Tourists or Miners? You Make The Call!

Procedure

To give students a feel for the relevance of science to everyday life, conduct this science-technology-and-society roleplay. Children will debate the viewpoints of different interests groups regarding the reopening of an old mining district that is currently a historic tourist attraction.

For this activity, you will need to photocopy the cards (each group of 3-5 students will receive one) and the background passage (one per student). Reserve one 15-minute period and one 60-minute period and prepare by reading the following background material.

Technology changes our world on a daily basis, and those changes have far-reaching consequences. In this activity, students consider whether a town ought to change its economic base in response to recent technological developments. The advent of cyanide heap-leach gold extraction has made gold mining a possibility in a place currently visited by tourists as a historic mining site. Of course, renewed mining would demolish the primary tourist attraction and related income. As students will soon realize, protecting a historic resource requires informed decision making.

Have your class read the background passage and then form small groups. Give each group a "Position Card." The next day, let each group prepare its arguments and choose a spokesperson. Have the city council group sit in front of the class, as in a public meeting. Give each group five minutes in which to state its position to the council, who can then question the spokesperson. Once every group has presented its opinion, lead students in a general discussion. Then, the council must vote on whether or not to approve the mining corporation's proposal.

Make sure students see that each group does have a valid concern, and that there is no "right" or "wrong" in this situation. Challenge them to think of a solution that could address everyone's concerns. To conclude the activity, have students abandon their assigned roles and write a short essay about what they would decide and the reasons behind their choices.

Jeremy M. Brodie
Environmental Education and Volunteer Programs
Last Updated: May 1, 1996