Minecraft Club

On Tuesday mornings before school, a group of students starts their day in the STEAM room playing Minecraft. These students join in groups up to five to build villages, mine items and protect themselves from attack. Each group huddles together and talks about their plan. 

"I'll build this section of our house if you go mine some Redstone." I hear some students say. I watch them talk, type messages and collaborate while working in their Minecraft World. Some of these students have been working in the same world for about three years.

Minecraft is a sandbox video game, meaning that the game provides the materials but what you do with them is left up to your imagination. The students who play work together toward a common goal. The goal is typically decided by the group.

The learning environment may seem chaotic to an outside observer but micro-conversations are taking place amongst the groups.

"I found peace in creative," says one student. "Also, I figured out how to use shields. I'm using the shield," he shows me.



"Where's the fire aspect? I'm looking for fire aspect," comments a boy.

The boy who figured out how to use shields stands up, taps the other boy's screen, and types in 'fire a' and the block options in the inventory narrow to two choices. Both players continue with their game.

"Nobody hit this wolf," says one girl. "Once I turn back, I'm going to kill this skeleton and tame this wolf."

"Hey guys, I have a crafting table." says another. "We're safe for now but I need you to get a furnace."



"The time is ending," says the girl who started the game. This means that soon she will switch the game mode from creative to survival. In creative mode, the characters in the game have all the resources they need and they can fly. In survival, the characters need to gather resources and protect themselves from attack.

I let them play until two minutes before the morning bell rings. "It's time to clean-up!" I say over the noise. 

Without wasting time, the students stand, put their iPad away, plug it in, grab their backpack, and leave to line up at the school doors. (It might be helpful for you to know that the STEAM Room is in the school annex.)