Video Games in the Classroom – Minecraft

This is the second part of my series on how video games can be successfully used in the classroom to promote student interest in various subjects, as well as helping them understand concepts which may be difficult to understand conceptually.

I want to take a moment and highlight steps teachers and educators have already taken to incorporate video games into their curriculum, with spectacular results. In this case, we take a look at a teacher who has successfully integrated Minecraft into his second grade computer class, along with administrative and parental support.

For those unfamiliar, Minecraft is an independent game created by one man in which a player is free to build a world as he sees fit. Everything is made up of small, cubic blocks which can be mined, harvested, destroyed, and stacked to create wondrous structures. It’s hard to explain, so I will let this fan made trailer suffice:

 Joel Levin, a computer teacher at Manhattan's Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, decided that this environment would be perfect for students to learn basic social skills. In an interview with Ars Technica, he stated:

"From day one, the kids are all playing together in a single world. They must share resources, take turns, work together, and, frankly, be nice to each other. This is usually the first time these kids have had to think about these concepts in a game, but it goes hand in hand with the big picture stuff they are learning in their homerooms. It's amazing to see how many real world issues get played out in the microcosm of the game. Kids have territorial disputes over where they are building. Kids have said mean things to each other within the game or have been destructive with each other's creations."

Joel has refined his curriculum, creating various tutorial worlds in which to show the students a variety of concepts one at a time so as to not overwhelm them. The program itself has been so popular that he has gone afterschool with his classes.

I have nothing but respect for a man who took a chance on video games and drew out of it an amazing set of learning tools. Engaging children at this early age about real world social problems from the simple to the complex, such as limited resources, is crucial in developing a generation of socially conscious citizens. For those of you who’d like to know more about the program can go to his blog page and see what he has done. http://minecraftteacher.net/