Grassroots+Taba+Approach


 * __Grassroots/Taba Approach__**

__Description of the Approach__: Hilda Taba believed that teachers should be the developers of the curriculum; curriculum design should not be a "top-down" process dictated by supervisors. There are seven major steps: 1. Diagnosis of students' needs 2. Formulation of objectives (based on needs) 3. Selection of content (objectives and content should align) 4. Organization of content 5. Selection of learning experiences 6. Organization of learning activities 7. Evaluation (from Ornstein, A.C., & Hunkins, F. P. (2009). Curriculum Development. In //Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues//. Boston: Pearson.)

__Information Resources__: Cassidy, D. J., & Lancaster, C. (1993, Sept.). The grassroots curriculum: A dialogue between children and teachers. //Young Children, 48//(6). pp. 47-51. Retrieved from []

__Strategies and Ideas for Implementation__: Because this approach is teacher-driven, not directed by an administrator, clear guidance about objectives and purpose needs to be clearly communicated to the faculty. Until teachers become comfortable with the process, it may be helpful to have small teams of teachers from similar subject areas work together in order to share strategies and trouble-shoot problem areas. Also, because this process follows a specific order of steps, it will be necessary to clearly delineate the steps to the teachers, so they understand each one and how it relates to the others. Creating designated blocks of time for teachers to work on curriculum development will be essential; otherwise, teachers can find all kinds of "other" ways to fill their available time and curriculum planning could easily fall to the bottom of the (long!) list of things to get done.