are provided with a suitable range of accessible equipment, teaching aids, and facilities with which to carry out their work.
• A challenging and relevant curriculum is offered and students' performance demonstrates their satisfaction and development.
• The school is sensitive to the needs of individuals. In organizing its programs it offers each student a range of experiences in which they actively participate given the resources available. Provision is made for special needs including remedial education programs, and programs for gifted and talented students.
• Teaching programs detail desired learning outcome for students, and links are made with school aims, content, process and assessment strategies.
• The teaching/learning programs provide students with many and varied opportunities for engagement in active learning through the provision of a range of problem-solving and decision-making situations.
• The school curriculum addresses all of a student's multiple intelligences, and provides opportunities for both cognitive and affective learning.
• The students are articulate, literate, and numerate at levels appropriate to their age and ability. Emphasis is given in the school to raising levels of literacy and numeracy and to pupil self-expression about what they are learning.
• Students are given opportunities, across the curriculum and in a variety of different learning situations, to use their language to develop new meanings and understandings.
• Student's work is well presented and reveals interest, initiative, mastery, creativity and application.
• Students demonstrate a capacity for independent learning and an ability to work without supervision. They possess appropriate study and research skills which enable them to pursue areas of their own interest or the challenge of teacher directed assignments.
• Students are able to demonstrate for certain tasks that they possess a range of abilities, including the ability to access, organize, comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize or evaluate information in accordance with their age and ability.
• The school has a homework policy that is specified and known to students and parents. It is directed to meet specific program objectives and the development of selected competencies. It is not punitive.
• Assessment of students' achievement is regular, systematic, and linked to specific learning outcomes.
• Students are given regular feedback on how they have achieved the specified learning objectives and are provided with opportunities to improve in areas of deficiency and celebrate in areas of proficiency.
• Reporting to parents on students' achievement is regular and detailed. Parents compliment the school on the depth and meaningfulness of its reporting.
• All comments on report cards or student portfolios say something very specific about each student's achievements and areas of needed growth, as opposed to generalized comments about program or about what the student has been learning.

Competent in Life Skills: What would be the characteristics of a Catholic school which prepares students to lead a balanced, active and independent life?

• The school has made a conscious choice, which is evident in its curriculum offerings, about what students need to know, should be able to do and should value, in order to be active and effective citizens.
• The school has analyzed the life skill needs of its students and is continuously modifying the curriculum to better meet these needs.
• The school provides students with significant training in life skills. Learning experiences are offered which involve processes which assist the development of skills such as goal setting, planning, time management, problem-solving and decision-making.
• Within the school, the practical, less academic areas of the curriculum are valued by students, parents and staff.
• A wide range of activities, experiences and learning opportunities are provided both within and outside the school to meet the life-skills needs of students.
• Provision is made within the formal and informal curriculum for response to local, national and international events, issues and developments. Discussions, role playing case study analyses and other simulations are used to explore value-based issues and their implications for the individual, the Church, the nation and the world.
• Staff are encouraged to collaborate in the development of cross-disciplinary programs for the study of social issues, culture and politics.
• The school informs parents of the range of curriculum offerings (both formal and informal) and the contribution each can make to a student's total development.
• The school provides opportunities for students to spend time investigating or working in the wider community in areas of service which they have selected and for which they are responsible.
• The local community is used as a resource in many areas of the curriculum. Community members contribute their expertise to learning within the school and students frequently engage in learning outside the school.
• Dialogue is maintained between local employers and the school. At the secondary level, work experience and career education programs exist and students are prepared to meet the expectations of the current employment situation.
• Students express satisfaction with the way the school has challenged them to find ways to use leisure time creatively.
• The school provides opportunities for staff to acquire the competencies necessary to develop life skills programs.
• The school maintains contact with students (both past and present) and discovers that almost all of them express satisfaction with their schooling and the way it has equipped them to manage their life situations.
• Students are aware of the services offered to them to continue their education beyond school, and express an interest in continuing to learn and a willingness to seek employment.
• Students demonstrate a critical, discerning attitude towards the media, technology and advertising.
• Students express a keenness to participate in the democratic process and recognize that their right to vote should be exercised in an informed, responsible way.

Physically Adept: What are the features of a Catholic school which promote and nurture the physical development of its students?

• Policies and programs exist which establish healthy practices such as regular exercise, balanced diet and stress management.
• The curriculum provides alternative programs and activities suited to the physical needs, abilities and interests of all its students.
• Sufficient time is set aside for physical education and for a variety of team and individual sports.
• The school recognizes the achievement of individuals and groups in school and community physical activities, regardless of competitive success.
• An adequate share of the school budget is directed towards the acquisition and maintenance of resources for physical development.
• The school canteen promotes and provides nutritious food and drink.
• The school provides opportunity for frequent contact with health authorities and health services.
• The school promotes awareness of the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and other unhealthy practices. Students express negative attitudes about such practices.
• The school curriculum includes an examination of life skills and an assessment of the place of work, leisure, exercise, rest and relaxation.
• The school recognizes the relationship between positive physical development and self esteem by affirming those who are making progress in the mastery of physical skills and the acquisition of physical fitness.
• The school measures, records and reports aspects of students' physical development.
• The school takes action to involve parents and professional support agencies in promoting its physical education, health and sport programs.
• Students with limited prowess in sport and physical activities are encouraged and affirmed for their achievements equally with those who possess unusual talent, and are given equal opportunities to further develop their skills.

The Cross on the Quilt

We must always make sure that there is room for the cross on our Quilt of Catholic Curriculum Design. The cross is the basic symbol of our Catholic faith. The cross points us in the right direction for all that we do in Catholic education.

As stated in the Australian curriculum evaluation document, Purposes and Outcomes (1987), the criteria presented thus far is designed to assist schools and individual teachers "evaluate whether or not their curriculum, organization and philosophy lend themselves to the development of graduates who are RELIGIOUS, LOVING, OPEN TO GROWTH, COMMITTED TO JUSTICE, INTELLECTUALLY COMPETENT, COMPETENT IN LIFE SKILLS, and PHYSICALLY ADEPT. While it can be argued that many of these hoped-for qualities reflect the special identity of the truly CATHOLIC school, this final section addresses particularly the question: What is distinctive about the CATHOLIC school in contrast to other schools which also profess a religious/Christian vision?"

Catholic: What are the visible signs that a school is genuinely Catholic?

• The atmosphere of acceptance, forgiveness and reconciliation is evident in the way staff, students and parents relate to one another.
• Liturgical and sacramental celebrations form an integral part of the life of the school community.
• A significant portion of the staff are practicing Catholics and all support the religious formation of students and participate in religious celebrations.
• The lay staff accept their responsibility to participate actively as educators in faith as well as general educators.
• The staff regularly reflect on the way in which, as teachers, they participate and contribute to the teaching mission of the Church.
• The staff collaborates with the Bishop and local priests in developing school policy which emphasizes individual growth in faith.
• The school has a mission and vision statement which articulates aims and purposes which emphasize religious education in the context of quality education.
• The school staff collaboratively identifies those Gospel values which have special meaning for it. Staff regularly examine the ways in which these values are reflected in the curriculum, policies, procedures, organization and interpersonal relations.
• The curriculum pays substantial attention to the assessment of major social trends and cultural influences. It explores the underlying causes and effects in the light of Gospel teachings and Catholic tradition.
• The school affords status, staffing, time allocation and resources to Religious Education equal to that given to other subjects.
• Students are made aware of the role of the Catholic Church in promotion of justice and peace issues in all areas of society. Its work in developed and underdeveloped countries is examined and contrasted.
• Students study the history and tradition of the Catholic Church, and the special features of its development in our province and our country.
• High school students are offered opportunities to study significant and recent Church documents such as:
  • The Church in the Modern World
  • Peace on Earth
  • Justice in the World
  • Educational Guidance in Human Love
• Teachers are offered opportunities to examine significant and recent Church documents that inform, form and transform them as Catholic educators. Examples are:
  • GravissimumEducationis: Declaration On Christian Education
  • The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School
  • Lay Catholics in Schools:Witnesses To Faith
  • The Catholic School
  • The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium
• The school recognizes the special place of Mary in the work of Redemption by the celebration of great Marian feasts.
• Staff and students celebrate the saints as heroes of the Christian tradition.
• The school demonstrates its religious identity by the use of appropriate symbols.
• Graduates of the school articulate their faith in terms of a personal relationship with God which not only gives meaning and purpose to their lives, but also enables them to view the future with optimism and hope.
• The school develops students who show personal integrity, care for others, and are active in responding to situations of injustice.
• Students and graduates indicate that the formation in personal prayer given at the school enables them to be more peaceful, reflective and discerning in their everyday lives.

The Sacred Congregation Speaks

While it is true that parents are the first and foremost educators of their own children and that the rights and duties that they have in this regard are "original and primary with respect to the educational role of others", it is also true that among the means which will assist and complement the exercise of the educational rights and duties of the family, the school has a value and an importance that are fundamental. In virtue of its mission, then the school must be concerned with constant and careful attention to cultivating the intellectual, creative, and aesthetic faculties of the human person; to develop in them the ability to make correct use of their judgment, will, and affectivity; to promote in them a sense of values; to encourage just attitudes and prudent behaviour; to introduce them to the cultural patrimony handed from previous generations; to prepare them for professional life, and to encourage a friendly interchange among students of diverse cultures and backgrounds that will lead to mutual understanding. For all these reasons, the school enters into the specific mission of the Church.

Final Task

Create your own vision for Improving Instructional Design from your perspective as a Catholic educator. Communicate your vision by drawing and decorating a quilt which shows what you believe to be the essential pieces. Write a brief description beside your quilt which articulates that which you tried to visually show in your quilt. If you like, use this blueprint to design and create an actual quilt to hang in your classroom or school entrance.

Resources:

Combs, Arthur W. (1999). On Becoming a School Leader. Alexandria,Virginia: Association for Curriculum and Instruction.

Kraus, Helen (1998). The Golden Thread of God's Presence. (Web article). Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Purposes and Outcomes for Catholic Schools. (1987). Catholic Education Office. Sydney, Australia.
(Permission granted to post material from this book onto our website)

Shimabukuro, Gini. (2000). "Teaching and Learning in the Catholic School". Catholic School Leadership: An Invitation to Lead. Falmer Press. London and New York.

Salter, Debbie. (2001). Quilted With Love : Discovering the Patterns of Life's Grace and Beauty. Honor Books. Tulsa, Oklahoma

Totten, Betsy. (Born 1781). Quilt: "Rising Sun". Smithsonian: National Museum of American History. The pieced sun pattern at the center of the quilt is an eight-pointed star that measures 76 inches across and contains 648 diamond-shaped pieces of printed cotton.