Microsoft Wants Schoolchildren Playing Minecraft To Learn Math (minecraft.net) 39
Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes: A Microsoft blog post notes the company has lined up K-12 educators to sing the praises of Minecraft Education Edition at the Future of Education Technology Conference, where it'll also be pitching Microsoft Education in general. A 2019 Recap of Minecraft: Education Edition (and an accompanying video) highlight Microsoft's success in getting teachers to use Minecraft to teach subjects across the K-12 curriculum, not just Hour of Code tutorials. Microsoft's ambitions for Minecraft were tipped in a 2015 press release, which included the lofty claim that "Minecraft has the power to transform learning on a global scale...."
There are some teacher walkthrough videos available for review, like the unlisted one for Math Bed Wars! , a Common Core-aligned Minecraft-based lesson that teaches multiplication commutativity ("Students build arrays to show commutative properties of multiplication while constructing defenses as part of a Minecraft mini-game"). The lesson plan for Math Bed Wars! warns that children who fail to get enough hands-on Minecraft play time aren't likely to get much of a math education:
"While there is not much actually doing of math in the section of the lesson plan, it is by far the most important. It is in the game play where they get its meaning, and deeper thinking happens. For example, they will start thinking how to use math to build strategically. However, the most important part is what it does for the students' engagement across math. So please give them at least 30 minutes of game play, even if you have to break up the lesson into two days."
Is it okay for schools to make children play Microsoft Minecraft if the kids want to learn math and other subjects?
There are some teacher walkthrough videos available for review, like the unlisted one for Math Bed Wars! , a Common Core-aligned Minecraft-based lesson that teaches multiplication commutativity ("Students build arrays to show commutative properties of multiplication while constructing defenses as part of a Minecraft mini-game"). The lesson plan for Math Bed Wars! warns that children who fail to get enough hands-on Minecraft play time aren't likely to get much of a math education:
"While there is not much actually doing of math in the section of the lesson plan, it is by far the most important. It is in the game play where they get its meaning, and deeper thinking happens. For example, they will start thinking how to use math to build strategically. However, the most important part is what it does for the students' engagement across math. So please give them at least 30 minutes of game play, even if you have to break up the lesson into two days."
Is it okay for schools to make children play Microsoft Minecraft if the kids want to learn math and other subjects?
History repeats itself (Score:2)
Does it matter how they learn? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, math. M$ selling them the https://www.minecraftshop.com/ [minecraftshop.com]. Basically M$ will be scamming schools to make them pay to advertise the M$ shop, feed the children right in to the targeted marketing program. Yeah, learn math by spending their pocket money, they will inevitably squeeze in XBOX marketing to target them while they are young.
Children should be learning with software and hardware, completely and totally marketing free. Preferable unbranded software and hardware, to ensure equal future access to s
Re: (Score:2)
It does matter how and what they learn. FTA
Is it okay for schools to make children play Microsoft Minecraft if the kids want to learn math and other subjects?
Our daughter started Kindergarten in the U-46 district in Illinois this past Fall and by December, my wife and I decided to withdraw her from the public school program. She liked the other students, teachers and riding the bus, but we noticed her dragging on the way to school and not wanting to talk about school anymore. We also noticed that she was no longer wanting us to read with her before bed and no longer wanting to do anything learning related outside of
making math boring again (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Flying to designated placed on table is ridiculous and doesn't actually do anything with the platform...
Like multiplication in Factorio by figuring out production rates for a supply chain... at the easy end, it's just one process. For a more complex project, there can be upwards of a dozen proceeding steps with modifiers that can be applied to production rates and quantity. There's also immediate built-in feedback visible when you screw up, because the processes don't operate smoothly... either you overprod
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, but you see, Microsoft has this thing called Minecraft that they bought. It's supposed to be a game, you see. And they'd like to get the kids hooked on it. But they also want to get some sweet education bucks. They're also old and boring, and pretty lazy, as are most math teachers, so they came up with this.
Re: (Score:3)
This is Microsoft. The only thing non-boring about anything they ever made are the various failure modes and bad UIs. These make you angry instead.
As someone who experienced it from several angles (Score:2)
I have been a student myself (school, university, courses).
I have kids of my own currently in high school and university.
And I have done several stints as a tutor, a substitute highschool teacher, a university teaching assistant and an instructor in technical courses.
There is one common motif that kept repeating in all of those situations, for all age groups:
The number one most important thing that keeps the students engaged, interested, and wanting to learn are teachers who know the material in depth, can
Re: (Score:2)
The five most important things that keep the students engaged, interested, and wanting to learn are teachers who know the material in depth, can explain it in multiple ways, build good rapport with the students, can challenge them on the appropriate level while being supportive, and are passionate about teaching.
FTFY
Sorry, you make good points, but I couldn't help myself, especially since the topic at hand is math.
Dark Side New Math (Score:4, Interesting)
Back in the 60's and 70's, we got the New Math. There was an understandable impetus to it, but rather than making kids smarter about math, it made math obtuse and unpleasant to learn. If you do not know about it, read about here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
and here, especially if you want a good chuckle (second half of the page):
https://www.straightdope.com/c... [straightdope.com]
Suggesting that Minecraft can be used to teach math is blatant crass self-serving commercialism. Does that surprise anyone? In this case, it is Microsoft, but we have recently seen the same concept coming from Google, and it is realistic to think that Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and others already have or are conniving ways to do similar.
Anything can be easier to learn when it is fun and engaging. I can see how computer video games, even or especially popular commercial properties, could be a useful way to present students with exercises, drills, and extra credit problems, when served up as part of a deliberately designed curriculum in which that is just one of several methods of practice, reinforcement, and expanded problem solving. But, the way it is described here, it makes "play our game" front and center, and if a student gets 30 seconds of math reasoning out of 30 minutes of play, then that is used as a false promotion to "validate" the concept. Instead, if MS or the others want to contribute to real education and the advancement of society, it should do so through an arm's length not-for-profit Foundation working closely with educational professionals to supply free products and platforms without direct hands on involvement in curriculum.
The way it is implied here, it is a dystopian "New Math" for the Digital Greed and Corruption era. At least the old New Math, however, errant it might have been, had a high minded purpose that tried to raise the bar on math education. MS (and the others) New Math has a corrupted purpose that may not explicitly aim to dumb down math education but would have that effect. It would do so by robbing students, allotted just x amount of time to learn the curriculum, of that time in order to play games that serve only to surreptitiously raise their brand loyalty to a game vendor.
Re: (Score:3)
I disagree. The "old" math was largely rote memorization. Memorization of facts is necessary for competency in executing arithmetic and math, but that comes from any sufficient practice, and can be done in less unthinking ways. When done right "new" math does make kids smarter about math and it doesn't make it any more obtu
Incorrect title: (Score:2)
"Microsoft Wants Schoolchildren Playing Minecraft To Learn Math"
No. Microsoft wants schoolchildren playing Minecraft in order to make money.
Oh, I'm sure they'd be happy for them to learn some math while doing it as it makes selling school administrators on it that much easier, but that's hardly the base motivation.
Start giving it away for free (Score:2)
instead of playing some sort of dictator deciding who gets access and who doesn't.
I can't even get all that Minecraft educational stuff, even if I would be willing to pay for it.
Even if my children's school isn't part of the certified Microsoft (r)(c)(tm) approved educational institution, it would we nice to be able to provide Minecraft educational stuff to my kids.
Microsoft want to control how children think (Score:1)
If you want a math related videogame (Score:3)
Prodigy (Score:3)
Microsoft Math (Score:2)
Lesson #1 [imgflip.com]
Chromebooks (Score:2)
Teach your kids math... (Score:3)
My kids are in elementary school. Every new school year I get them math exercise books (usually Scholastic). One for the year before, one for the current year and one for the next year. They start by doing the previous year and then work their way forward. I help them where they have problems and we check the work together. With enough patience and repetition they end up mastering the concepts. I also give them $20 for completing the first book and double the amount for each subsequent one. Hopefully they don't learn too fast!
Math is everywhere! (Score:2)
Especially if you think sucking out large amounts of cash from schools is involved.
What next, learn math through basketball or perhaps ice hockey?
Disgusting (Score:1)
This is just coloring in squares on a piece of graph paper, and counting them. Except, it's no doubt much less effective.
The point is to teach children to consume.
Totally bogus (Score:2)
My nephew plays minecraft all the time, and I've never seen him use any math.
Seriously, stop believing stuff software rental companies tell you.
Mistake in subject (Score:1)
Microsoft wants money from educators (Score:2)
If Microsoft wanted "Schoolchildren Playing Minecraft To Learn Math", it would have made the Education Edition available for everyone. But it isn't. It's only available through educational institution who paid Microsoft for that privilege. And if a kid already plays Minecraft and wants the added features, or their parent wants it for them, well, tough.