The 12th International Conference on Conceptual Change (24 - 27 of August)

Conceptual change theory is a theoretical framework that describes learning and the acquisition of knowledge as a slow, stepwise transformation of what we already know. It started in the 1980’s as a mainly cognitivist approach (most science teachers probably remember the work by Posner et al., 1982) but in the next decade it became more and more clear that a broader perspective was needed to study conceptual change. In 1993, Paul Pintrich considered how motivation, self-efficacy, value, control, believe and classroom contexts influences conceptual change (Pintrich et al. 1993). This led to a strand of research on the role of emotions and teachers’ beliefs of learning in knowledge acquisition. Conceptual change theory now has grown into a broad research program describing knowledge building from different perspectives. 

From the beginning, the majority of research on conceptual change has been conducted in science education and a lot of pedagogical studies reported nowadays, have conceptual change as their theoretical underpinning. By now, we can find many studies on conceptual change in many different subjects and for different age-groups, e.g. in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, history, geography and economics and to a lesser degree in the languages. 

Conceptual change during the school years has been a longstanding topic in the learning sciences. With the social changes of the last decades, the need for lifelong learning has grown, and with it the need to change conceptions throughout one’s professional career. At this upcoming SIG 3 Conference, we want to discuss conceptual change in teacher education – including pre-service and in-service teacher education – and post-secondary education in general, as well as in professional practice. What do we know and what can we say about adult learning in professional (and non-professional such as volunteering) contexts?

In the field of teacher education, there has been a longstanding awareness that all teachers sometimes need to change beliefs about teaching and learning to further develop. For example, de Bruyckere, Kirschner and Hulshof (2015) compiled “urban myths about learning and education”, which teacher educators frequently encounter in their classrooms. Research on professional development and teacher education has long been concerned with teacher beliefs, without explicitly referring to conceptual change theories. Conceptual change theories seem uniquely suited to explore these issues for teachers but also for other professionals from a psychological point of view.

At this conference, we want to look at these studies and start a discussion: What do the findings in teacher education and professional development mean for conceptual change research? What has conceptual change theory to offer for these other research communities? What does conceptual change look like for adults? How can we think about conceptual change across the life-span? Are the factors that influence conceptual change the same for professionals as they are for younger students?

At this Sig 3 conference, we also welcome papers which discuss any aspect of conceptual change, even if they do not specifically address the conference theme.

Paper sessions 

Paper sessions are scheduled for 90 or 120 minutes, in which 3 to 4 papers are presented and discussed. Presentation time is 15-20 minutes maximum. The chair will monitor the time and signal when 5 minutes (yellow card) and 1 minute (red card) are left. After each presentation, there are 5 minutes for clarification questions from the audience. Discussion points are to be kept for approximately 10 minutes after all presentations.

Symposia

Symposia sessions are scheduled for 120 minutes. In symposia, the discussant will start the discussion by pointing out commonalities/differences in the papers and possibly raising further points for discussion with the presenters and the audience.

All oral presentations

Each session room will be equipped with a PC + internet access. Please bring your presentation on a USB stick or e-mail it to the conference organizers by August 21 (Sunday before the conference).

Poster presentations

The poster session is scheduled for 60 minutes. Large poster boards are available suited for A0 portrait or landscape posters. Fixation materials will be provided.

Posters will also be presented to the audience. Each presenter will have 5 minutes to present, and there will be 2-3min for questions. The chair will monitor the time and signal with a red card when one minute is left.

To support PhD students and young researchers, we will organize a pre-conference morning session on August 24^th for young researchers with an introduction to conceptual change (which is open for all).

We also want to facilitate a feedback session with members of the conceptual change/ learning sciences community for your PhD project during the conference. If you are interested to receive expert feedback for your project, we ask you to select “PhD Poster” in the submission form. There you will be asked to submit a brief description (with an abstract of 100 – 250 words, and an extended summary (500 – 1000 words). We will invite selected professors (if possible, matching the field of study of your project), to participate and provide personal feedback. Note, this specific submission will not undergo a review process; we welcome submissions at any stage of your PhD project.

PhD students are invited to join the Social dinner (Thursday August 25th) at the rate of € 25,00.

Social event: Conference dinner (Thursday August 25th) € 60,00.

As we aim to integrate especially young researchers into our community, PhD students can get subsidized for the conference dinner, and pay only 25€. In the registration system you will still pay the 60€, but at the registration desk you can show your student status/that you are a PhD student, and you will get refunded 35€ if your university does not refund the dinner.

This year, to increase diversity and researcher participation, we offer a reimbursement of up to 500€ covering costs linked to taking part in this conference (e.g., conference fee, accommodation, traveling) for researchers from low-GDP countries and developing countries. Just drop an e-mail to our JURE coordinator Christian Thurn (christian.thurn@ifv.gess.ethz.ch(opent in nieuw tabblad)), quickly describing your situation, and we will inform you about the details. The criteria are 1) coming from a low-income country & 2) presenting an accepted submission at the conference. If there are more applicants than our budget can afford, the decision will be made by lot.

City of Zwolle

Windesheim’s main campus is based in Zwolle, a welcoming, lively city at only a one-hour drive from Amsterdam. The city is well known for its beautiful and cosy medieval city centre, with lots of cafés, restaurants, parks and shops. There are many cultural activities, including music and cultural festivals, theatre shows, movies, museums and a wide variety of sports events. Zwolle has reasonable prices for living expenses and once you’ve learned how to ride a bike, it's easy to get around. With a population of around 125,000, Zwolle is an important economic hub in the region.

Location/Venue

The conference will take place at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Campus 2, Zwolle, The Netherlands.

Transferring

The easiest way to move in Zwolle is by bike. You can rent a bike for € 10,00 a day. If you are interested please sent an email to early2022@windesheim.nl. 

Accomodation

De 10 beste hotels in Zwolle (Prijzen vanaf € 70) (booking.com)(opent in nieuw tabblad)

We strongly recommend booking hotel accommodation early as rates will be going up towards June. 

How to get to Windesheim?(opent in nieuw tabblad)

About Windesheim

Read more about Windesheim(opent in nieuw tabblad)

Keynote speaker 

Olivia Levrini(opent in nieuw tabblad), Professor in Physics Education at the University of Bologna, Italy. Keynote: Unpacking change for teacher education in the era of uncertainty and acceleration

Pre-conference workshop

On the first day of the conference, there will be special pre-conference introductory sessions for young researchers and those less familiar with conceptual change research.

Keynote Speaker

Andrew Shtulman(opent in nieuw tabblad), Professor in Cognitive Science and Psychology at Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Keynote: Bundles of contradiction: A coexistence view of conceptual change

Keynote Speaker

Cecilia Lundholm(opent in nieuw tabblad), Professor in Educational Science at Stockholm University, Sweden.
Keynote: Conceptual change and teaching; focusing on social science and climate education

You can also access the overview of the program via the following downloadable PDF

Conference program PDF (118KB)