Chicago Public Schools Gets Started with Minecraft Education

This summer Minecraft Education and NCCE, Northwest Council for Computer Education, worked with Chicago Public Schools to increase educator awareness of connecting with a digital creative outlet for students in before and after school programs in Chicago Public Schools. The introduction to Minecraft will also contribute to game based knowledge in the district’s eSports vision.

Minecraft: Education is a block-based game that fosters creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in an immersive environment where the only limit is your imagination. As educators, you can leverage this game-based learning platform to engage students and ignite their passion for learning through play.

Why Minecraft: Education Edition?

Prepare students with workforce ready skills

Problem Solving Skills: Use Computational Thinking and higher order skills for in-game coding
Social Emotional Skills: Learn digital citizenship and build empathy for others
Empower Student Learning: Learn about real-world issues and problem solve in an immersive environment
Build Community: Learn how to build, work, and communicate appropriately with others in a highly engaging environment
Self-Regulation Skills: Practice monitoring time wisely and working towards a goal while learning to redirect efforts as needed in challenges.

Learning Highlights

Overview: Understand the role of Minecraft Education to enrich creativity, practice problem-solving, support social-emotional learning (SEL), and reinforce content-related learning goals during Out of School Time (OST).
Become a Minecraft Facilitator: Learn controls, navigation, and game features to gain confidence and reduce anxiety about game-based learning.
Curriculum Creation: Create and modify resources and curriculum materials to take back to your students.

Resources to Use Today

Lesson Plans and Resources: The Minecraft Education community site offers existing lesson plans, build challenges, and Minecraft template worlds for creative expression.
Training and Support: Educators can access ample training through videos, webinars, and online courses. Additionally, NCCE offers onsite training workshops. During a one-day workshop, teachers learn the basics of Minecraft, explore game-based learning, and adapt curriculum to leverage this creative platform1. There are also many free online learning options on The Minecraft site.