ELKO - Barrick Gold of North America, Inc. joined forces with the Northeastern Nevada Regional Development Program to provide STEM educators with professional development about the mining world that northern Nevada is immersed in.
Thirty teachers from Elko, Lander, Humboldt and White Pine counties came together in March to learn about the lifecycle of a mine and how they can take this knowledge back to their classrooms in the form of research and hands-on activities.
Teachers were taken step by step from exploration to processing to reclamation, considering the economics involved and the byproducts of mining. The activities, such as "Stake Your Claim," "Mining in a Nutshell" and "Metals from Rocks" were engaging venues for participants to learn about the industry that provides a way of life for many people in northern Nevada, either directly or indirectly.
These activities integrated the elements of STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The relevancy and authenticity of the mining tasks provides students with real life opportunities.
It also gives Barrick the opportunity to inspire students to consider the many career options available in the mining world as they continue through their academic journey and onto becoming a contributing member of the 21st century.
The expectation that teachers would take the knowledge learned from the one-day professional development and implement it with their students in the classroom was observed in Kenna Hall's fourth grade classroom at McGill Elementary.
NNRPDP coordinators Holly Marich and Valerie Byrnes observed students participating in a leaching simulation science lab during a recent visit. Not only were the students learning how the leaching process works, but they were also asking questions about the mining process.
Through the science lab, students were able to find answers to many of their own questions and develop even higher order questions that they will continue to seek answers to as the unit continues.
"The STEM mining unit brought mining into the classroom and made it real, tangible. Students discovered through hands on activities that there is so much more to mining than what they thought they knew. Mining is such an important industry in Nevada and it was great to see students so excited about mining and the prospects of their future in mining," fourth grade teacher Kenna Hall said.
The mining professional development will continue with mine tours in May. All of the teachers will have the opportunity to visit one of their local mines to experience firsthand the many and varied opportunities for STEM education in the mining industry.
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