ABSTRACT
The enduring problems in science education recently have been cast in terms of
new theoretical frames. In the past decade, constructivism has been mentioned
increasingly in the definitions of problems and their solutions (Tobin 1993). In
many contexts (e.g. requests for proposals issued by funding agencies)
constructivism, which is a way of thinking about knowledge and coming to know,
was prescribed as a mandatory way of thinking about teaching and learning
science. There was a tendency to equate constructivism with particular activities
rather than a way of thinking about knowing and coming to know. Teachers were
exhorted to employ constructivist ways of teaching by arranging students in small
groups and providing them with greater autonomy. Trends such as these not only
diminish the power of constructivism as a way of thinking but also take the focus off
critical dimensions of teaching and learning. Instead of examining any activity and
asking how it might be improved by thinking about learning from a constructivist
perspective, there has been a tendency, for example, to advocate small-group
activities over whole-class activities and student-focused activities over teacher-
focused activities.
