Technology classes in Primary School Savremena have always been creative, and a particularly interesting teaching segment refers to the game Minecraft that encourages young minds to creativity, exploration, analysis and independence in decision making. This game not only allows students to build and create, but stimulates their innate creativity as well.

Modern technologies have become a necessary element of teaching due to the digital revolution that we are currently witnessing. The Technology course in Primary School Savremena is designed to enable students to present their ideas and develop their imagination and creativity using some of the latest trends in engineering.

This is how the popular game Minecraft, which helps students complement their knowledge and develop imagination in several fields, entered the classroom with the help of Technology teacher, Maja Erić.

MINECRAFT IS THERE TO COMPLEMENT STUDENT KNOWLEDGE AND BE A USEFUL TOOL

The application of this game allows students to explore various buildings that exist or have existed in human history. Thus, for example, students can explore the Roman Colosseum. They can literally walk through the building and see a three-dimensional view of this amphitheater.

In addition, students can build whatever they want using Minecraft, and this option can be used to teach them measurement and proportions.

The so-called survival mode of the game, which requires players to take into account available resources, human needs and limitations, is very popular. Students have to research in order to gather resources, thus learning about the need to melt the ore in order to forge metal for example. This way, students gain a basic understanding of how different things and processes work.

This is how the Technology teacher Maja Erić describes the use of Minecraft in teaching:

Minecraft has proven to be an excellent teaching aid in our modern education system. We are currently studying architecture and structural engineering in Technology classes, a rather complex and demanding topic, and yet, students accept it and master it with ease. So far, students have designed and built houses for themselves, but that was not the end. They also built a farm with vegetables, fruit and livestock together with realistic growing conditions. In addition to learning about natural and artificial building materials and structural elements, they also have to master the laws of physics, biological definitions, chemical reactions, historical development, possibilities of technology, and above all, develop team spirit and teamwork to be able to complete certain tasks. Students also learn logical reasoning, and how to define and solve everyday problems independently, and as they grow and develop, so does their Minecraft world.

Students and their teacher have a message:

We’ll be back soon with news from our Minecraft world, and as for now, you can take a peek into our world here.

In addition, Minecraft is one of the best approaches for improving the way in which students present the knowledge they’ve acquired through reading with understanding.

Through visualization of what they’ve read, they can recreate different settings from the text, and even create scenes and events.

They can also use this option to present different assignments, or even predict future events, which lends an element of creativity to the whole learning process.

MINECRAFT IS USEFUL FOR TEACHERS AS WELL

Teachers recently developed a Minecraft tool for other teachers: MinecraftEdu. It provides a custom game mode that facilitates organization for teachers when they use Minecraft in the teaching process. In addition, it also provides teachers with ideas on how to use this game in the teaching process.

There is no end to play, because there is no end to learning! At the end of this text, you can take a look at the artwork of our student Luka Markićević, who made Pinocchio within this popular game: