Disadvantages of constructivism

In a long and thoughtful article on the uses of constructivism in the classroom, educator George Hein notes that constructivism effectively asks the student to construct a reality from materials she assembles herself

From the constructivist perspective, knowledge is dependent on the meaning attributed to experience by the learner

Cons (Disadvantages) Constructivism can be time-consuming and does not prepare students well for standardized tests

Learning through trial-and-error is a time consuming process

In the age of a crowded curriculum, teachers often don’t have the time to organize sustained problem-based learning lessons

That the constructivist perspective is indistinguishable from “discovery learning” 2

That the constructivist theoretical perspective is essentially attempting to make something out of a triviality 3

That the constructivist perspective has little or nothing to say about the nature of an effective pedagogy Each of these is now discussed in turn