Colorado All About Mining workshops and courses help teachers educate their students on mining

The Colorado Mining Association’s Education Foundation has been offering courses and workshops for teachers since 1968 to help them educate their students on the importance of mining to our standard of living here in the United States. Over time, there have been several iterations of the program. The current format is a two-day workshop modeled after the popular, industry-supported workshop program run by the Nevada Division of Minerals. The virtual course option was codeveloped with the Nevada folks. This summer marks the third year of our successful and completely free-to-teachers workshop program, and it is growing rapidly. Our two summer workshops this year in Golden and Leadville had 20 teachers attending each, with another 15 teachers working through the virtual course called “Mining for a STEAM Education.” The two-day workshop format better meets the needs of educators. Each workshop offers teachers the opportunity to listen to industry professionals and mining professors, participate in hands-on learning activities and take tours of working mine operations. The Leadville workshop also offers an opportunity to explore some of the rich mining history within the Leadville Mining District and a chance to explore the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, which hosts the workshop there. While the workshops are similar in nature, they each have a different focus that appeals to teachers of all subject areas as well as grade levels. It is encouraged that teachers take more than one workshop as each exposes them to different perspectives, and different locales and histories. A Colorado Springs workshop is in the planning stages for next summer. The hope is also to offer extra workshops in both Golden and Leadville. These would allow teachers to deepen their understanding of the mining industry and help them to develop lesson plans that create interest in careers in mining, and an understanding of its importance to modern lives and the green economy. We would also like to again offer the chance for a week-long field trip around the mines and processing facilities for educators who have completed at least two workshops/courses. This expansion will require more industry support. We would like to thank the organizations and individuals who supported this year’s program and helped it to be such a success.

Colorado All About Mining workshops and courses help teachers educate their students on mining

Authored by: Sandi Sullivan

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