What unintentional learning occurred?

Something interesting just happened...

We were looking at responses from my first Minecraft project and my colleague Jenh (and upcoming MinecraftEDU partner) just saw something very interesting. Among a lot of questions in my evaluation there was one where I wanted the participants to reflect about what unintentional learning they had occurred?

Sorry, it's all swedish :D and it's not a science research I know that, but still very interesting.

To the left

Key competences for lifelong learning from the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE) and according to Google Translate (for once it seems right) and I quote:

An important part of professional skills is the key competences for lifelong learning. They are the skills required for continuous learning and for that individual to come to terms in the future, in new situations and in a changing world of work. The means improved vocational education and improved civic skills, which are needed in all industries. Competencies needed for the students / candidates are to follow the changes in society and working life and adapt in a changing world. 

Key competences for lifelong learning 

1. lifelong learning and problem solving 
2. interaction and collaboration 
3. professional ethics 
4. health, safety and working 
5. initiative and enterprise 
6. sustainable Development 
7. aesthetics 
8. Information and media literacy 
9. mathematics and science 
10. technology and information technology 
11. active citizenship and different cultures.

(end quote)

To the right

And according to the responses of the evaluation:

1. Be able to plan and be proactive (6) 
2. Boolean value (redstones = electrcal engineering) (1)
3. Ability to manage information (4)
4. Analysis Ability (2) 
5. Cooperation (5)  
6. Understanding how communities were built in the past and how to utilize natural resources (2)
7. Materials properties and structure of (4) 
8. Interaction between man, society and nature (3)
9. Design and creation (5) 
10. Programming and scripting (command block) (2)  
11. Solving Problems (6) 
12. Think Programming and Logic (command block) (1)

Something very interesting happens there...

Minecraft and geometry

Sorry, this is so awesome I have to tell you. 

First of all, my principal (at my section) have given me the Minecraft tool to use when I try to explain or help our students. He makes the decisions, it's up to me to make them real.

And all of these students I have now, different classes, actually has the same course to pass: geometry... What could be better than actually use Minecraft...?

I found some inspiration made by Traci Blazosky at the awesome site teacherspayteachers but unfortunately I couldn't use it. But it gave me a structure how to make and put up challenges to my students. 

So I have a bunch of students, 16-19 years old, some with a challenge (ADHD, dyscalculia and more) and some without. All of them has never thought math could be fun. None of them have never done that much at these lessons. And come on, when the teacher had his lecture you maybe get a question once in an hour. You have to make a decision once in an hour. 

Computers and games, you have to make decisions all the time, every second. 

That was what happened today. 

I had this unjustified guy without any inspiration, I should - according to his teachers - be so very glad he came so early in the morning. 40 minutes is the maximum time he usually can sit still. I put him in front of the computer and started to explain my thoughts how to make geometry possible in Minecraft, perimeter, volume, area.

Three minutes and I had made math interesting.

After 75 (!) minutes without break I asked him if he was learning something and if he could see any difference between this way of learning and the old fashion way (paper, pencil). 

He smiled, answered honestly: maybe not that much geometry but a lot of thinking. A lot of thinking and all was about math, he had to calculate every move in one way or another. What come to geometry, when he had to start think about it (in game) it was so significantly. Perimeter, he could count it and control it (walk around a house). Volume he finally understood.

Imagine: I made math fun!

Computers and games, you have to make decisions all the time, every second. 

Same thing yesterday but that guy (18 years old) has dyscalculia. He doesn't like math at all. But he knows he need help with it. He had have two lessons of intodruction to Minecraft, just be creative, try the controls and so. Yesterday we started for real.

Again, difficulties with the concentration and what happened? 

He sat for one and a half hour without a break! 

We had to stop because he had to go to another lesson.

A bit nervous I asked him if he had learned something new and he answered:

"Yes, I know understand perimeter. I can see what area and volym are, but it's hard to count. But hey, I couldn't believe math could be this fun!!!"

Math can be fun!

AWESOME!!

Minecraft in education

I have some of the first years Business Information Technican students that should be out getting work experience but didn't get any work place, still at school. Those students try to catch up with their studies. Some of them had actually worked today but there was this one guy who disapointed said: 

"I've only played Minecraft today"

So I sat down with him for a minute or two, and we agreed he should have done some studies. But what on earth had been so interested today with Minecraft?

Well, two things.

He had send out some turtles on mining missions (private server) and build a nice cool house (project server in school) from a blueprint, with English messurements.

Suddenly the bad day turned out into a better day. He had actually done some  working after all. He looked a bit sceptical when I told him. First he had done some lua programing (to get the turtles, ComputerCraft mod in Minecraft, working). When he tried to use the blueprint he had to start think about scale, math, geometry and probably been googling a lot to get the 3d model in Minecraft as real as possible.

And that's what i love with Minecraft! 

Without thinking you're doing lots and lots of learning. 

I have the same experience with my 5 yo daughter and I'm so jealous about the opportunities you have as a teacher if/when you teach in primary school.

Sunday morning, on our way to the ballet, she started to ask me about a farm and the fields around it. I tried to explain with different words but after five minutes I gave up and said: "do you remember Minecraft yesterday? The wheat you planted to make bread? That's what these fields are too."

Amazing, immediately she understood and started to explain farms in real world (what they had talked about in the daycare) and what she wanted us to do in our Minecraft world. 

My belief in Minecraft have resulted that my boss has invested in five minecraft accounts which I can use when I work as a remedial teacher. Today I had my first session, I've introduced a bunch of students, tired of school, to Minecraft and geometry. Awesome! But it's too early to get any feedback from that course today.