Eric.ed.gov – Build Engagement and Knowledge One Block at a Time with Minecraft

The core of instruction is the interaction between the student, the content, and the teacher. Good instructional design accounts for the students’ needs and interests by personalizing the core to each student. Video games and simulations are one way to meet student needs and leverage their interests for increased student learning. In the 2011-12 school year, eighth grade students at Monroe Middle School in Eugene, Oregon, USA, participated in a pilot class that featured the popular online game Minecraft (minecraft.net). The project clarified for the author the question of how video games can be a tool for learning. It also brought into stark relief the misconceptions many career educators have regarding gaming in education. Peter Tromba, formerly a science, math, and computer teacher before becoming a middle and high school principal in Eugene, Oregon, describes an experiment in which Minecraft gaming was used to improve student achievement, and along the way it was discovered that computer gaming presents a challenge and opportunity to improve both learning and class attendance.