Killing zombies, digging for diamonds and enchanting weapons to, ultimately, slay a dragon – looking at Minecraft from that perspective it doesn’t exactly appear to be full of educational value.
Schools are increasingly using Minecraft as an addition to regular curriculums though, with research showing the game promotes creativity and teamwork along with improving problem-solving skills.
Backed by the likes of Microsoft and WWF, global research shows Minecraft: Education Edition is particularly relevant to STEM-related subjects, so much so it’s now endorsed by the NSW Department of Education.
There’s so many elements of Minecraft that improve students’ skills.
Nashdale Public School teacher Matt Campbell
Nashdale Public School has recently taken advantage of the department offering both the program and its subject-specific lesson plans, stage three teacher Matt Campbell said it’s had an overwhelmingly positive impact.
“How it’s used as a teaching tool is definitely very important but when it’s used the right way it’s more than a game, there’s so many elements of Minecraft that can improve students’ skills,” he said.
“As much as anything the kids engage with it in a fun way because it’s something they enjoy, so quite often it’s a case of them not realising how much they’re actually learning.
“The lesson plans are directly related to specific subjects like mathematics, they focus heavily on students solving problems and collaborating as a team to progress, so there’s also social benefits.
“I like to add a bigger project that we work on over time around our usual lessons that help build on those skills more, like creating a realistic version of the school for instance.
“That brings in elements of design, knowledge of materials and geology and even architecture the kids need to be aware of, without them really even knowing.”
Mr Campbell said promoting students’ social engagement has been particularly important, but also explained the information and technology-based skills have a future-focus too.
“So many of the careers and jobs that will be available to these kids didn’t exist when I was their age. When they finish school, that industry will have moved even further forward,” he said.
“That’s very true of all STEM-based subjects, but students this age will need those digital and technology-based skills to keep up in the real world, they’re very important.
“This doesn’t replace traditional subjects, it works in conjunction with them. Personally, I think when we have new and innovative technologies that can be beneficial, not using them would almost be doing the kids a disservice.
“But we need to make sure they are having a positive impact. In my experience this has been really great and it’s good to see something a bit more out-of-the-box available as a tool.”
James Berryman is one of Mr Campbell’s year six students at Nashdale, he said using Minecraft has helped make subjects like mathematics and science more enjoyable.
“I really like the way it makes those subjects in school fun,” he explained.
“I also like that we can solve real-life problems in Minecraft.”
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
HAVE YOUR SAY
- Send us a letter to the editor using the form below …
