Innovating with Minecraft

Games and learning scholar Seann Dikkers sits down with teachers who use Minecraft in their classroom to learn about how innovative teachers think and design.

Minecraft is one of the most played, most loved, and most ‘blocky’ games ever released. For the uninitiated, Minecraft randomly generates a world filled with movable and makeable digital ‘blocks’. Many compare it to having unlimited Legos, yet the online component allows players to build together, fulfilling the innate desire to show others their work, which creates armies of Minecraft recruiters. It is an open-ended sandbox for play that ignites millions of players’ imaginations.

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      string(318) "What if, instead of simply imagining the settings for their stories, your pupils were able to build them? Teacher Chris Waterworth explains what happened when he and his pupils used Minecraft to design, build and explore Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, and write their own story about the mischief made ..."
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      string(5669) "TeachingApproaches8Volume6.3nCreativeTeaching&LearningWhat if, instead of simply imagining the settings for their stories, yourpupils were able to build them? Teacher Chris Waterworth explains whathappened when he and his pupils used Minecraft to design, build andexplore Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, and write their own story about themischief made inside.Using Minecraft toinspire creative writingWith the announcement of Microsoft’s purchaseof MinecraftEdu, and the upcoming release ofits expanded education edition, it’s clear thisaddictive game is going to be around muchlonger. Many colleagues I’ve met have baulked at the idea ofusing what is ultimately a video game in the classroom, but afterwatching how focused the children playing it are, we’ve got totap into that engagement, haven’t we? Of course we have!9Volume6.3nCreativeTeaching&LearningTeachingApproachesI’m lucky to have a seven-year-old son athome who has started this journey with me,and, together, we’ve come up with some superideas for how we could use Minecraft in school.With his guidance, I managed to survive myfirst night on survival mode, am now the proudowner of several diamonds, and have craftedmyself a diamond sword (my son was veryjealous), although I did unfortunately die whenlava fell on my head—‘don’t mine vertically’ isthe lesson there.Of course, if used without purpose, the gamecan be a flash in the pan—a gimmick, fun atfirst but with no real function. We need to keepthis pitfall at the forefront of our minds whenchoosing the technology and applications forour classrooms. They need to be engaging, buthave a true academic impact.So can we use Minecraft in our classrooms toimprove learning outcomes? It was somethingI was very interested to find out. For thisproject, I decided to see if using Minecraftcould engage the reluctant writers in my classand inspire an enthusiasm for storytelling. Iasked the children if they were up for it—aresounding ‘Yes!’ came from every corner ofthe classroom.I took the plunge with my own son to learnthe basics and I’ve never looked back since.The interesting thing about using Minecraft isthat nearly every child in my class knew howto use it, so no sessions were spent learninghow to use the application. It really is simpleto get to grips with, and you’ll soon be buildingyour very own house, mining for diamonds andbeating off Creepers and Zombies with youriron sword.Setting up your virtual worldMinecraftEdu is relatively simple to set up inschool. You need to purchase a server licenceand then individual licences for each computerit will be used on. We opted to buy a licencefor every other computer and allow the childrento work in pairs.All the information you will ever need is onservices.minecraftedu.com/wiki. Ask yournetwork team in school or your technicians togive you hand setting the system up. You mayfind they’re as excited as the children to getthis up and running!As the server is hosted in your school, youknow it will be safe for the children to use, asthe outside world cannot get in. Run througha few e-safety rules with your class regardingrespecting other people’s designs, and how togive structured feedback and help – especiallywith TNT around (disable it before you begin!).Minecraft can be a good starting point to aconversation with the children about how tobe good digital citizens.Try to have a place where the children cantalk about their designs when they are outsideschool. We used Edmodo for screenshotshttp://services.minecraftedu.com/wikiTeachingApproaches10Volume6.3nCreativeTeaching&Learningand quick; the possibilities for writing, drama,art and even computing are endless! Below ismy topic plan to get you started.After reading the first few chapters of thebook and exploring characters using drama androle-play, we arrived at the chocolate factory.I told the children that there was a chaptermissing from the book—the infamous ‘lostchapter’ that was never published. We weregoing to write our own version by creating acharacter, a chocolate bar or sweet, and a roomin which the chapter would take place.When I told the children we were goingto use Minecraft to build our own chocolatefactories, they went wild. They wouldn’t stoptalking about it. Engaged? I think so! They’dbought into the challenge and, after calmingthem down, I explained how it would help themwrite. I talked about writing in detail and howwe could use the rooms we built to inspireour stories. I told the children they needed toplan their rooms before they begun miningfor blocks.This planning phase proved a masterstroke,as it saved plenty of time when it came to usingthe technology in the classroom. The childrenhad a clearer idea of what they were goingto build when presented with the Minecraftworld. You may think that I was stunting theircreativity by not letting them fail while creatingand discussion, as it is a platform the childrenwere used to using. This feedback from otherchildren (peer assessment) is a great way forchildren to take charge of their own learningand allow them to think and talk about theirwork away from the classroom.Online collaboration is a great way to getchildren to push each other forward with theirprojects and to learn from each other. I foundthem sharing screenshots, video links, andgiving out advice on how to create roofs, slidingdoors and much more. 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Creative Teaching & Learning

Using Minecraft to inspire creative writing

28 Jul 2016

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      string(4533) "CultureUnit 3: Lore Building1: Mythological Influences on Esports2: Narrative Writing: Creating a Backstory3: Marketing as a Means for Building LoreUnit 4: What IS the Quest?1: Analysis: Live Tournament Breakdown2: Developing a Business Plan3: Formal Presentation: Tournament ProposalUnit 5: There Be Dragons Here!1: Reorganisation into Divisions2: Choice Writing: Exploring Grit through the Hero’s Journey3: Contingency PlanningUnit 6: Transformers1: Writing for an Audience: Gladwell’s Recipe for Success2: Discussion: Defining & Working within a Budget3: Persuasive Speaking: The Elevator PitchUnit 7: “Do, or do not.  There is no try.”1: Stakeholder Communication: Finalising Event Website2: Script Writing: Final Event Preparation3: Mock Tournament Run Through and ReflectionUnit 8: The Dragon’s Lair1: Event Post-Mortem and ReflectionThis new curriculum builds on the same pedagogical models and activities as the esports clubs, but it more systematically introduces students to core reading, writing, and communication skills across the levels that represent the various esports roles within the ecosystem (Figure 2). Each grade level ties ELA to one of four fundamental Career Technical Education pathways: Game Design (grade 9), Entrepreneurship (grade 10), Marketing (grade 11), and Hospitality (grade 12). Students can take one year or multiple years, opting in and out of the course sequence as they choose, in order to provide maximum flexibility for learners and teachers. Ideally, by year three of the NASEF league, students will be running the team websites, promotions, fundraising, and league championship event themselves, with adults taking a side seat as guides and mentors for their work. Final CommentsRejecting and denigrating the passions and interests of young people is, in our view, to land on the wrong side of history, Instead, we choose to meet students where they are and use those contexts as sites for their intellectual, social, and civic development. NASEF connects students’ passion for esports to thinking and reasoning, which have been long valued in classrooms, and caring mentors and near peers who can shape participants’ online and gaming lives in positive was. In so doing, we hope to raise not only more connected, resilient and engaged students but also better citizens of the increasing networked and cosmopolitan world.Constance Steinkuehler is a Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine where she researches the cognitive and social aspects of esports and multiplayer online videogames. She formerly served as Senior Policy Analyst under the Obama administration in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, advising on games and digital media.References“About the Federation.” (2018, August 20). Retrieved from http://esportsfed.org/about/about-the-federationAnderson, Tsaasan, Reitman, Lee, Wu, Steele, Turner & Steinkuehler (2018). Understanding Esports as a STEM Career Ready Curriculum in the Wild. In the Proceedings of the VS Games Conference, 5-7 September, Weiberg Germany.Career Technical Education (CTE) Model Curriculum Standards. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.careertech.org/cctc.Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2018). Core SEL Competencies. Retrieved from https://casel.org/core-competencies/Cheuk, T. (2013). Relationships and convergences among the mathematics, science, and ELA practices. Refined version of diagram created by the Understanding Language Initiative for ELP Standards. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University.Gee, J.P. (2005). Semiotic socials spaces and affinity spaces: From The Age of Mythology to today’s schools. In D. Barton & K. Tusting (Eds.), Beyond communities of practice: Language, power and social context (pp. 214–232). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Ito, M., Horst, H. A., Antin, J., Finn, M., Law, A., Manion, A., … Yardi, S. (2013). Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press.NASEF Curriculum (2018). Retrieved from http://www.esportsfed.org/resources/curriculum/english-12-and-hospitality/Perez, M. (2018, February 21). Esports to grow substantially and near billion-dollar revenues in 2018. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved 16 August 2018 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2018/02/21/report-esports-to-grow-substantially-and-near-a-billion-dollar-revenues-in-2018/"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Thriving Through Competitive Gaming

10 Oct 2018

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      string(387) "... game design, allowing young or inexperienced students to make 3D video games without having to write code. It is a tool that lets students create games on PC and Xbox via a simple visual programming language. Students can develop the creative, problem-solving and storytelling aspects of game design through ..."
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      string(5933) "Incorporation of game design in the classroom is becoming recognised more and more as an authentic and meaningful way of teaching students thinking skills. Game design tasks help students to develop and practise complex problem-solving skills and can increase teachers’ engagement with critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and provide a context for examining effective pedagogy around these issues.As explored in several articles in this issue, game design can be a very motivating pedagogical tool for getting students engaged in learning. Recent research has shown that students at KS3 who developed games had more positive attitudes toward mathematics and had higher levels of intrinsic motivation and deep strategy compared to students who played games developed by others.How can game design be incorporated into the classroom? From tools that are specific to the computing curriculum to innovative ways of connecting games to thinking and creative processes, there are lots of resources out there. This collection of apps and digital resources are some of the latest tools for introducing students to game design concepts or to help them refine their more advanced technical skills.Tiny Tap (EYFS – KS2) www.tinytap.itTiny Tap is an app builder that empowers creativity and allows teachers, parents and children to create their own personalised learning apps and to play ones that have been developed by others who use the platform. Possibilities for projects include games, puzzles, quizzes, e-books, soundboards, interactive presentations, digital textbooks, photo albums and various classroom activities. The digital content is interactive and can be custom-made or tailored from a vast content library. The content library is called the ‘Creativity Museum’, which is a searchable collection of games and books that have been developed by teachers, parents, developers and authors from all over the world. As a bonus, the content can be filtered by country so it is easy to find material that may match your own curriculum.  Material is well categorised and can be browsed by topic, author, type, etc. There are sample learning plans and options to send lessons directly to students within the app, which is great for assignments and quizzes. There is even a section for Project-Based Learning that allows students to build portfolios of interactive presentations. Although there are some games that children have created, most of the apps are made by adults to meet the needs of the children they work with. There are free and premium options available and the website is very well organised. Overall this a very versatile app that would be a great addition to the arsenal of anyone working with children from nursery through to Year 5.Kodu Game Lab (KS2 – KS5) www.kodugamelab.comKodu Game Lab has taken the challenge of programming out of game design, allowing young or inexperienced students to make 3D video games without having to write code. It is a tool that lets students create games on PC and Xbox via a simple visual programming language. Students can develop the creative, problem-solving and storytelling aspects of game design through visual menus where they can point and click to create objects (and worlds) and define their behaviours in the game through visual, Lego-like ‘if this, then that’ statements. In addition, students can share their worlds and games online for others to play and have the opportunity to see what their peers have been developing and sharing online.Kodu provides various Project-Based Learning curriculums for topics such as ‘Space Science and Mars’ and ‘Applied Algebra, Geometry and Data Collection’, along with many tutorials on how to use the platform and how to approach game design. Kudu has been around since 2009 so many teachers and students have had the opportunity to use it and there seems to be many tips and project suggestions online. Several reviewers have commented that it is not the most intuitive programme to get started with, but most note that once the initial stages have been learned, it is easy to use. The tutorials may not be best suited to young learners, but with guidance from someone who has rudimentary knowledge may be enough to get the younger set started. There are many professional tutorials available, including through the online learning platform Lynda.com, so these initial challenges are not insurmountable. There seems to be a wider scope for high school students who may have some rudimentary coding knowledge to get started with it. As an introduction to programming, Kodu does a great job of showing how designing a game requires breaking the problem down into individual parts. The colourful block-based code encourages discovery-based learning by toying with a core foundation of computer science: procedural logic.Sound Shapes (KS2 – KS5) www.playstation.com/en-gb/games/sound-shapes-ps4Sound Shapes is a music game for PlayStation that allows students to design levels and create music. Players navigate a blob character through various obstacles and challenges, completing ‘albums’ of levels that unlock new sounds and shapes that can be used to create their own levels. The game provides a rich musical track that is influenced by a player’s action and its level editor allows the user to compose music that integrates with the visual world. Sound Shapes doesn’t teach traditional music notation, but it allows students to intuitively learn principles of rhythm, pitch and"
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Computing and Coding

Gaming it up

17 Jul 2018

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      string(5639) "My first headship, at Bannockburn Primary School in Plumstead in 2003, saw me make more mistakes than I care to mention. It was also the period of my steepest growth and most valuable learning—starting with the headship interview. As part of the process, I was asked to lead an assembly and attempted to deliver the ‘long spoons’ story—Google it if you haven’t used it before, it’s a good one—just don’t do what I did! On this occasion, it resulted in 250 pupils scrambling for sweets across the hall, all health and safety protocols abandoned as governors watched in shock, clip-boards to hand. Remarkably, they still appointed me—something which I will be forever grateful! The first two years in post were a bit of a mess, to be honest, but they set me up to understand the power of relational leadership. Having taught through the introduction of the literacy and maths hours, I was obsessed with national strategy implementation—the flat-pack-furniture-approach to school improvement. This involved measuring anything that moved and lessons were timed to the minute. Teachers were judged and graded, depending on how slickly they could manipulate a counting stick or wave number fans around. Staff meetings were instructional—the milkman delivery method of training, rather than a design model. As for recruitment, I appointed teachers like football managers sign new players: SLEs, advanced skills teachers and expert professionals were all on my shopping list. Star signings were unveiled to parents, staff and governors with great fanfare.  To my cost, I learned this doesn’t always make a cohesive team. I had unwittingly created a school culture crammed with Galácticos who didn’t want to play together! These were expert teachers who preferred to teach with doors closed and who had a similar mindset towards learning. It taught me that it is better to have a school full of open-to-learning novices than closed-to-learning gurus! Over the next ten years, I slowly learned that school improvement is about much more than strategy. Schools are complex, adaptive organisations, bound by relationships at every level. Bannockburn Primary School became a centre of excellence not by mandating change, but because we grew to become network and story-focused. By networked, I mean the way in which collaboration between teachers, schools and across the system defined our work. On multiple levels, staff developed agency to make a bigger difference and worked closely in teams to support each other. Planning lessons became intrinsically social and organic. Ideas for lessons grew from putting children’s needs before what was in the schemes of work the government produced. By 2011, the school expanded its roll by another 2 forms of entry, we became the focal point for the community, began supporting other schools and opened our doors to share best practice. By giving away our best school improvement ideas, it forced us to create new ones. Staff recruitment concentrated more on mindset rather than talent, which enabled us to strengthen relational leadership, building strong teams who worked for each other.This then allowed us to tell a powerful story of improvement. Stories in leadership are important: they have the potential to bind people together, connecting beliefs with action, engaging people emotionally, necessitating inter-dependence. The most sustainable school improvement occurs when everyone sees themselves as investors, owners and creators of change—a very different approach to the national strategy days of instruction. Storytelling schools create a values-led approach to the organisation of learning, including:Recognising that learning communities are created when we concentrate on people’s gifts rather than deficiencies Engaging all community members in the process of a common vision for learning Understanding that success depends on everybody achieving  Knowing that sustained improvement is achieved only when learning communities are given the power and permission to act Realising that lasting success is gained by harnessing social capitalThis matters even more because education attaches such high status to measurement of outcomes, which can stop us from focusing on what is harder to measure but which matters just as much. High-stakes accountability has resulted in schools learning that survival depends on maintaining good results, sometimes at a cost. 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Executive Leadership

Forget the Teaching Superstars – Bring on the Teams

13 May 2019