Does Constructivism have limits?

For more than a century, the concept of constructivism that emerged from Piaget’s pioneering theory of cognition and it’s development has served as a guiding light for progressive education and autonomy-supportive parenting. The common wisdom is that if we let kids be, they will grow and discover and learn all on their own, and, in fact, too much top-down control over the process can hold kids back. Makes sense? Of course. However, a closer look at modern research tells a more nuanced story. In the chapters that follow, the student-authors shine a light on the modern qualifications to the notion of constructivism in the early years.

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To develop their essays, students responded to one of the following prompts:

Kids know what they need, so parents and educators should stand back and follow their lead, right?

If you do everything for kids, they’ll never learn, right?