Constructivist Instruction: Success or Failure?

by Sigmund Tobias (Editor), Thomas M. Duffy (Editor)

Constructivist Success or Failure? brings together leading thinkers from both sides of the hotly debated controversy about constructivist approaches to instruction. Although constructivist theories and practice now dominate the fields of the learning sciences, instructional technology, curriculum and teaching, and educational psychology, they have also been the subject of sharp criticism regarding sparse research support and adverse research findings. This volume Chapters present detailed views from both sides of the controversy. A distinctive feature of the book is the dialogue built into it between the different positions. Each chapter concludes with discussions in which two authors with opposing views raise questions about the chapter, followed by the author(s)’ responses to those questions; for some chapters there are several cycles of questions and answers. These discussions, and concluding chapters by the editors, clarify, and occasionally narrow the differences between positions and identify needed research.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

392 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 2009

Reviews

[William Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading for anyone getting a degree in education, but sadly it will not be. Philosophy means more than research and science.

[Seán Mchugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe there are not more books that utilise this kind of structure, the main problem I now face having read this, is motivating myself to read any others! So many books about education are effectively individual soapboxes where the author can make whatever claims they want without needing to consider any voices of opposition and then to defend their reasoning, whereas this book uniquely takes the powerful stance of allowing various experts who are knowledgeable about the issue to be able to have the right of response to each other’s arguments on a chapter by chapter basis.

It doesn’t matter whether you are an advocate for constructivism or whether you see yourself more as a neotraditionalist, the point is you will learn a lot from reading this book either way and you’ll be a better educator as a result.

[Doni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the format of this book: authors writing either pro or con for constructivism v. direct instruction and then responding to each other through an exchange of questions and answers. The results, however, were underwhelming. There seemed to be little research to definitively support either side and what little there was, was thrown into question either due to the lack of single-variable studies or lack of agreement on definitions. I am glad, however, that I read this book despite the relatively low rating, because the person who cited it claimed that it strongly supported direct instruction. I found it much more ambiguous.