We are delighted that this issue of JBE includes three papers from the most recent conference of the European Researchers in Didactics of Biology (ERIDOB), held at Karlstad University, Sweden. There were 129 presentations given at the conference by 165 participants representing 24 countries.
ERIDOB was established in 1996 and holds an international conference every two years, bringing together people with an interest in biology education research from Europe and across the world. We have so far held conferences in nine different countries. ERIDOB aims to share current research, develop a greater awareness of the diversity of research traditions between countries, and provide a welcoming atmosphere for early career researchers to discuss issues in biology education research with more experienced colleagues. There is no other international conference like it anywhere in the world, and just as ERIDOB is unique in this way, we also recognise the JBE’s unique position in focusing on international research in biology education, so it makes sense that they are both working in a spirit of positive collaboration.
These papers give an indication of the breadth of presentations at ERIDOB conferences and the diverse interests of its participants. In their paper ‘Why do parrots talk?’ co-investigation as a model for promoting family learning through conversation in a natural history gallery, Emily Harris and Mark Winterbottom from the UK analyse the learning taking place within family groups during a visit to a natural history museum. They identify a range of approaches for building meaning within the families, and discuss how simple, cost-effective learning strategies could be used to enhance family learning by encouraging dialogue and co-investigatory behaviours.
Butterflies & wild bees: biology teachers’ PCK development through citizen science by Martin Scheuch and colleagues from Austria, explores the development of biology teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) when supporting students taking part in a citizen science project. It shows the effectiveness of citizen science in engaging teachers and students in scientific inquiry, improving the integration of science education and environmental education, and gaining a sense of place. It proposes strategies for improving citizen science in the context of learning biology in schools.
François Lombard and colleagues from Switzerland describe A method to reveal fine-grained and diverse conceptual progressions during learning. Their paper on conceptual progression among high school biology students identifies ‘slow spots’ in learners’ progression and reveals some non-linear and often surprising conceptual pathways. The authors challenge traditional pedagogical approaches which aim to organise conceptual progression in a rigid, predetermined sequence.
In addition to this issue of JBE, a book with 23 full research papers and 8 position papers relating to the future of biology education research, from the ERIDOB 2016 conference will be published during spring 2018.
This year’s ERIDOB conference is at Zaragoza University in Spain on 2–6 July. Details can be found at: https://eventos.unizar.es/8746/section/7332/twelfth-conference-of-european-researchers-in-didactics-of-biology-eridob-2018.html
We hope you can join us, or at least read the conference papers when they are published – some hopefully in this journal!
Marcus Grace is chair of the ERIDOB Academic Committee and sits on the JBE’s editorial board. Niklas Gericke was Chair of the ERIDOB 2016 Conference Organising Committee.
[email protected] Gericke
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http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8735-2102