Curriculum Approach
A curriculum approach is a broad framework designed from a specific perspective or orientation about how children learn (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2008). An approach includes key ideas and principles but allows or encourages “reflection, practice, and further careful reflection in a program that is continuously renewed and readjusted” (Gandini, 1993, p. 4). Thus, a teacher who follows a particular approach will make a lot of choices about how to interpret and apply these principles. Reggio Emilia, which we discuss later in the chapter, is an example of a philosophical approach that guides the curriculum in many American preschools; however, schools following this approach do not receive materials or explicit instruction from Reggio Emilia administrators.