Understand the foundational goals of Minecraft Education's computer science lessons

  • 3 minutes

The goal of Minecraft Education's computer science curriculum is to provide learners with the necessary skills to address the complex societal issues of our time and their futures.

The curriculum fosters a coding mindset. It delivers holistic education, providing instruction for the social, emotional, and physical needs of learners. It also fosters a distinctive set of attributes:

  • Curious
  • Committed
  • Cooperative
  • Considerate
  • Confident

These qualities prepare learners to make exceptional contributions, both in school and outside of school.

Computational thinking provides learners a vital skill set that they must have to fulfill the industry’s needs in the jobs of tomorrow. Our ever-changing workforce creates a critical need for innovation. Learners need computational thinking skills to solve problems in their educational journey and to meet the challenges of adapting to our constantly changing workforce. With computational thinking, learners practice:

  • Decomposition
  • Pattern recognition
  • Abstraction
  • Algorithmic thinking

Additionally, Minecraft Education provides meaningful, relevant, and engaging units of study. The units of study possess a conceptual lens to allow for depth and complexity to develop conceptual understanding—knowledge which transfers through time, across cultures, and across situations. Learning activities within the curriculum explore concepts of:

  • Digital citizenship
  • Programming
  • Cybersecurity
  • Impacts of computing

Finally, as learners gain and possess new knowledge and skills, the curriculum strives for them to find a greater purpose of “Why do they need to know this?” or more importantly, “How can they use this information?” Minecraft Education activities encourage learners to:

  • Gather
  • Analyze
  • Create
  • Share
  • Reflect

Learners are, therefore, empowered to develop confidence and self-efficacy into a commitment to serve the communities in which they live and beyond to make an impact on their community.