Epistemology, constructivism and education: widening the debate

Abstract

The paper deals with a recent polemic related to the progressive or regressive role of constructivism in Education. Drawing on the work of L. Goldmann and J. Habermas, the potentialities of Genetic Epistemology for updating left wing philosophical thought are emphasized and the tendency of looking at the influence of psychology in education in a homogeneous fashion is criticized. Constructivism's potentialities and limitations are discussed and the a priori characterization of constructuvism as a regressive phenomenon is criticized.