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About Minecraft Education
Minecraft is a popular online game. You can build your own digital worlds or complete tasks in pre-designed ones, individually or in groups.
Minecraft Education is a modified version of the game, specifically tailored for educational settings. It offers a captivating, open-ended environment where students can explore, create, collaborate and learn across a broad range of subjects.
Minecraft Education is available to all schools under the department’s Microsoft licence.
Why Minecraft is great for education
The game is great for:
- engagement and student participation – you can tap into students’ interests when designing worlds or giving them challenges
- problem-solving – students must strategise and find creative solutions to challenges within the game.
- collaboration – projects encourage teamwork and communication – up to 40 students can work together in the same world
- cross-curricular learning – you can use Minecraft Education to teach anything from history and science to mathematics and English
- assessment and learning progress – students can record their work and reflect on their learning directly within the game.
What the research says: Minecraft Education White Paper: The Education Benefit of Minecraft | Microsoft.
Considerations
You may want to consider the following before using Minecraft with your students:
- safety...
(Section 1) How you could use Minecraft Education
See it in action – case studies
[...]
Taking the stress out of learning maths: Minecraft at Marryatville High School
Marryatville HS has been using Minecraft Education since 2022. Find out what they learnt and how it’s impacted the students and school.
Read the full Marryatville case study
Find inspiration in these articles:
(Section 2) How to access Minecraft Education
Step 1 – check the minimum requirements
Minecraft Education doesn’t have special requirements. It:
- is available for Windows, iOS (Apple), Android and Chromebook
- uses single sign-on (schools email address)
- works on most laptops, tablets and smartphones.
If playing on a laptop, having a mouse will be much easier than using the trackpad.
Step 2 – Ask your site leader to complete or review the cyber risk assessment
Minecraft Education has been endorsed as a whole of department enterprise solution available to all sites.
Before you start using this software, your site leader must have reviewed and accepted the cyber security risk assessment – Minecraft Education and approved it for use. It includes recommended strategies on how to mitigate risks.
We’ve also prepared safety guidelines for you to consider in class (on this page).
Step 3 – consider procurement requirements
Minecraft Education is free for all schools and preschools as part of the department’s enterprise agreement with Microsoft (Microsoft Education A3 licence).
Step 4 – Talk to your site tech about how to install the software
Contact your school IT to organise the installation of Minecraft Education on all devices of students and teachers who will use it. You can play on more than 1 device at the same time.
To use the multiplayer option, all computers must be on the same network and running the same version of Minecraft.
If you have admin permission to install the software yourself you can download the correct Minecraft Education for your device.
Use central deployment where possible
If the Windows Store is blocked on your device download your browser: Minecraft Education
Step 5 – Log in
Students and staff can access Minecraft Education by logging in with their @schools email and password – Okta single sign-on may sign you in. (If working from outside the school network, you may need additional authentication as for all other Microsoft applications.)
To use Minecraft Education with students below year 1 who don’t have an @schools email, see: Minecraft - Log in for Reception students (on edIT)
(Section 3) Learn how to use Minecraft Education
Education features within Minecraft
The education version has useful features for teachers, including:
Read the article on how to use the education features of Minecraft.
Tutorials, training and support
Built-in resources, online tutorials and self-help
Make sure to get hands-on with the tool before your first lesson. You don’t need to know everything, but it would be useful to have some basic knowledge of how things work in the Minecraft world.
Minecraft offers key resources to help you get started, including:
- sample lessons and starter worlds
- learn how to play: from the home menu > play > view library > how to play > choose keyboard or touchscreen pathway (depending on which device you’re using).
- Basic controls in Minecraft Education – video tutorial (2:43)
- Camera, portfolio and book and quill video tutorial for Minecraft Education (6:29) – this is best viewed together with the Minecraft in-built lesson: go to How to play > Start Here > Keyboard lesson library > Lesson 4 Camera and Portfolio.
- How to create lessons in Minecraft: Education Edition video (1:30).
Video tutorials
Camera, portfolio and book and quill video tutorial for Minecraft Education
Learn how to use non-playing characters (NPCs) in Minecraft Education (on edSpark) – you can use these to give guidance to your students within the game.
Training and professional development programs by external providers
Microsoft offers training for teachers, including:
- Minecraft Education teacher training – professional development resources available either as self-paced courses or live courses that may be taken with a cohort. They include:
- Teacher Academy
- Block Coding Academy
- Python Coding Academy
- Trainer Academy
- Esports Teacher Academy
- More self-paced learning on Microsoft Learn.
- Minecraft Education: Teacher Academy (3 hours 23 minutes) – all the courses together (you’ll get a badge for completing them)
In-house training programs by the department
Register for instructor-led training for Minecraft Education on plink. Sessions are available throughout the year and topics include getting to know Minecraft Education, lesson ideas and coding.
Teacher professional development events (events on edSpark, if available)
...
Community support and forums
Connect with other Minecraft educators: You can join the Minecraft Education community to learn from fellow educators and share resources. This is an international forum.
For support from the department join the Minecraft Education support team (on Microsoft Teams).
Other technology you can use with Minecraft
Make sure to prepare any additional tools that you’ll need to use for your lessons.
Collaboration
For example, you might wish to provide students access to collaboration platforms like:
- Frog
- Canva Whiteboard
- Microsoft Teams.
Recording
You might also consider using tools like:
- Paint 3D for capturing images
- Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint for creating digital notebooks that students can use to record their learning .
Students can also use the camera and quill tool to record their work directly within Minecraft.
To record video while playing Minecraft you can:
- on a Windows computer, press the Windows key + G to record gameplay
- on a Mac computer, use Quicktime to record your screen.
Prepare to use Minecraft with your students
Plan a proactive response to ‘griefing’: In Minecraft, ‘griefing’ is the act of irritating and angering people through the use of destruction, construction or social engineering.
It’s important to have a plan aligned with school policies in place to address disruptive or destructive behaviour within the Minecraft environment. Find tips on how to manage ‘griefing’.
Make sure that students know that there’s no ‘undo’ function in Minecraft. If they destroy something, they have to build it again. And, if they added something that they no longer want, they have to destroy it to delete it.
Useful keyboard and mouse controls in Minecraft
%globals_asset_contents_raw:Plan a proactive response to ‘griefing’: In Minecraft, ‘griefing’ is the act of irritating and angering people through the use of destruction, construction or social engineering.
It’s important to have a plan aligned with school policies in place to address disruptive or destructive behaviour within the Minecraft environment. Find tips on how to manage ‘griefing’.
Make sure that students know that there’s no ‘undo’ function in Minecraft. If they destroy something, they have to build it again. And, if they added something that they no longer want, they have to destroy it to delete it.
%Cyber safety
Cyber risk rating by the department – moderate
The department has prepared a cyber risk assessment report for [tech name] for your consideration. Before you start using the technology, we recommend your site implement the mitigations noted in the risk assessment report. Your school may also do its own risk assessment. You need to reassess the risks regularly.
Ultimately, your school or preschool owns the risk if you’re using this technology.
Read more about managing cyber security risks when using third-party vendors and technologies.
Review thecyber risk assessment report for Minecraft Education .
Student safety and wellbeing
The nature of this space necessitates specific safety considerations. Here are key guidelines to protect your students and foster a positive learning environment in this digital space:
- Monitor online interactions – make sure to supervise multiplayer mode, especially if students are interacting on shared servers. Make sure students are aware of behaviour expectations.
- Time management – establish designated time limits for Minecraft to prevent excessive screen time .
- Content restrictions – consider disabling in-game features that might distract from the learning objectives or pose risks. Refer to the game settings.
Note that students can change game settings in worlds that they import. Restrictions are only possible when you invite students to a world for collaboration. When they build or import a world, you’re not able to add restrictions.
%globals_asset_contents_raw:Cyber safety
Cyber risk rating by the department – moderate
The department has prepared a cyber risk assessment report for [tech name] for your consideration. Before you start using the technology, we recommend your site implement the mitigations noted in the risk assessment report. Your school may also do its own risk assessment. You need to reassess the risks regularly.
Ultimately, your school or preschool owns the risk if you’re using this technology.
Read more about managing cyber security risks when using third-party vendors and technologies.
Review thecyber risk assessment report for Minecraft Education .
Student safety and wellbeing
The nature of this space necessitates specific safety considerations. Here are key guidelines to protect your students and foster a positive learning environment in this digital space:
- Monitor online interactions – make sure to supervise multiplayer mode, especially if students are interacting on shared servers. Make sure students are aware of behaviour expectations.
- Time management – establish designated time limits for Minecraft to prevent excessive screen time .
- Content restrictions – consider disabling in-game features that might distract from the learning objectives or pose risks. Refer to the game settings.
Note that students can change game settings in worlds that they import. Restrictions are only possible when you invite students to a world for collaboration. When they build or import a world, you’re not able to add restrictions.
%(Section 4) Prepare for using Minecraft with your students
Minecraft-specific tips
Plan a proactive response to ‘griefing’: In Minecraft, ‘griefing’ is the act of irritating and angering people through the use of destruction, construction or social engineering.
It’s important to have a plan aligned with school policies in place to address disruptive or destructive behaviour within the Minecraft environment. Find tips on how to manage ‘griefing’.
Make sure that students know that there’s no ‘undo’ function in Minecraft. If they destroy something, they have to build it again. And, if they added something that they no longer want, they have to destroy it to delete it.
Useful keyboard and mouse controls in Minecraft.
Guiding your students in class
Start with an orientation: If students haven’t had the opportunity to use Minecraft in the classroom before, consider running some introductory lessons to help orient students. Refer to the previous section on learning how to use Minecraft for some basic topic ideas that may be covered in orientation sessions .
Getting started: Once students are familiar with some of the basic controls and features of Minecraft Education, start by encouraging students to build their own worlds. You can set a simple, open-ended task such as ‘build a house’ or ‘design a garden’. Some tips to consider:
- Show students how to access the onscreen keys (type Function 1 / Fn + F1, then type H). This will help guide them on how to move around the Minecraft world. Here’s a list of useful keyboard and mouse controls for your reference.
- To pause the game at any point and/or bring up settings, just press the escape key (Esc).
- To bring up the chat or code builder. Just press the ‘Enter’ key.
- Make sure to let students know that there is no ‘undo’ function in Minecraft. If they destroy something, they have to build it again. And, if they added something that they no longer want, they have to destroy or delete it.
Emphasise purpose: Frame each Minecraft activity in the context of learning objectives. Clearly articulate what students should gain from the experience and let them know what you expect at the end of every lesson, for example to complete a page on their digital notebook, a screenshot recording of their creation, a reflection or similar.
Classroom norms in Minecraft: Collaborate with students to create specific rules for interacting within the Minecraft world. Emphasise:
- respectful behaviour – communicate how you’ll respond to ‘griefing’
- responsible interactions
- the connection to real-world digital citizenship (Australian curriculum).
Safety guidelines
The nature of this space necessitates specific safety considerations. Here are key guidelines to protect your students and foster a positive learning environment in this digital space:
- Monitor online interactions – make sure to supervise multiplayer mode, especially if students are interacting on shared servers. Make sure students are aware of behaviour expectations.
- Time management – establish designated time limits for Minecraft to prevent excessive screen time .
- Content restrictions – consider disabling in-game features that might distract from the learning objectives or pose risks. Refer to the game settings.
Note that students can change game settings in worlds that they import. Restrictions are only possible when you invite students to a world for collaboration. When they build or import a world, you’re not able to add restrictions.
Troubleshooting tips
Here are some tips and ideas on how to address any technical issues and classroom management challenges that may arise while using Minecraft Education in your classroom.
Technical issues
- Slow performance: Close background apps, lower graphics settings, check network.
- Login issues: Check credentials and network connection.
- Crashes or glitches: Update the software and check the Minecraft Education website support section to see if there’s known downtime.
- Multiplayer issues: Make sure everyone is connected to the same network and uses the same version of the app to join the world.
Support Resources
No results were found
(Section 5) In-class teaching resources
You can choose from a wide variety of Minecraft Education resources, including lessons, challenges and worlds and esports. There are over 600 lessons plans and subject kits to adapt and use.
Within the app: Minecraft lesson library
Subject kits may contain:
- lessons
- challenges
- worlds
- environment
- biomes (ecosystems)
- build plates (specific for education) – help you organise your class.
Here are some practical teaching and learning ideas for different subjects:
Mathematics
Minecraft is ideal for teaching different mathematics concepts. An Australian study found students to feel more confident studying maths while using Minecraft. With this tool, students can design structures to understand geometry, learn about area and perimeter or visualise data. Sample Minecraft lessons for maths include:
- area and volume – a lesson that looks at understanding this maths concept
- decimal and fraction garden – students can explore the relationship between decimals and fractions.
Science
There are several ways Minecraft may be integrated in the sciences. Students can visualise scientific concepts like ecosystems, the human body, or chemical reactions. They can also illustrate and explain their understanding of geography and physics through building models and simulations. These are examples from the Minecraft science subject kit:
- a case for biodiversity or biodiversity kit – students can explore biodiversity concepts through these build challenges, looking at ecosystems, extinction, and other topics.
- coastal erosion – a geography lesson that helps students to understand erosion
- eukaryotic cells – students can develop models of cells
- physics rollercoaster world – an engaging lesson that looks at gravity, friction and motion.
Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) (history and culture)
One great use of Minecraft is to create historical simulations. Students can recreate historical periods, events or places. They can build detailed models of ancient cities, iconic landmarks or significant battlefields. Students can research and integrate accurate architectural styles and materials.
Here are sample Minecraft lessons for HASS:
- Hoosland – this project looks at the change and continuity and describes the causes and effects of change on Australian society during and after colonisation
- exploring ancient Egypt – students will learn about Ancient Egypt’s fascinating geography, advanced economy, governing structure, iconic architecture and unique culture.
English (language and literacy)
In English, Minecraft can help to bring stories to life by having students build scenes, characters or symbolic structures from novels or plays. Here are sample Minecraft lessons for English:
- national writing project – 10-lesson project on Minecraft that’ll help students look at how creative writing and creative gaming are interconnected
- fairytales reimagined – a collaborative project that enables students to retell fairytales.
The arts/design technologies (art and design)
There are various ways Minecraft Education may be used across the different arts. For example, students can design virtual art exhibitions, compose original music with in-game tools or develop theatrical performances within Minecraft. Here are sample Minecraft lessons for art and design:
- create your own museum – students learn how to curate pieces for their own virtual museum
- machinima/comics – students can recreate a famous scene from literature.
Languages
When using Minecraft in language studies, students can design immersive worlds that are language-specific (for example, a Spanish town) for vocabulary building. They can also work on cultural recreations and language-specific recreations. Here’s an example lesson that enables students to practise Japanese: weather report in Japanese.
Physical Education and Health (health and wellbeing)(social emotional)
Students can design fitness challenges, food systems or mindfulness spaces in Minecraft. The social emotional kit on Minecraft contains lessons and activities that look at students’ emotional and mental wellbeing, and it covers topics such as empathy and decision making.
Digital technologies (computer science)
As a whole, Minecraft teaches students a variety of skills in technologies, including game design, coding and 3D modelling. Here are additional resources that are useful for teaching this subject area in Minecraft:
- digital citizenship – a series of lessons and projects that teach students media literacy, navigating online communities and online safety.
- computer science subject kit – a collection of coding and design lessons and activities. The resources help to introduce students to coding concepts through block-based programming and integration with languages like Python, as well as other technologies like AI and cybersecurity.
To build your own coding lessons read the article AI Prompt Lab: Use CoPilot to build coding lessons in Minecraft | Minecraft Education.
Equity and inclusion
Equity and inclusion subject kit – lessons that explore concepts like social justice, identity and tolerance.
Climate and sustainability
Climate and sustainability subject kit – lessons, worlds and collections to bring your environmental curriculum to life.
Ready-to-go classroom activity pack – Minecraft learning task
Intro sentence (what is the task about)
The classroom activity pack comes with a:
- document describing the task
- video explaining the task
- teacher presentation (in PowerPoint)
- student handout (in PowerPoint)
- Canva Whiteboard resource.
Download the classroom activity pack (ZIP folder xxxMB)
Leave a review
Have you used Minecraft Education with your students?
You can leave a review on edSpark or give a testimonial (link to feedback form)
More Minecraft Education content
Cyber risk rating by the department – moderate
The department has prepared a cyber risk assessment report for [tech name] for your consideration. Before you start using the technology, we recommend your site implement the mitigations noted in the risk assessment report. Your school may also do their own risk assessment. You need to reassess the risks regularly.
Ultimately, your school or preschool owns the risk if you’re using this technology.
Learn more about managing cyber security risks when using third-party vendors and technologies.
Proposed original copy:
ICT Cyber Security has prepared a risk assessment report for your consideration. The risk assessment highlights whether the product's benefits are balanced with necessary security measures, safeguarding staff and student data, and maintaining essential learning tool availability. The department recommends schools implement the mitigations noted in the risk assessment register.
Please Note: this is advice only and schools wishing to perform an independent risk assessment are encouraged to do so as ultimately the risks is owned by the school implementing this product. Site leaders should read and accept the outlined risks identified during the assessment prior to using PRODUCT. For advice please see: Completed risk assessment.
Cyber risk rating by the department – low
The department's Cyber Security Unit has deemed [tech name] as low risk. No formal risk assessment is required.
Note that:
- risk ratings may change in line with future changes to [tech name] or how it can be used
- this is advice only
- you may still choose to do your own risk assessment.
Ultimately, your school or preschool owns the risk if you’re using this technology.
Read more about managing cyber security risks when using third-party vendors and technologies.
Cyber security advice – moderate risk
The department has prepared a cyber risk assessment report for [tech name] for your consideration.
Before starting to use the technology, we recommend site leaders read the report and:
- accept the outlined risks
- implement the risk mitigations.
This is advice only. Your school may also do their own risk assessment. You need to reassess the risks regularly.
Ultimately, your school or preschool owns the risk if you’re using this technology.
Learn more about managing cyber security risks when using third-party vendors and technologies.
ICT Cyber Security has prepared a risk assessment report for your consideration. The risk assessment highlights whether the product's benefits are balanced with necessary security measures, safeguarding staff and student data, and maintaining essential learning tool availability. The department recommends schools implement the mitigations noted in the risk assessment register.
Please Note: this is advice only and schools wishing to perform an independent risk assessment are encouraged to do so as ultimately the risks is owned by the school implementing this product. Site leaders should read and accept the outlined risks identified during the assessment prior to using PRODUCT. For advice please see: Completed risk assessment.
Review the cyber risk assessment report for Minecraft Education.
Some of the risks identified by the department:
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