Vorlage Poster Marc

Institut für Didaktik der Naturwissenschaften (IDN)
Abt. Chemiedidaktik, www.chemiedidaktik.uni-bremen.de
Science teaching that goes under your skin: A PROFILES-module on tattooing
Marc Stuckey, Martin Haverkamp, Stephan Kienast, Ute Knoop, Bettina Most, Herbert Schultheis, Ulrike Willeke, Torsten Witteck,
Petra Wlotzka and Ingo Eilks
Introduction
Many popular musicians and sport stars wear tattoos. These celebrities act as role models and idols for the young generation. The latest
tattoos worn by the stars are discussed, e.g. in teenage magazines and influence teenagers and their views towards tattoos.
In Germany, more than 20% of the 14 to 24 year old age group wears a tattoo. In the US, more than 20% of the total population has such
body art. The topic of tattooing can provide a motivating context for science education. The practice of tattooing is authentic, relevant,
controversial, and can be openly discussed among high school students. These represent the basic criteria for promising socio-scientific
issues that have the necessary potential for motivating learning environments in science education (Stolz, Witteck, Marks & Eilks, 2013).
Lesson plan
Within the PROFILES project in Bremen, Germany,
a group of eight teachers developed a teaching
and learning module on tattoo inks, their
respective properties and the potential societal
and health implications of having a tattoo
(Stuckey & Eilks, 2014).
Pre-testing of the materials took place in three
upper secondary school chemistry classes (age
17-18 years) before the final lesson plan for junior
high school level (age range 14-15) was tested.
An overview of the lesson plan is presented in
Figure 1.
Effects on motivation and perception of
relevance were researched in a case with five
learning groups and a total of 108 students from a
comprehensive school in Northern Germany.
Different instruments were used, such as teacher
self-reflection, a student feedback questionnaire
and the MoLE (Motivational Learning
Environment) instrument as described in Bolte,
Streller and Hofstein (2013).
Figure 2 shows results from selected items of the
MoLE-questionnaire.
Step
Task
Textual approach and problem analysis
- Mimicking a self-test page from a commonly known youth
journal (“What kind of tattoo person am I?”)
- Reflection on the different perspectives found in the selftest: aesthetic, societal and science-related
- Developing questions to inquire into the chemistry
background of the issue
Clarifying the chemistry background in a lab environment
- Carrying out various inquiry-based experiments on tattoo
inks from different sources such as flame colouration test,
particle size, enzymatic activity, stability, solubility etc.
Re-examining the socio-scientific dimension of the topic
- Reflecting upon which scientific aspects of the topic were
answered in the laboratory and which were not
Discussion and evaluating different points of view
- Mimicking the editorial consulting function found in youth
journals by responding to a fictitious letter from a teenager
who wants to get a tattoo
- Presentation of the various replies to the letter and
reflection on why chemistry-related arguments were or
were not chosen
Meta-reflection exercise
- Reflection upon exactly which role science-related
information plays in the youth media with regard to both
self-tests and consulting readers
Figure 1. Overview of module on tattooing (Stuckey & Eilks, 2014, p. 161)
Conclusions
Tattooing as a socio-scientific issue for
science education proved to be highly
relevant to the students. Operated
according to the PROFILES-philosophy of
inquiry-based and societal-oriented
science teaching (Holbrook & Rannikmae,
2012), the module helped raising students'
motivation in science lessons. Reflections
on the case study indicate that it was
basically the authenticity and relevance of
the topic and the sharing of social
communication processes that made
science education in this example so
motivating in the eyes of the students.
Figure 2. Results from the MoLE questionnaire for the module on tattooing (*: p < 0.05; **: p < 0.01, N=108) (Stuckey & Eilks,
2014, p. 164)
References:
Bolte C., Streller S., & Hofstein A. (2013). How to motivate students and raise their interest in chemistry education. In I. Eilks & A. Hofstein (eds.), Teaching chemistry – A studybook (pp.67-95). Rotterdam: Sense.
Holbrook, J. & Rannikmae, M. (2012). Innovative inquiry-based science learning environments in the framework of PROFILES. In C. Bolte., J. Holbrook, & F. Rauch. (eds.), Inquiry-based science education in Europe: Reflections from the PROFILES Project (pp. 52-55).
Berlin: FU Berlin.
Stolz, M., Witteck, T., Marks, R., & Eilks, I. (2013). Reflecting socio-scientific issues for science education coming from the case of curriculum development on doping in chemistry education. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technological Education, 9, 273282.
Stuckey, M., & Eilks, I. (2014). Raising motivation in the chemistry classroom by learning about the student-relevant issue of tattooing from a chemistry and societal perspective. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 15, 156-167.
Wir bedanken uns für die Finanzierung des PROFILES-Projekts durch
das 7.EU-Rahmenprogramm zur Forschungsförderung unter
Finanzhilfevereinbarung Nr. 266589.