Creating a more dynamic, fun learning experience through Minecraft
The pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on everyone’s lives. In fact, the fundamental ways in which we interact with the world has also changed completely. Also, education is one such field which has undergone a massive transition during the pandemic. Not only students, teachers also have had to adapt to the changing scenario by familiarising themselves with online mode of education. While most schools simply shifted to virtual platforms to make sure that learning continues in the era of social distancing, others went a step ahead in making online learning dynamic, engaging and above all more fun for students. This is where game-based learning tools like Minecraft come into play.
What is Minecraft?
Developed by the Swedish video game developer Mojang Studios, Minecraft is a unique video game released in 2011 wherein players get the opportunity to explore a 3D world that generates an infinite terrain on which structures can be built. The premise of this game is simple: Building a world and sustaining it while facing different challenges that the game throws. These include collecting and discovering resources, fashioning new tools of survival, mob battles, etc. Thus, unlike other games, Minecraft does not “end” nor can you “win” it. It continues till the player essentially keeps building and expanding the world.
These distinct elements of the game had the scope to be translated into an educational format which could benefit students. Minecraft did exactly that by releasing its education version in 2016, which proved to be an asset during the pandemic era of social distancing.
What is Minecraft: Education Edition?
As already mentioned, Minecraft allows gamers to expand their imagination, build on their ideas, weave new worlds together and most importantly, assume the role of creators. Through its education edition, known as Minecraft: Education Edition. This version, specifically designed for classroom use, aims to facilitate more collaboration amongst students and teachers, to allow personalisation of Minecraft’s learning experience.
As many as 30 students can play and learn together on this platform, which creates a more interactive experience for students and emulates a pre-pandemic classroom group dynamic. The teacher too can be a part of this educational learning experience as an NPC (non-player character) to keep a tab and guide students as and when required. Tasks and challenges can be assigned to students which they have to overcome together, as well as find certain solutions individually.
The educational edition of Minecraft also comes with an expansive library of structured lessons and activities covering a range of subjects from history to STEM, which educators can use in supporting their curriculum and teaching material. To add to this, it is also possible to customise lesson plans if required, which sets this platform apart from so many others. This advantage ensures that teaching is more specific, adaptable and adjustable.
Why do educational institutes prefer Minecraft: Education Edition?
Educators consistently maintain that one of the most beneficial aspects about Minecraft’s education version is that it allows students to collaborate to build projects as well as come up with solutions for problems. Moreover, the platform provides teacher training and allows for easy access technical support and resources. “No doubt there are numerous other online learning platforms, I choose Minecraft as it is a single tool with multifaceted opportunities. With its various tools, it can be used across multiple disciplines and subject areas. For example, the Immersive Reader helps in enhancing vocabulary and reading skills of students,” says Anni Kumar, IT head at Vikas Bharati Public School, Delhi.
The education edition also provides a vast array of learning activities for students and teaching tools for educators while making learning more animated and engaging. “We wanted an environment that was conducive to engaging our students constructively while also paying considerable attention to students with special needs. So, we tried game-based learning using Minecraft to attract and sustain their attention. Connecting students with their environment is the foremost responsibility of an educator, and integrating game-based learning into our curriculum served the need of the hour. Games present unique opportunities to make the learning process effective and meaningful in students’ present milieu,” says Monica Joshi, head of IT at Sat Paul Mittal School, Ludhiana.
Joshi further recounts an example of how Minecraft’s unique tools benefited students and teachers. “We observed a significant difference in achievement in mathematics between groups taught through Minecraft vs. traditional teaching. For this, the students were tested after the lesson was taught the traditional manner using a worksheet. Then, students who didn’t perform well were asked to play the game in the form of a tutorial. After playing, the children were evaluated on a specific topic: Area and Volume in Minecraft. The teacher had created different blocks in the shapes of a square, a rectangle, a triangle, and a cuboid. She wrote questions for students in Minecraft’s Book and Quill tool. Students read the questions and answered on boards placed by the teacher. Not only did the gaming platform clear up the concept for the students, but they enjoyed the experience at the same time,” she elaborates.
Benefits of Minecraft: Education Edition
One of the key benefits of Minecraft is that it enables teachers to allow learning at an individual pace for each student. This is extremely unique because the objective is not to win the game, but to find solutions to progress in it using various means and methods. Thus, learning is customised according to the need of an individual student.
Since it can be used in a highly collaborative way, students learn life skills like communication and teamwork from Minecraft. Additionally, educators will not run out of new, interesting ways to inject diversity into teaching, thanks to a library of learning material at hand. Lastly and most importantly, the gaming environment is extremely stimulating and helps students build their problem-solving skills, keeping them more engaged than a regular online class.
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