The purpose of this special issue of The Journal of Special Education is to bring together thoughtful considerations of the strengths, potential limitations, and issues represented by the constructivist approach for students with disabilities and those at risk for school failure. In this article, we present major principles of constructivism for teaching and learning. Three idealized constructivist paradigms—endogenous constructivism, exogenous constructivism, and dialectical constructivism—are described. Finally, major issues related to constructivism are explored, including the possibility of integrative stances.
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