The goal of this paper is to outline what has been called a “radical” constructivist model of knowledge, to describe how this model relates to Piaget’s theory of intellectual development, and to outline how this model can help us understand some of the things that happen in chemistry classrooms.
Bodner G. M., Klobuchar M. & Geelan D. (2001) The many forms of constructivism. Journal of Chemical Education 78(8): 1107–1134. https://cepa.info/5211
Ever since we wrote a paper on the constructivist theory of knowledge for the Journal, fifteen years ago, chemists and chemical educators have asked: Do you really believe in the constructivist theory? The answer is: Yes. As we talk to colleagues we have become convinced that the source of their concern about this theory is the version to which they have been exposed. As we note in this paper, even critics of this theory argue “that there is a very broad and loose sense in which all of us these days are constructivists.… ” This paper outlines the different forms of the constructivist theory and describes a version proposed by the clinical psychologist, George Kelly, that avoids some of the controversial elements of the radical constructivist theory developed as an extension of the work of Jean Piaget.