Can Video Games Actually Teach the Common Core Standards?
If you are a middle school or high school parent you have probably heard of the videogame Minecraft. It is an open world game that has no specific goals and allows players the freedom to explore and create anything they want by placing blocks. It was only recently two teachers in Louisville, KY thought of incorporating Common Core Standards into the game in order to help students learn in a fun and engaging manner.
They did this with the help of the online community to make plug-ins that ask Common Core related questions every few minutes. Students get to compete and whoever responds first gets an in-game reward. The Louisville teachers, Jason and his wife Crystal Hubler funded the whole project. They created worlds that include areas modeled after historic time periods and locations as well as problem solving games and activities. This took 6 months and hours to prepare.
Feedback from students after taking the SBAC (Common Core tests) suggests that the game helped to increase their understanding of Common Core standards because it was tied to the game. The Hublers didn?t plan on selling it to schools to download and use but it could really take off now that the hard part is done.
Additional Links:
http://lessons4minecraft.com/#
http://home.edweb.net/mathcraft-use-minecraft-teach-common-core-math/