Constructivism Disillusionment

I remember first learning about constructivist theories in undergrad education classes, thinking that it was the bee's knees.  "Why didn't my teachers in high school use more student centered learning?" I wondered.  Personally, I still love project-based learning where I'm free to explore, make mistakes, ask questions and make meaning on my own to some extent. 

However, after this week's readings and ten years of education under my belt, I'm learning about constructivism with a new lense.  I'm still a huge proponent of students-centered and inquiry based instruction, but some of the criticisms of constructivism mentioned on the Educational Broadcasting Corp article resonated in a way that is new since the first time I heard this information.  I have seen students from low-income, non-parentally involved families truly struggle with constructivist approaches to their learning.  I've also seen differences among my own three children, one of whom really struggles with learning that isn't very structured and routine in nature.  I don't believe in a purely traditional approach either.

I think where I land at this point is that there is value in progressive approaches to education, absolutely, but one needs to take a careful look at not assuming that one approach meets all students' needs in all communities at all stages of the learning process.  I'm interested to know more about what has been done to assess what approaches to learning are more appropriate for academically, culturally and economically diverse learners.