Charlie Lake Elementary School uses Minecraft program for constructive learning

CHARLIE LAKE B.C. — Since October, Charlie Lake Elementary School has been running a before and after-school program using Minecraft for constructive learning.

First released in 2009, Minecraft has become one of the best-selling video games in history. The game offers endless creativity in building almost anything the player wants.  

Students have been using the program to learn valuable skills such as geometry, problem-solving tasks and effective communication. 

The program began when principal Glenn Longley noticed students arriving at school early and thought they could do more than play outside before class. 

Longley allowed the early arrivers to play Minecraft using the school computers on a shared gaming server to build an identical model of the school. 

“I gave them a challenge. I wanted them to build the school, and they started taking it on. They walked around, they measured the entire school and started to build it completely to scale,” said Longley

After completing the project, the students were eager to continue, saying they wanted to keep building beyond just the elementary school property and make an exact replica of the Charlie Lake community. 

“There’s so much learning that comes out of Minecraft education. People think it’s just a play-piece. It’s so much more than a game, and the kids are showing that they can learn from Minecraft education,” said Longley.

On Wednesday, students went on a field trip to Golden Base Contracting Ltd. to collect accurate measurements, adding to the community layout.  

Students will also have the opportunity to visit Charlie Lake Community Church on Friday. 

Longley hopes the students will finish building the community by the year’s end. 

The program began with the participation of eight students in grade six. 

Currently, up to 50 Charlie Lake Elementary School students have joined the program in grades four through six. 

Around 20 students continue building the community while other groups have been formed to build duplicates of the pyramids in Egypt, as well as other projects.

“More kids started adding in, and the project just kind of expanded once people saw the interest in it,” said Longley. 

Longley wants to expand the program into a ‘community builder’ that the whole town can participate in by providing access to local structures so that Charlie Lake can be completed in the Minecraft world.