The Marazon approach is a systematic method for assessing and planning for the emerging needs and interests of children both individually and as members of small or large groups. The role of the teacher in this approach is to integrate traditional subject areas (math, science, reading, language, and social studies) in ways that support and further extend the interest and development of the whole child. This integrative approach means that teachers must not only be concerned with a child acquiring new skills and learning new concepts but they must also be concerned with the “development” of the child—the whole child.

Teaching curriculum and supporting development can no longer be an either/or focus of teaching. Rather, teaching must strive to embrace a “both/and” attitude towards the teaching of curriculum and the nurturing of a child’s development. Marazon shows teachers how to do this using a systematic approach that teaches curriculum in a way that nurtures a child’s development.

This approach is accomplished through the use of a set of teacher tools—planning, assessment, and implementation tools that keep teachers on track week after week, supporting children’s acquisition of knowledge and skills while at the same time nurturing and celebrating children’s development from day to day and week to week.

Aside from meeting the needs of typically developing children, this approach also congruently meets the needs of children with special needs. This is done through integrating a child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) into the planning process.

Parents take on a very special role in the Marazon approach. They act as consultants to teachers as they are given both the resources and the power to make recommendations about what they would like to see supported in their child’s development both in the classroom and in their own home.

Marazon Systems are developmentally appropriate planning and assessment systems that can be used in a variety of educational and home settings. The Systems provide parents and professionals with just the right tools to support and challenge children's growth, development and learning in developmentally appropriate environments and using methods that meet the needs of diverse learners. Marazon Systems help teachers and parents focus on describing and celebrating children's assets as opposed to traditional approaches to educating children which attempt to "fix” their perceived deficits.

The Systems invite professionals and parents to learn about children's interests and developmental characteristics and then use the everyday curriculum (routines, activities, experiences, materials, and environment) of the home, school, and community to support their growth and learning based upon their interests and developmental needs.

In the Marazon approach, six domains of development help guide the decision-making process and serve as a template for appropriate practice. The six domains are affective, social, creative, cognitive, language, and physical.

The Affective domain supports children in personal identity, emotional development, psychological strengths and virtues (self-concept development), and values and ethical competencies. Social focuses on helping children initiate and maintain relationships, respond appropriately to others, and interact with others during leisure and play. Creative highlights eight indicators of creativity in children.

The Cognitive domain supports knowledge about physical properties; knowledge about relationships between persons, places, objects, and events; knowledge about cultural conventions; and information processing.

The Language domain emphasizes listening, speaking, reading, and writing indicators; and Physical focuses on small and large motor development and sensory awareness.

The Marazon approach is based on solid theoretical foundations related to child development research. The role of modeling (Bandura, 1977), the impact of more competent peers (Vygotsky, 1978), the role of multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1999), the construction of knowledge (Piaget, 1965), and impact of society on self-concept development (Erikson, 1993) are imbedded in The Marazon System because they are viewed as critical elements in the growth and learning process of each child.

There are four simple steps that professionals must follow in order to successfully implement Marazon. These are PLAN, ENVIRONMENT, ASSESSMENT, and PARTNERSHIP. By following these four steps, Marazon practitioners learn how to keep the child at the center of their practice as they become skilled in assessing, supporting, and celebrating children’s interests and natural gifts, as well as their personal and academic achievements. The descriptions which follow provide a brief overview of the four steps:

1. Assessment
Assessment in Marazon is authentic in nature, meaning that it is child-based and portfolio-driven, rather than focused on teacher-directed assignments and standardized tests. Perhaps more importantly, it means that what is assessed is used as a rationale for weekly plans and daily practices that support children’s emerging needs and interests

2. Plan
On a weekly basis, a teacher implementing the Marazon approach selects six target children per week who will help guide and inform the planning process across the six domains for an entire week. Once six children’s interests (curriculum/subject area) and needs (developmental domains) are identified, the teacher then writes the domain.

3. Environment
The intent of the environment in the Marazon approach is to bring the content of child development to the forefront of the teacher’s day-to-day practice. This is done through posting six weekly “development” goals in and around the classroom (one for each of the six domains). The finishing touch in the environment is the “intentionality” of the teacher who interacts and communicates with children in ways that support both the development and the curriculum goals that were planned.

4. Partnership
The final step in the Marazon approach is to promote an authentic connection between teachers and parents. This is accomplished through formal and informal conferences that celebrate the giftedness of the child through an exchange of information about the child’s curriculum and development achievements. It is also accomplished by inviting families to share information about their children that can then be used in designing future classrooms that support children’s true interests (curriculum) and developmental needs across the six domains.