Stephen Downes

I agree with Leigh Blackall that constructivism should be criticized, but I don't agree with his argument. "I'm wondering if individuals and their societies really do freely construct their knowledge and understanding, or is it more likely constructed for them," he writes. Well, what then? That still leaves constructivism the theory intact, but with unpalatable consequences. It reminds me, indeed, of George Lakoff's theory of framing. But you can't argue against a theory simply because you don't like the consequences. Fortunately, constructivism is wrong for different reasons; we don't construct knowledge by creating models of reality, and so media and education have less of an influence than feared in this post.