Chemistry leaves its indelible mark

For many years there has been debate about who science education is for and what its purpose actually is. While there is no doubt that we need to train the scientists of the future, we also need to be mindful of the fact that the majority of students are not going to study science at a higher level. For this group of students, science isn’t always popular due to a perceived lack of relevance. Stuckey and Eilks have worked with a group of teachers in Germany to develop a lesson plan which introduces the chemistry of tattoos with links to the wider societal issues associated with topic, resulting in positive impacts on student engagement.

David Read summarises and reviews the lesson plan and study around it.