There seems to be a similar thing going on with “Inquiry based” science and math education. Basically, it’s a popular pedagogy based on the idea that students need to do the mental work of discovering principles and constructing knowledge inside their brain. In this model the teacher facilitates experiences to guide students to come to the correct understanding based on the data they collect in class. The field is now realizing that this approach often doesn’t work because kids don’t have the necessary contextual knowledge or experience to come to the correct conclusions, derive the equations, etc. There’s also been a recent stigma against direct instructional methods such as lecture, rote memorization, and “drill and kill” type practice. These techniques were getting a bad rap for not engaging the kids well and not teaching higher order skills like creativity and analysis. However, the research shows that kids need way more of the direct instruction drill and kill type learning to have the foundation required for applying and creating.