Constructivism is a common learning theory that educators use in their classrooms. However, there are some limitations to what it can offer to the learners. According to Phillips (1995), as constructivism is a student-centred approach, there could be an overemphasis on personal opinions and feelings rather than actual facts. Constructivism focuses on external and internal learning processes, which can restrict information from flowing into their thinking and learning process. This influence of a subjective learning process can affect educational standards and make assessment less reliable (Phillips, 1995). If this occurs, there will be gaps in essential knowledge and foundational skills because of the broad individualized learning standards that the students receive to make their own education successful. There is still a great need for standardized assessments to keep our education in check.

Furthermore, as constructivism is around discovery-based learning, if students who struggle with working independently are to use this learning method, they will have a difficult time (Alanazi, 2016). Those students might need a structured and guided approach with direct instructions, but discovery-based learning does not offer this approach. Also, depending on the access to learning supports, there could be a great divide of knowledge among students. Students with a stable socioeconomic background will have parental support to enrich their knowledge through different experiences compared with families that are struggling to make it through each week.

Social constructivism is a major part of the learning process in a constructivist theory. It focuses on learning through social interactions; however, there are constraints to this approach. According to Zahavi (2022), social constructivism overlooks individual autonomy and self-awareness because of the outside influence that builds knowledge for the learner. It is crucial that people build human agency and self-concept, which are central to a person's identity, to make learning more meaningful. Additionally, we need to build selfhood, which values one's own experiences, thoughts, and perspectives to support our learning (Zahavi, 2022). It is important to be self-aware and reflect on our own thoughts to connect what we are learning.

Cognitive constructivism is an important learning theory where learners are active participants in the learning process, and by doing so, they construct their mental framework. Although this sounds great, there are individual cognitive limitations that are not factored into the learning process. Hruby & Roegiers (2012) suggest that individuals have limitations on processing complex information and might have a difficult time navigating cognitive overload. For example, learners' attention span can hinder how much learning can be done individually, and their memory capacity can limit how they can apply the knowledge to another learning subject. These factors can contribute to the limited output of using a cognitive constructivism approach.

Using constructivism learning approaches is very powerful, but there are some limitations when used in physical classrooms. According to Naylor & Keogh (1999), inquiry-based learning is one of a constructivism approach; however, it requires more time and resources to achieve this method, which can be very demanding for educators to prepare and execute. There is limited time in a day to accomplish what needs to be done, and as educators, we need to promote active engagement in learning. There will be stress among educators because they will be fighting with time and the pressure of making sure learning is acquired in a timely manner.

Additionally, in a constructivist classroom, students will be engaged in group work or discussions to promote active learning among peers. However, this can result in difficult classroom management (Naylor & Keogh, 1999). If we want a constructivist approach to succeed, we will need to set classroom expectations that will support this learning environment. This will support students to stay on task and make sure that everyone's voices are heard in their own groups. Building these expectations takes time and it has to start from a very young age to promote success when they are older.

In a digital age, lots of learning occurs outside of classrooms and in digital spaces. It is sometimes difficult to bring learning theories into digital spaces, and there are some complications in doing so. Gold (2001) suggests that in an online setting, it is difficult to create meaningful collaborative learning experiences. As constructivist approaches rely on social engagement in the learning process, online spaces have a hard time replicating face-to-face dynamics. With these limitations, it is difficult to have depth of interaction compared to being in a physical space with your peers. In my personal experience, many conversations during online meetings are awkward, and sometimes it is difficult to express one's ideas to the group.

In the same way, many online courses are built around discussion posts, which are required to pass the course. These mandatory discussions are meant to promote a constructivist approach, where students are sharing their ideas and thoughts about a certain subject. Then again, we need to remember that this is a mandatory process in many courses, and it feels like it is forced conversation. Gulati (2008) suggests that when online discussions are compulsory, it does not lead to genuine learning and can become passive learning where students are doing it to meet the requirements of the course without actually wanting to do it. There will be some critical analysis on online discussions, as many people do not really find it that helpful. It might be helpful for students to do a short activity that promotes critical thinking, and having them reflect on it can be more helpful in people’s learning. Learning has to promote active engagement and not a passive approach to be meaningful.

Below is an activity that I would like people to participate. Thank you for your time and effort.

Alanazi, A. (2016). A critical review of constructivist theory and the emergence of constructionism. American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(1), 1-8.

Gold, S. (2001). A constructivist approach to online training for online teachers. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 5(1), 35-57.  

Gulati, S. (2008). Compulsory participation in online discussions: is this constructivism or normalisation of learning?. Innovations in education and teaching international, 45(2), 183-192.

Hruby, G. G., & Roegiers, A. B. (2012). Cognitive constructivism. The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics; Johan Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, USA.

Naylor, S., & Keogh, B. (1999). Constructivism in classroom: Theory into practice. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 10(2), 93-106.

Phillips, D. C. (1995). The good, the bad, and the ugly: The many faces of constructivism. Educational researcher, 24(7), 5-12.

Zahavi, D. (2022). Individuality and community: The limits of social constructivism. Ethos, 50(4), 392-409.