This graphic shows how the skills needed to produce high standard are progressively developed from step one through to progression step five. Use this when planning activities to ensure that progression in skills and the appropriate level of challenge are central to any task.

🤖 Minecraft Education

Minecraft Education is an educational version of the popular video game Minecraft, designed to enhance learning experiences. In the context of Curriculum for Wales, it offers a dynamic platform for learners to explore, create, communicate, and collaborate. Through the immersive experience, it fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, aligning with the curriculum's emphasis on holistic learning. Teachers can integrate Minecraft Education into all areas of learning, making lessons more engaging and interactive, while promoting digital skills essential for the 21st century.

⭐ DON'T BE AFRAID!

With Minecraft, learners will often know more than practitioners about the platform. Your role is to facilitate learning through game-based learning.

⭐ UTILISE THE HWB RESOURCES!

There are already several one-off lessons and schemes of learning designed by Welsh educators on how to use Minecraft effectively in the classroom.

⭐ LET THE LEARNERS LEAD THE LEARNING!

Allow the learners to teach you about how to use the program, this will promote deep learning when they explain concepts.

⭐ BASICS!

Get to know the basics of the game such as controls, game mechanics, and available tools. Consider the logistics of multiplayer, server setup, and ensure all learners have access.

⭐ PRACTICE!

Minecraft Education is available on Windows devices, iPad, Mac, and Chromebooks. It is more efficient on Windows and iPad; however, it will work well on Chromebooks if this is your only resource. There is guidance on Hwb on how to set Minecraft up correctly on Chromebooks.

*It is important to ensure that the same version of Minecraft is running on all devices, preferably the most up to date version.

PS1 - Getting to grips with Minecraft: Education

What does good look like?

A valuable use of Minecraft Education involves fostering basic digital and motor skills. Children can navigate the game's world, build simple structures, and identify in-game elements like animals and trees. Collaborative play with peers encourages social interaction and cooperation. Importantly, Minecraft serves as a creative, playful, and safe environment where learners can explore and experiment, building a foundation for future digital literacy and problem-solving skills within the context of a fun and engaging platform.

How about...

Block Art: Encourage learners to create simple block art, like basic shapes, animals or structures.

Colour and Shape Recognition: Have learners identify and sort different coloured blocks or shapes, promoting early math and pattern recognition skills.

Place Value: Learners can demonstrate their understanding of place value for lower numbers by creating different size towers to represent different values.

⭐ Skills ⭐

Navigation

Basic navigation in Minecraft world (movement, looking around)

Object recognition

Recognising and naming basic in-game objects (e.g., animals, trees)

Collaboration in Shared Worlds

Joining a shared world hosted by the teacher to collaborate on a project.

Construction

Simple construction using blocks (e.g., building basic structures).

Cause and effect

Understanding simple cause-and-effect interactions in the game such as breaking and crafting blocks.

PS2 - Building your skills

What does good look like?

Effective use of Minecraft Education for involves a balance of learning and fun. Learners explore diverse biomes, learning about ecosystems, geography, and teamwork. They engage in creative building, constructing basic structures and experimenting with ideas. Collaborative projects, such as group builds or in-game challenges, encourage social interaction and communication skills. Learners begin to capture their learning for evaluation and feedback in a shared space.

How about...

Art Gallery: Encourage learners to create pixel art or sculptures within the game, promoting creativity and fine motor skills.

Book Cover: Recreate their favourite book cover using the tools available to them.

Scene Creation: Create a scene from a book or story that is being read as a class.

Significance Build: Facilitate opportunities for learners to craft something that has significance to themselves. This could be their home or a holiday destination they visited.

Mathematical Understanding: Ask learners to demonstrate their understanding of simple concepts such as addition, subtraction, and place value through Minecraft.

⭐ Skills ⭐

Advanced navigation

Advanced navigation (jumping, flying, using maps).

Creative building

Building more complex structures using a variety of materials within the platform.

Problem solving

Develop basic problem-solving within the game environment. Consider how placing different blocks together can create something new.

Collaborative projects

Collaborate with peers on shared projects within Minecraft where learners host the world and share with their peers.

Capturing learning

Take a screenshot of your learning and upload the image to a shared folder or document.

In-game communication

Place boards, slates, and posters to communicate in-game messages with peers.

PS3 - Increasing complexity

What does good look like?

Learners are now beginning to increase their complexity of use within Minecraft Education to develop creativity and critical thinking. Learners can tackle complex projects that delve into historical, scientific, or mathematical concepts, promoting deep learning. They collaborate on intricate structures and begin to use coding and programming skills, enhancing problem-solving and teamwork. Minecraft becomes a dynamic classroom, seamlessly merging subject matter with hands-on exploration, encouraging learners to develop a broader understanding of the world around them while honing their digital literacy skills.

How about...

Storytelling adventures: Allow learners to develop a world where they can recreate and innovate stories to develop literacy skills.

Geography and Map Skills: Create maps, explore geographical features, and learn about topography, coordinates, and mapping concepts.

Maths Challenges: Challenge learners to demonstrate their understanding of perimeter and area using features within game.

Team Based Challenges: Organise group challenges or competitive games to enhance teamwork and problem-solving.

Engage in national competitions: Use the WRU Minecraft ‘Club of the Future Challenge’ competition as a long-term collaborative project.

⭐ Skills ⭐

Using in-depth game mechanics

Develop an in-depth knowledge of game mechanics, such as crafting, using chat functions and the ‘Agent’ to support coding development.

Coding / programming

Use the Agent to develop deeper understanding of how block-based coding can support building and crafting within Minecraft.

Ecosystem understanding

Understanding the concept of in-game ecosystems and resources.

Capturing learning

Use the Camera, Book & Quill within game to capture images of the learning and to provide context or text to support this understanding. Use screen casting through Flip to capture learning within a world.

Effective collaboration

Collaborate effectively in complex, shared Minecraft worlds, hosted by learners and shared. Effectively use the chat and teleport function to communicate and move around the map.

Exporting worlds

Saving and exporting worlds, uploading to a shared drive for continued use and development over time. Version control could also be considered here by saving externally as the world develops and naming with a version number or date.

World customisation and NPCs

Use World Builder to create NPCs that provide instructions and resources to other world users to enhance the game world. NPCs could also link out to other work or resources they have created, e.g. a PowerPoint or Sway document.

PS4 - Using advanced features

What does good look like?

At this stage, Minecraft Education involves more sophisticated projects. Learners delve into advanced subject integration, using the game to explore complex concepts in science, history, and maths. They engage in in-depth coding and scripting, developing problem-solving skills while creating intricate Redstone contraptions. Learners may also mentor younger learners, promoting leadership and teamwork. Learners are now capturing their learning through more sophisticated means to demonstrate understanding.

How about...

Literary Adventures: Design quests based on literature, fostering reading comprehension and critical analysis.

Physics Simulations: Build in-game experiments to explore physics concepts like gravity, motion, and energy.

Chemistry: Use a range of Chemistry blocks from within the game to undertake investigation.

Environmental Sustainability Projects: Create sustainable and eco-friendly in-game communities to learn about environmental responsibility.

⭐ Skills ⭐

Coding and programming

Use block-based coding through the in-game code builder effectively and begin to use python to code the Agent to complete specific functions.

Redstone mastery

Explore advanced concepts like Redstone circuits and automations within a world to create complex machines and circuits within the game.

World customisation and NPC's

Use World Builder to create NPCs that provide instructions and resources to other world users to enhance the game world.

World building and terraforming

Demonstrate advanced world-building skills such as creating custom biomes, terraforming landscapes, and recreating real-life landscapes and places of interest.

Capturing learning

Use screen casting through screen recording on an iPad or Chrombook to capture learning within a world.

PS5 - Minecraft mastery

What does good look like?

Learners now engage in advanced subject integration, enabling learners to explore complex concepts in STEM, Humanities, and more through in-game projects. They delve into advanced coding, game design, and scripting, enhancing their problem-solving skills and creativity. The versatile platform for serious educational gaming allows learners develop practical digital skills, collaborate on intricate projects, and prepare for the demands of the 21st-century workforce by applying knowledge to real-world challenges.

How about...

Advanced Redstone Engineering: Challenge learners to create complex Redstone machines, circuits, and contraptions, developing their logical thinking and engineering skills.

STEM Simulations: Simulate advanced physics, chemistry, and biology experiments, allowing learners to explore and understand complex scientific principles.

3D Modelling and Architecture: Engage in architectural and 3D modelling projects, encouraging creativity and design skills.

Civic Planning and Urban Development: Have learners design and build virtual cities, teaching them about urban planning, infrastructure, and sustainability.

⭐ Skills ⭐

Advanced coding

Use Python editor within the in-game code builder to develop advanced coding and scripting for more sophisticated in-game actions.

Architectural mastery

Crafting detailed, historically accurate architectural structures.