Black Diamonds
Black Diamonds |
CONSidering the big question ....
If the ghosts of coal miners and railroaders from the past visited today's world, what changes would they find the most disturbing, surprising, expected, or exciting at a modern day mine?
Use this link to print the Minequest problem-solving matrix or your teacher will provide one for you to complete this task.
Task #4: Imagine that the ghosts of miners and railroaders from the past visited today’s world. Use the research you conducted on the history of mining to predict what changes in a modern day mine would be the most disturbing, surprising, expected, or exciting to them. Identify and describe one idea for each of these four categories.
Step One: You may need additional current information on the coal mining industry to complete this task. Visit the following sites for a glimpse into today's mining world.
Wyoming State Geological Survey
http://www.wsgs.uwyo.edu/Coal/default.aspx
Wyoming Mining Association (select coal from the menu)
Step Two: As a team agree on a prediction for each of the following categories. What change would past miners find:
1) the most disturbing, 2) the most surprising, 3) the most expected, and 4) the most exciting?
Step Three: Now that you have your four predictions, evaluate which one is the most important to the most people today. You will use the problem solving matrix to record your thinking.
Step Four: Develop three to five criteria to help you select the most important change. Criteria are standards you will use to judge your predictions. To give you an example, one of your criteria might be related to safety. Historically, mining was a dangerous occupation. In today’s workplace, there are many precautions and procedures enforced to keep miners safe from harm. On the matrix, in the cells labeled criteria 1-5, write a short description of each of your criteria. Be sure that you have a full description of each criterion on another page. In the cells under the heading “Solutions,” write a brief descriptive phrase for the solutions you have developed. Be sure your solutions are also fully described on another page.
Step Five: Using a scale of 1-10, with ten being the best rating and one being the poorest rating, rate each solution according to each criterion. You may use the same rating score more than once across the row of criteria. It is quite possible that one solution might rate eights and nines across the criteria and another solution may not rate higher than a five on any criteria. Another solution may have both very high and very low ratings. When all the cells are filled with numbers reflecting your ratings, total the rows across for each solution. The solution with the highest total is your best solution because it will do the most good and least harm.
Task #5: From the matrix above, select any two separate scores. Identify the scores you choose by the cell they are in such as Solution 3, Criterion 5. Explain what you were thinking when you gave these two ratings.
Task #6: For the solution that earns the highest total score, explain how the highest rated idea assures that the majority of individuals or groups involved are affected in a positive manner.
Last but not least ...
Task #7: Visit the Minequest Lobby and share your insights about discoveries you made in this learning journey. What surprised you? If you could speak to an old Wyoming miner, what would you ask? What was the best story, diary entry, or newspaper idea your team created?
Moving on ...
Check to see that you have turned in any work that your teacher requires for evaluation or to earn a class grade.
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