The Irresistible Use of Contexts in Chemistry Education

Abstract

In an introduction the position of chemistry education over the past twenty five years is discussed. The relative low interest of students is discussed as well as some ways that were formulated to counteract this low interest and raise the number of students electing to study science and more in particular chemistry. Context oriented chemistry is one of these solutions, in which a specific context related to everyday life is chosen as a starting point to learn about chemistry. An example from an FP7 project, called Irresistible is presented, to demonstrate the use of contexts. In this project several other aspects were introduced as well. One of them was the introduction of current science research in the classroom. The idea is that students get a better understanding of science at the university when confronted with (results) of recent research. A second aspect is the introduction of the concept of ‘Responsible Research and Innovation’. This concept formulated by the EU, discusses the link between scientific research and society, and specifically the way science can play a role in solving problems society is confronted with as formulated for example by the sustainable development goals of the UN.