Kent School District deepens learning and student engagement with Minecraft Education

“Our students need to be creators, not just consumers of information, so we needed to push our curriculum one step further,” says Melissa Cook, Digital Learning Coach in Kent School District. “So, if we're learning about careers, we need to provide them with hands-on opportunities.”

As a Microsoft district, Kent saw the potential of Minecraft Education as a key component in their strategy. The platform’s seamless integration with existing learning systems and powerful protection for student data and privacy made it an ideal choice for engaging learners and building career-ready skills. Recognizing Minecraft Education’s value, the district invested in scaled professional development to enable educators to effectively use this platform for teaching and learning. This initiative drove the integration of Minecraft Education across the curriculum in subjects ranging from chemistry and geography to library use as well as computer classes and English Language Arts (ELA). 

Immersive learning to prepare students for tomorrow’s challenges

The practical concerns that Kent School District faced called for innovative ways to engage all learners while preparing them with the crucial skills they would need as they enter tomorrow’s workforce. 

“At Kent, we're passionate about preparing our students for their future, and Minecraft Education helps us do that,” Cook explains. “Students can engage with subjects like never before by exploring worlds within the context of the subject. They can build real-world skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity, and practice digital citizenship while they’re having fun. Minecraft has everything for our students to become successful.“

The universal language of wonder

For a diverse district like Kent, Minecraft Education’s support for language learners and early readers is crucial: the platform is available in 29 languages and integrates Immersive Reader. Students use Immersive Reader to change the language of in-game text or—if they struggle with reading text—have Immersive Reader read the text aloud. This feature makes learning in Minecraft Education accessible to more students and educators alike. 

“Learning experiences within Minecraft are really great for crossing the culture and language barrier,” says Mike Cline, an educator with Kent School District. “Some of our students have interrupted formal education because they have been refugees, while some students just haven't had the same opportunities as others. But a tool like Minecraft is so universal. It has a universality about it, where students—no matter the language they speak—can speak a common language when building in Minecraft. So, whether it's language or culture, Minecraft allows barriers to be broken and easily crossed.”

Cook shared an experience of a student who had recently arrived from Mexico and could not speak or read English. When this student was struggling in a Minecraft world, another student—who spoke Ukrainian—went into the other student’s settings and switched the language to Spanish. “That student was just thrilled and just came alive and could now be a part of the lesson,” she recalled.

Safe practices in a digital world

Minecraft Education also addresses digital citizenship, online safety and cybersecurity, and digital literacy directly with standards-aligned immersive lessons  and in how students sign on and interact within the platform.

“Minecraft Education has a cyber safety curriculum worlds that help them learn about what malware is, what phishing schemes are, and ways to make sure that they're protecting their passwords,” says Cook. “It provides a really positive slant on digital citizenship and is a safe place for them to explore. And if they make a mistake, it's okay. No harm done.”

She continued to explain how the platform offers a secure learning environment. “Minecraft Education is also a safe tool for our students because it lives on their devices. They don't have to go onto the internet to log on. They're able to use their single sign on with Microsoft 365 to access the technology.” 

With Minecraft Education, Kent School District students are building critical skills for the future, such as AI literacy and coding, and earning industry-recognized credentials with Prodigy Learning. Educators bring responsible AI and computer science into core subjects, highlighting their importance as critical literacies and creative tools.

“Washington State is on the cutting edge with AI,” Cook says. “They've introduced policies and guidelines for AI, and our district is using those guidelines to create a plan forward. And Minecraft Education has worlds that are bringing AI to our students in safe ways.”

Building buy-in through hands-on professional development

Cook’s Digital Learning team is working to grow the use of Minecraft Education in the district to show leadership its powerful impact on teaching and learning. This effort includes a content-based professional development model to demonstrate how the tool fits into the curriculum. For example, if ELA teachers are wondering about integrating Minecraft Education in their curriculum, Kent offers specific training within an ELA context, as well as intensive content-based training on subjects such digital citizenship, math, science, equity inclusion, and art.

Another strategy to encourage educators to use Minecraft is showing them the tool’s flexibility for teaching and learning, and how they can customize content to suit the needs of their learners, while reminding them that they already have access with their Microsoft 365 accounts.

“Being a teacher means making a connection with your students. You need to create a way for them to relate,” says Cline. “I think any teacher can use it as a platform for their subject where they could make a model or a simulation: whether it is art, music, social studies, or the humanities.” 

By offering targeted training and emphasizing the accessibility and versatility of Minecraft Education, Kent hopes to make this innovative tool a staple in every classroom, enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. 

Cross-curricular opportunities for students to excel

Cline engages his students with lessons on Washington State rivers and dams, exploring sustainability issues and their impacts on salmon and local tribes. Minecraft gives his students a way to replicate what they have learned, with formative assessment tools built into the tool. Cross-disciplinary lessons like the AI for Earth Collection and Hour of Code allow him to bring topics like AI into his geography lessons and build coding and STEM skills. 

Cline has used Minecraft for many lessons and curriculum areas in his classroom, from building replicas of Jamestown, modeling hydroelectric power facilities and industrial systems to understand inputs, outputs, and mechanical processes. One of his students creatively transformed a waste product from their industrial system and created a Minecraft Education game about turning that waste product into a byproduct for a more sustainable system. Speaking about a Minecraft lesson on mapping terrain using AI tools, Cline explained how he encouraged his class to first consult digital terrain maps of Washington’s forests, then play through the game content as a ‘team of research scientists’ to explore how digital technologies like AI and coding are used to identify unhealthy forests.

Whether his students are reading an article or performing an activity, Cline wants them to see the real-world career connections in the content. He is committed to helping each student achieve their goals. “I come to school each day wanting all of my students to be successful,” he explains. “And sometimes it's hard to get them to understand why salmon, dams, biodiversity, or AI is important to them. So, I let them know that whatever their future goals are, I am here to help them to be successful in achieving those goals.” Cline says preparing his students for an uncertain future is his number one goal, and he integrates career readiness in all his lessons.

Future-focused and student-centered

Since incorporating Minecraft Education as part of their Microsoft licensing agreement, Kent School District has seen a significant increase in student engagement. The immersive lesson plans provide experiences that would otherwise require impossible field trips, helping students to become better, more creative learners. Students also learn how to responsibly use AI to help solve problems. This supports the district’s student-centered mission to equip students with the future-ready skills they will need to succeed in college and in the workforce.

“Minecraft makes sense for the future of our students here in Kent School District,” says Cook. “It’s another way for them to show the mastery of topics they are learning in their classrooms. Students are coming to school excited. They are empowered to show their learning in other ways than just writing essays. They exhibit a stick-to-it-iveness when things get challenging because of the gamified nature of Minecraft. With Minecraft, students can build what they're thinking and what they want to create.”

Cook hopes to see more educators using professional development to implement Minecraft Education, emphasizing that they do not need to be experts. “Your students are the experts. They are going to help you get over your fears. They are so excited that you are taking interest in them and bringing learning to their level.”

Minecraft Education is designed to support collaboration, assessment, and inclusive learning. The platform provides opportunities for educators to create their own learning experiences, tailored to their students, classroom, and learning goals. These can include programs like after-school clubs, esports and build challenges. Kent educators have teamed up to run Minecraft build challenges where students participate in teams, building solutions in-game and then presenting their builds to demonstrate understanding of inclusion and accessibility.

“Every single time I use Minecraft, it makes my job easier,” says Cline. “I see my students doing what they love and being creative. They have a spark in their eyes when they have the opportunity to show themselves—who they really are—or learn something new in Minecraft. Minecraft is another useful tool for my students, one that can make learning more fun: allowing them to do amazing things that help make the world a better place. “