The Briefcase of Mineral Applications
The Briefcase project is a new educational tool produced by FabLab Coventry that uses hands-on learning strategies to teach students about the important role of mineral raw materials in everyday life and how our choices concerning these materials can shape the world. Through innovative learning experiences, students engage directly with the raw materials they are learning about, improving retention of the content and challenging them to consider their place as European and global citizens.
The game of “The Briefcase of mineral applications” aims to familiarise the player with minerals that are used in the manufacture of everyday objects. Given the era of a growing prevalence of online teaching and learning, we believe tools such as this one could prove to be effective and beneficial for the education of young people. After all, it is now that their sense of responsibility and consciousness is forming.
The Briefcase Project explores innovative ways to attract the general public to minerals and mining. It is a funded EIT Raw Materials Project that is orientated for Wider Society Learning (WSL). It aims to transform issues around mining – such as conflict minerals, sustainability and environmental consequences of mining – into more relatable and tangible concepts for the everyday person, namely our young students. Using a number of innovative methods, it teaches students to identify minerals they use in their everyday lives and encourages them to reflect on the problems and topics surrounding the mining industry.