Constructivist teaching methods: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:53, 14 January 2007

Revision as of 02:19, 4 February 2007

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Another deterrent for this teaching method is that, due to the emphasis on group work, the ideas of the more active students may dominate the group’s conclusions.<ref name="thirteenorg"/>

As emphasis is not based on acquiring and practicing basic skills, students in constructivist classrooms tend to lag behind those in traditional classrooms in these areas. [citation needed]{{fact}} Proponents of constructivism argue that constructivist students perform better than their peers when tested on higher-order reasoning.

Critics of constructivism also argue that this teaching technique forces students to “reinvent"[[reinvent the wheel]].”" Proponents argue that students- &mdash; especially elementary school-aged children- &mdash; are naturally curious about the world, and giving them the tools to explore it in a guided manner will serve to give them a stronger understanding of it<ref name="thirteenorg"/>.

A prominent group of cognitive scientists has also questioned the central claims of constructivism, saying that they are either misleading or contradict known findings. Please see <ref>[http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu/papers/misapplied.html Applications and Misapplications of Cognitive Psychology to Mathematics Education ] for more information.</ref>

==See also==