Today I began my inquiry project by exploring Minecraft’s Education Resources page. I started their introduction to Minecraft for Educators. I was amazed by how many different ways Minecraft can be used for almost any subject. Having no experience with Minecraft previously, I was relieved to read that this shouldn’t be an issue. The introduction they provide for educators emphasizes the value in learning from your students while using Minecraft, because they will almost inevitably know more than you do. Among the many benefits that Minecraft provides as a learning tool, I appreciated how the collaborative and fun nature of the game contributes to classroom culture, especially while playing in groups or as a whole class. Especially in a language classroom, classroom culture is so important. Students have to feel comfortable and confident in language classrooms in order to fully open themselves up to learning, as speaking a language you do not know well can be an intimidating experience.
I am so excited to continue learning about how Minecraft can be used in the language classroom, particularly the lesson plans that other educators have made!
“Minecraft” by John Baichtal is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0