Final call  (pdf) (html), deadline October 31st 2008, 24.00 hours Greenwich time

Welcome to the 13th European Conference for Research on Learning and Instruction.

Two Amsterdam Universities – The University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) – are proud to host the EARLI Conference. We will do our utterly best to make it both fruitful and enjoyable. EARLI 2009 will be an opportunity to communicate and discuss common research topics with other scholars and to discuss your research in particular.

2009 is a marked year: ten years after Ann Lesley Brown died from sudden illness at the age of 56. Together with Joseph Campione she developed the Fostering Communities of Learners programme, in which many students learned to create knowledge in research projects. We decided to choose the theme of the conference, Fostering Communities of Learners, as a tribute to Ann Brown. This theme provides a focus for both the research to be presented and discussed, and for the meeting as such. We are aware of the fact that learning is a social process and that students have to learn how to contribute to the process of knowledge creation by collaborating with peers and teachers in a community of learners. By the same token, we, as researchers, understand that conducting research on learning and instruction benefits from collaborating with students, teachers, parents, and fellow researchers. Obviously, with highlighting this theme we do not mean underestimating or neglecting other important aspects of educational research and practice on learning and instruction.

We hope that the conference will be an enjoyable experience for all participants. Amsterdam is an agreeable place to stay. There is its rich and omnipresent history, its cultural highlights such as the Rijksmuseum, Museum of Modern Art, the Van Gogh Museum, the famous Vondelpark as indicator of its pleasant atmosphere. The University of Amsterdam, established in 1632 as the Atheneum Illustre, hosts 24000 students and 2100 staff. The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam was founded in 1879 as part of the emancipatory movement within the Dutch Protestant community and hosts 17000 students and 2000 staff.

We are looking forward to meeting all of you in Amsterdam.

Jos Beishuizen, Chair of the 13th EARLI Conference
Gerrie Buijze, Location manager
Ron Oostdam, Social programme & sponsoring affairs
Thea Peetsma, Social programme & sponsoring affairs
Gert Rijlaarsdam, Programme manager