Teaching Minecraft at Sherborne Girls

Minecraft in Modern Foreign Languages lessons

As the idea began to take shape, I started sharing it with my pupils—and their reaction made everything fall into place. Their excitement, and the eagerness with which they embraced a game they had loved since they were very young, made the whole process feel effortless. It happened to be the time of year when we were focusing on the topic “In Town” and reinforcing language learning through tense practice, so the project fitted perfectly into our curriculum.

The Spanish project, Buenos Aires, focused on bringing language learning to life through an immersive, culturally rich experience. Its main objectives were:

• To consolidate pupils’ vocabulary on the topic of places in town, using real locations from the Argentinian capital as meaningful context.
• To extend their linguistic skills by introducing more complex structures.
• To strengthen their use of three key tenses: the present, the past, and the immediate future.
• To deepen their cultural understanding of Argentina, including its cuisine and the life and legacy of Eva Perón.

By the end of the project, pupils had completed their Book and Quill detailing their discoveries and recorded their journeys within the world they created.

This project marked the beginning of our work in Spanish, and the French lessons soon followed with a similar approach. However, instead of recreating real locations, pupils designed and built their own structures, labelled them, and recorded a guided tour entirely in French.

Taking Minecraft to another dimension outside the language learning

Having explored Minecraft in the classroom and developed a deeper understanding of how the program can strengthen 21st‑century skills, I decided to take the project further by introducing it as an enrichment activity. This time, I wanted to focus on another passion of mine: sustainability. As I researched the C40 Cities programme, I became fascinated by the possibilities of bringing its principles into the classroom and using Minecraft to foster key skills such as collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking.

Once again, I was incredibly supported by educators in America and Scotland, who generously helped me process the information I was learning and consider how best to translate it into meaningful classroom practice. It was during these conversations that the idea began to take shape—an idea that has since evolved to align beautifully with our school virtues:

1. Curiosity
2. Service
3. Resilience
4. Empathy
5. Integrity
6. Respect

Our Year 7 and 8 groups worked together throughout the year, beginning with an exploration of key sustainability concepts, green careers, and the environmental challenges currently threatening our planet. From there, we chose to focus our project on London, developing C40: Making London a Greener City—an initiative that encouraged pupils to think critically about how a major global city can become more sustainable.

Putting C40 into Practice: A Student-Led Sustainability Project

Our C40 Greener London project began taking shape from the very first session. It was incredibly inspiring to witness the girls pour their creativity, imagination, and developing skills into every build with such enthusiasm. By the end of the project, each group recorded a short film to guide us through their worlds—beautifully expressing not only what they had learned about sustainable solutions, but also the joy they found in designing these magical spaces.

Their creations showcased exciting futuristic transport solutions across London, including serene water features, underwater pathways offering views of aquatic species, and strikingly lush green zones woven throughout the city. Some groups even engineered an innovative water filtration system on London Bridge, allowing people to stay hydrated while the water cleans and recycles itself to remain drinkable.

Animals featured prominently in their designs, alongside a thoughtful mix of recreational spaces such as libraries, stables, parks, and wellbeing centres—highlighting the girls’ understanding that sustainability goes hand in hand with mental health and community wellbeing.

We were delighted to have Andy Knueven as our judge. He explored each presentation in depth and had the challenging task of selecting the top group from an impressive array of original, meaningful, and beautifully crafted worlds.

Andy Knueven shared individual feedback to each group lead about their work, “I was eager to see these creations from our first team leader meeting call! Focusing on the important school virtues of curiosity, service, resilience, empathy, integrity, and respect, judging and selecting a winner is a tough decision as every group should be proud of what they’ve accomplished and created to build a better world.”

My reflection and my future in Tanglin Trust School, Singapore

My journey with Minecraft Education may have begun only recently, but it has become so deeply woven into my practice that it feels impossible to imagine a “before.” These past months have been a short yet incredibly intense learning adventure—one filled with excitement, curiosity, and constant discovery. At every step, I have seen my students’ learning illuminated in new and meaningful ways, and that, above all, is what drives me as a teacher.

I feel truly privileged to have met and collaborated with inspiring educators from around the world—both online and at BETT in London, where the spirit of learning truly had no limits. Their generosity, creativity, and encouragement have shaped my growth and expanded what I believed was possible in the classroom.

I am now genuinely looking forward to taking everything I have learned to my new school, Tanglin Trust School in Singapore, next academic year. I cannot wait to continue this journey, to share it, and to see how it evolves in a new community of learners.

Happy Minecrafting! One block at a time…