Cited by 1,330Educational theories and practicesEducational Leadership and AdministrationEducational Theory and Curriculum Studies

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: The Many Faces of Constructivism

Phillips, D. C.·1995·Educational Researcher

Abstract

Across the broad fields of educational theory and research, constructivism has become something akin to a secular religion. In her book Evolution as a Religion (1985), Mary Midgley wrote that the theory of evolution is not just an inert piece of theoretical science. It is, and cannot help being, also a folk-tale about human origins. Any such narrative must have symbolic force (1985, p. 1). She might well have written the same about constructivism, which is, whatever else it may be, a powerful folktale about the origins of human knowledge. As in all living religions, constructivism has many sects-each of which harbors some distrust of its rivals. This descent into

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  • Emergent teaching strategies based on constructivist concepts highlight the importance of repeated interaction between the learner and the object of learning, and the importance of others in knowledge construction.

    “Emergent strategies are based on constructivist concepts, which highlight the importance of the repeated interaction between the learner and the object of learning, and the importance of others in the process of knowledge construction [6].”

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Authors
Phillips, D. C.
Corresponding author
Phillips, D. C.
Venue
Educational Researcher
Published
1995-10
Volume
24
Issue
7
Pages
5-12
ISSN
  • 0013-189X (ISSN-L)
  • 1935-102X
OpenAlex
W2096126412
Cited by
1,330
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 58 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 44 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 45 · 2017: 43 · 2016: 48 · 2015: 48 · 2014: 60 · 2013: 45 · 2012: 43
FWCI
172.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Educational Researcher (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Educational theories and practices
  • Social Sciences › Education › Educational Leadership and Administration
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Educational Theory and Curriculum Studies
Keywords
constructivism, educational theory, origin of knowledge, Mary Midgley, philosophy of education, critique of constructivism

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