Owing to initiative of the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, Mikheil Chkhenkeli, the process of implementing "Minecraft Education Edition" as a pilot in schools is underway. The project, which is being introduced in partnership with Microsoft Georgia, as well as with an active involvement of Mindworks Education, aims to integrate Minecraft Education Edition at schools under the new school model’s first phase.
According to Minister Chkhenkeli, since the new academic year, Microsoft's educational program "Minecraft Education Edition" has been piloted in more than 150 schools across Georgia, thus transforming the learning process into a more diverse, engaging, and fun activity.
"Minecraft Education Edition" is a game-based educational platform used by schoolteachers to teach a variety of subjects. It promotes the development of spatial, logical, and creative skills in students, as well as critical thinking. It is an open learning environment where students can be imaginative, conduct experiments and work on problem solving. "Minecraft Education Edition" is an ideal program for working with students on complex assignments. It can be used separately or can be integrated in any subject.
The first stage of the program involves teacher training. Schools involved in the new school model have voluntarily introduced one teacher who participates in a distance learning course. Teachers conduct weekly online trainings, plan learning activities with several experts, conduct pilot lessons, and then share their experiences with other teachers involved in the project.
Upon completion of the first phase of the project, the system will have trained teachers who will be free to participate in the implementation of the Minecraft Education Edition in other schools. Additionally, there were an abundance of training materials prepared, a video course translated into Georgian, in conjunction with preparing the teachers for more in-depth assignments. All this will contribute to the effective integration of the "Minecraft Education Edition" in the learning process.