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International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

Using Minecraft in the Science Classroom

Megan Puseya and Grant Puseyb

Corresponding author: gpusey@[Link]

a
Science Department, Penrhos College, Perth, WA, 6152, Australia
b
Science Department, Churchlands Senior High School, Perth, WA ,6018, Australia

Keywords: Minecraft; video games; STEM; game-based learning; science

International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

Abstract
With digital technology more accessible than ever, it is no surprise that students are spending an increasing
amount of time playing video games. This study sought to investigate the educational value of digital game-
based learning, or, the use of video games in the classroom. In this investigation, two Perth metropolitan schools
trialled digital game-based learning by using MinecraftEdu as an innovative tool to teach science. The game
provides a sandbox-style environment that allows students to interact with their digital surroundings in an
extremely flexible way. MinecraftEdu was used alongside more traditional teaching methods at both schools to
engage students in Earth Science and subsequent topics. Surveying students before and after the program took
place and collecting anecdotal evidence during class through teacher observations assessed the value of the
software. The comparison of the student surveys indicated a clear increase in student interest in science and the
use of ICTs in school following the MinecraftEdu program. A majority of students, 84%, reported enjoying
using MinecraftEdu in the classroom and 94% said they wanted to use MinecraftEdu in the classroom again. In
addition to presenting student data obtained during the trial, information regarding the logistical issues with
establishing and running the MinecraftEdu program, including lesson preparation and technology requirements,
is also discussed.

Background

The rising use of technology

We live in an increasingly digital age with many aspects of our lives now relying on the use
of technology. “Today we live in the presence of a generation of kids who have known no
time untouched by the promises and pitfalls of digital technology” (Salen, Torres, Wolozin,
Rufo-Tepper, & Shapiro 2011; p.30). Growing up immersed in technology has impacted on
how today’s students receive and process information (Oblinger, 2004; Prensky, 2003). These
digital natives grow up accustomed to operating in a digital world and may find a disconnect
between their real-world experiences and the learning environment they encounter at school
(Oblinger, 2004; Prensky, 2003). Consequently, teaching strategies have evolved over the
years, integrating the use of technology into the classroom. Using computer-based
simulations and educational games in the classroom is not a new idea; however, this study
takes an additional step and looks at harnessing the popularity of commercial video games for
use in the science classroom.

Video games as tools for learning

Video games are fast becoming ingrained in our culture, with a significant proportion of the
population playing them (Entertainment Software Association, 2015). Children and
adolescents are estimated to spend 60 to 90 minutes a day on average playing video games
(Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). Prensky (2003) estimated that adolescents will spend up
to 10 000 hours playing video games by the time they are 21. The reasons individuals choose
to play video games in their spare time are varied. Motivations include relaxation,

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 International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

socialisation and connecting with friends and family (Entertainment Software Association,
2015; Malone, 1980; Olson, 2010). Given the popularity of video games, it is not surprising
teachers are beginning to use them in the classroom. Video games are a medium our students
are familiar with; they are versatile, interactive and meet the learning needs of today’s
students (Van Eck, 2006). Interestingly, the skills required to play video games meet many of
the Australian Curriculum’s General Capabilities, including: literacy, numeracy, and
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capabilities (Australian Curriculum,
Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2015).

There are many parallels between good pedagogy and good video game design. “Games
create for players the kinds of domain-immersive experiences that resemble the most
contemporary understandings about learning” (Salen et al., 2011, p.30). Video games are
required to demonstrate attributes of effective learning environments, since at the most basic
level, the player needs to learn how to play the game to win (Squire, 2004). An analysis of
the most popular video games depicts utilisation of good learning design, such as increasing
difficulty level, feeling of flow, goal orientation, and timely feedback (Gee, 2003; Oblinger,
2004). Video games are also designed to be intrinsically motivating through features such as
challenge, fantasy, curiosity, control, and competition (Malone, 1980). The term “digital
game-based learning” was coined by Prensky (2003) who investigated how the motivating
nature of games could be successfully combined with curriculum learning goals. Although
there have been mixed results, digital game-based learning has been shown to increase
engagement and motivation in the classroom, and positively impact academic achievement
(Gee, 2003; Erhel & Jamet, 2013; Papastergiou, 2009; Prensky, 2003; Van Eck, 2006;
Wouters, van Nimwegen, van Oostendorp, & van der Spek, 2013).

Commercial video games with no obvious educational theme (e.g. SimCity, Civilisation III,
Portal 2, Minecraft, Kerbal Space Program) are now being utilised as effective teaching
tools in the classroom (Short, 2012; Squire, 2004; Teacher Gaming LLC, 2015). However,
there is apprehension from teachers who are concerned that games made for entertainment
could convey misinformation or foster misconceptions due to the trade-off between realism
and fun (Oblinger, 2004; Van Eck, 2006). Certainly, the video game used in this study
MinecraftEdu, is not a true representation of real world geology. However, instead of seeing
this as a reason to avoid using the game, the teachers in the study used it to encourage critical
reflection. Geoscience Australia (Davis, 2014) has tapped into the popularity of Minecraft,
using it as a teaching opportunity by releasing a classroom poster describing key differences
between the concepts seen in Minecraft and real world geology.

The important question is not whether teachers can use games to support learning, but how
these games can most effectively be used as educational tools (Squire, 2005). This study
seeks to present results that, in addition to providing additional evidence for the effectiveness
of video games as teaching tools, may also offer practical guidance on how to implement
video games as an effective educational tool in the classroom.

MinecraftEdu
Minecraft is an extremely popular commercial video game, initially created by independent
game developer Mojang. Given its massive rise in popularity, Microsoft purchased the rights
to the game from Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014 (Ovide & Rusli, 2014). Over 20 million
people have purchased the computer version of the game, a figure that does not include the
copies purchased for other devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and consoles (Mojang,
2015).

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 International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

Minecraft is an open sandbox game that allows players the freedom to create anything they
can imagine, and is often compared to a digital set of LEGO. The game is designed to allow
for creativity and openness from the player. Consequently, it provides a limitless environment
for teachers to design activities that facilitate student learning in many different subjects.
MinecraftEdu is an educational modification to the original Minecraft game and includes
extra features to make it easier for teachers to control the game world and the users within it
(Watters, 2012).

Study Design and Implementation

Participants
MinecraftEdu was used to teach the Earth Science component of the Year 8 Australian
Curriculum at two Perth metropolitan schools. The participants in this study were Year 8
students aged 13-14 years old. This study involved two science classes from an all-girl
private school (n = 47), and one science class from a co-educational public school (n = 29).
The students were surveyed on their experience with video games, Minecraft, and Earth
Science before and after the program.

Technical considerations
MinecraftEdu was deployed in a similar way at both schools. The MinecraftEdu server
software was installed on a computer residing within the ICT department. In both studies, the
classroom teacher was given remote access to the server computer in order to control the
server settings. The server software is easy to use even for those relatively unfamiliar with
video games. The teacher could also manipulate most of the server settings while they were
inside the game. The computer network at both schools allowed students to connect
wirelessly to the hostname or IP address of the computer running the server. In both schools,
the MinecraftEdu server was only accessible while on the school network and was not
available over the Internet. This meant students could not complete MinecraftEdu tasks for
homework and any work completed in class could not be accessed at home. However,
students could still operate the single player version of MinecraftEdu at home to sharpen their
skills.

The MinecraftEdu software was installed on individual student laptops. Both schools
involved in this study had a one-to-one student laptop program in place. The software was
installed using a shared student folder containing an executable installation file allowing
students to self-install the software in five to ten minutes. Students were provided with a set
of step-by-step instructions detailing how to install MinecraftEdu and connect to the server.
The private school students used identical medium performance laptops, whereas the public
school students used one of four low-to-medium performance laptop models. The game
performed well on nearly all of the computers, with a few students requiring additional
assistance in both schools. Game speed was acceptable for all students, as the MinecraftEdu
software does not rely on high-end computing power.

MinecraftEdu is best suited to being played with a keyboard and an external mouse, as
opposed to using a touchpad or touch-screen display. Students were recommended to bring in
an external mouse for MinecraftEdu lessons. Spare mice were kept in the classroom to
accommodate students who forgot to bring their own. Some students still opted to use the
touchpad on their laptop, despite it being more cumbersome.

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 International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

Design and implementation of MinecraftEdu science lessons

Given the focus MinecraftEdu places on rocks and mining, Earth Science was identified as a
fitting first topic to teach using the game. An initial series of MinecraftEdu-oriented lessons
based on the Australian Curriculum Year 8 Earth Science topic were designed and
implemented. The Year 8 Earth Science topic focuses on minerals, sedimentary, igneous and
metamorphic rocks, and the rock cycle (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Authority, 2015).

The MinecraftEdu lessons were used in conjunction with traditional teaching methods (e.g.
worksheets, teacher presentations, videos, and practical experiments) over the five to six
week Earth Science program. MinecraftEdu was used as an instructional tool about once a
week. Parents of students were notified that MinecraftEdu was going to be used before the
program began, with an invitation to contact the teachers if there were any concerns. Table 1
outlines the series of lessons implemented at the public school with a similar program
followed at the private school.

Table 1: Program of MinecraftEdu lessons implemented at a WA public school to assist

in teaching Year 8 Earth Science

Lesson Week Title of Minecraft Lesson Time

Allocated
1 Introduction to MinecraftEdu: 40-60 minutes
Progress through the tutorial world and learn how to play
1 Find and Classify: 20-30 minutes
Classification of Rocks, Minerals, Ores
2 Scientific Inquiry Skills: 40-60 minutes
Finding depths and locations where certain types of rock are formed
3 Stratigraphy: 20-30 minutes
Determine relative age of fossils by digging through layers of earth
4 Quiz Maze: 20-30 minutes
Navigate a maze by correctly answering a number of questions about
Earth Science.
5 Design and Build: 20-30 minutes
Build a shelter which resembles a particular rock or mineral texture

The first MinecraftEdu lesson made use of an in-built tutorial world that required minimal
teacher instruction, beyond the initial setting up of the game. All classes received a set of
rules to abide by while using the game. The goal of the first lesson was to orient the students
in the digital environment and teach them how to interact with one another appropriately. The
tutorial world was well received by students and freed the teachers to assist students with any
start-up problems.

Some of the subsequent lessons required the teacher to build a suitable in-game world for the
students to explore before the lesson. For example, in this study one teacher prepared a world
with stratigraphy layers for the students to dig through (Figure 1). Once created, the in-game
world can be saved as a file and any repeat lessons using the same activity require little
preparation. The ability to save worlds also facilitates the sharing of resources between
teachers, allowing a bank of suitable worlds to be produced for particular lessons.
Additionally, some later lessons in biology utilised a pre-built downloaded MinecraftEdu
world of an animal cell imported from another teacher (EduElfie, 2014), dramatically
reducing preparation time. Despite this, it was still necessary to check the world was
appropriate in meeting the intended learning goals, and make slight adjustments before using

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 International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

it in class. Overall, the process of developing and reviewing MinecraftEdu worlds was very
similar to the processes used to develop and review student worksheets.

Figure 1. Screenshot showing the coloured earth layers beneath four student ‘dig zones’ used
to teach stratigraphy. Students were unaware of the order of layers shown in this screenshot.
Instead, students had to work together to dig through each layer, record data and collaborate
to solve the overall puzzle.

The MinecraftEdu activities were designed to use a number of higher-order thinking skills
represented in Bloom’s revised taxonomy (Churches, 2009; Karthwohl, 2002). For example,
the classification activity required students to apply their understanding of rocks, ores and
minerals to the world of MinecraftEdu. Additionally, the stratigraphy activity required
students to analyse evidence found in the game in order to problem solve and answer
questions about the relative age of fossils. Finally, the shelter building activity required
students to create a structure using their current understandings of rocks and their
characteristics. The activities were implemented using three different methods: digital
worksheets, physical worksheets, and verbal instructions with no worksheet.

In both schools, MinecraftEdu was used in later science lessons to enhance other topics. For
example, in the biology topic students created models of biological structures such as plant
and animal cells (Figure 2) and the digestive system within the game. Students were then
required to use the signpost feature in the game to label the components and describe their
function. These subsequent lessons were easy to conduct at short notice, as students were
already well accustomed to using MinecraftEdu in the classroom. Tasks that required
students to create structures needed very little preparation from the teacher; students just
needed an area in the MinecraftEdu world in which to build. These lessons provided the most
flexibility for students and were always very well received.

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 International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

Figure 2. Screenshot showing student models of a plant or animal cell. All cell organelles
were required to be labelled with their functions described in a signpost.

Results

Teacher Observations
Teachers at both schools noted that students were excited when told that MinecraftEdu was
going to be used in science lessons. Parent feedback at both schools was positive, with many
praising the innovation. In lessons where MinecraftEdu was used, both teachers reported an
anecdotal increase in student engagement and motivation. These was also highlighted by the
survey results shown in Figure 3, with a majority of students reporting they enjoyed the use
of MinecraftEdu and want to use it again.

Figure 3. Student responses to surveys given before and after the Earth Science MinecraftEdu
program, demonstrating an increase in overall perceptions of ICT and Science. Data from
both schools has been combined.

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 International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

Students were observed to be on-task and involved in discussions about the activity during all
MinecraftEdu lessons. Students were also observed working together without prompting from
the teacher. Often, students who were already familiar with Minecraft were observed helping
less experienced students. Often, many students often expressed disappointment when it was
time to end the lesson.

The most consistent observation at both schools was that a large percentage of students were
excited about coming to science class, even underachievers and usually subdued students.
Many students would ask when the next MinecraftEdu lesson was scheduled. The teachers
felt their rapport with students had dramatically increased, and their students saw them as
more “fun”. Other teachers often reported their students talking to their peers about the
MinecraftEdu lessons in other classes. It was clear that students did not see the MinecraftEdu
lessons as a regular science class, but rather a special activity, not unlike a dissection.

Physical worksheets were found to be the most effective way of complementing the
MinecraftEdu activities. The worksheets provided students with information about what they
were aiming to achieve by the end of each lesson and helped keep them on-task. By using a
physical worksheet it was easy for the teacher to keep track of which students were on-task
and how much of the activity they had completed. Importantly, students did not have to
minimise the game to review the instructions on the worksheet. Using a worksheet (digital or
physical) as opposed to just verbal instructions also meant students had a record of what they
had completed that lesson. The worksheets also provided students with resources to assist
with revision for formal assessments.

Student Responses
Students were asked a number of questions before and after the series of Earth Science
MinecraftEdu lessons. Most questions asked students to respond using a Likert scale from 1
(Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). Students were also given the opportunity to
provide any other feedback or comments. A total of 76 students responded to the surveys.

Students were asked in the pre-program survey about their use of video games outside of the
classroom and if they had played Minecraft before. It was found that 45% of students at both
schools reported playing video games on a computer (Table 2). Mobile phones were the most
commonly used device for playing video games at both schools, with 60% of students from
the private all-girl school, and 72% of students from the public co-educational school
reporting using mobile phones to play video games. The biggest disparity between the two
schools was in the console category. Only 17% of students from the private all-girls school
reported playing video games on a console device, compared to 55% of students from the
public co-educational school. There was also a large difference between the schools in
regards to how many students had played Minecraft before. Only 62% of students from the
private all-girl school had played Minecraft before, compared to 90% of students from the
public co-educational school.

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 International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

Table 2: Comparison of percentage of students who play video games on various devices

All-girls school (n=47) Co-educational school (n=29)

Computers (or laptops) 45% 45%
Consoles (e.g. Xbox) 17% 55%
Mobile phones 60% 72%
Has played Minecraft before 62% 90%

In addition to posing questions regarding their general use of ICTs, students were asked
specific questions about their feelings towards science and the use of ICTs to enrich
education. The same students were surveyed before and after the program with the purpose of
determining if a change in attitude was observed following the Earth Science MinecraftEdu
program. As seen in Figure 3 student attitudes towards science and ICT were more positive
after the program.

The most notable trend depicted in the data was that students who identified as being
interested in science increased from 47% to 62%. The increase in interest in Earth Science
was smaller, increasing from 30% to 38%. Students who identified as liking the use of ICTs
in school rose from 64% to 75%. A large majority of students, 84%, reported enjoying (agree
and strongly agree) using MinecraftEdu in the classroom. The public school students were
asked an additional question about whether or not they wanted to see MinecraftEdu used in
the classroom again. This question provided the strongest response with 94% of students
either agreeing or strongly agreeing. Interestingly, only one student of 29 responded
negatively to this question.

Students were given the opportunity to provide open-ended feedback about their classroom
experience with MinecraftEdu. Most student responses to this section were positive. The
most common feedback was that the activities were fun: “I like how it was a different, fun
way to learn about rocks. I think I took more from Minecraft than I would from a text book or
taking notes.” Some students felt the activity was a good mixture of fun and learning: “I like
that it makes learning fun, you can muck around but do the work at the same time!” Students
also reported enjoying the collaborative feature of the activities: “I liked the aspect that we
could all participate at the same time.”

Negative feedback from students was limited and usually fell into one of two categories;
difficulty operating the game, and not having complete freedom within the game world. A
number of students found the game difficult to master in the beginning: “I was not a previous
player of Minecraft, so it was hard to start off with.” Many of these students were the same
students who also reported not playing video games on the computer in their spare time.
Some students were also not familiar with using a mouse to operate the software: “it's just
sometimes a bit hard to control with a [touchpad].” The other common negative response
was that the activities were too structured: “we had to follow rules and do worksheets and we
couldn’t build or do what we wanted to do.” These students had perhaps mistakenly
envisioned a class where they could simply play the game with their friends.

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 International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

Discussion

Student Motivation
These results are not particularly surprising, given that it is already known that many students
enjoy playing video games in their spare time. However, it was interesting to note that
employing video games as a teaching tool increased student perceptions of ICTs in the
classroom. Students reported enjoying the experience because it was interactive,
collaborative, fun, and different to “regular” schoolwork. This result correlates with research
published by Malone (1980) and Olson (2010), who reported similar reasons behind why
video games are engaging.

It was interesting that student attitudes towards science as a whole became more positive, and
not just towards Earth Science, the topic that was in the spotlight during the trial. This result
suggests students experienced an increase in enthusiasm about coming to science class, given
the possibility of having the opportunity to participate in a “fun” activity. These results are
consistent with the large body of research already showing that game-based learning can
increase engagement in the classroom (Gee, 2003; Erhel & Jamet, 2013; Papastergiou, 2009;
Prensky, 2003; Van Eck, 2006). However, there were still a few students were turned off by
the choice of game. Despite the positive results, the authors acknowledge there is no silver
bullet for impressing all students as “no single instructional game can be expected to appeal
to everyone” (Malone, 1980; p.21).

Teacher Feedback
Undoubtedly, the first lesson for both the students and teachers was a steep learning curve.
For some students this was the first time they had ever played Minecraft. These students
needed at least one (if not two) lessons to learn how to play the game before meaningful
learning about science could take place. MinecraftEdu comes with a well-designed tutorial
world that shows players how to play the game. Teacher reports indicate that subsequent
Earth Science lessons were more enriching once the students had mastered the game controls.
It is therefore advisable that in the absence of class time, students are given the opportunity to
familiarise themselves with the game at home, perhaps with a small single-player homework
task.

The teachers running the MinecraftEdu sessions needed to know how to operate the game at a
basic level in order to effectively control and monitor students. However, teachers certainly
do not need to be experts or know more than the students. MinecraftEdu has been designed
with teachers in mind and has some added features such as the ability to “freeze” and “mute”
students – vital tools for controlling the flow of a lesson (Figure 4). If a teacher has never
played Minecraft before they would need to invest some time into learning how to play the
game before using it in class. Indeed, Ketelhut and Shifter (2011) elaborate that for successful
implementation of game-based learning, teachers need time to develop a familiarity with the
game, models of successful implementation and just-in-time support.

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 International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

Figure 4. Screenshot of the teacher menu showing some of the additional teacher controls,
such as freezing student movements and building control.

The MinecraftEdu website (Teacher Gaming LLC, 2015) provides a range of resources for
teachers including forums, downloadable worlds made by other teachers, and technical
support. However, it can be difficult to locate resources that match specific learning goals or
curriculum points given that the use of MinecraftEdu in science is relatively new. The
absence of pre-built worlds requires teachers to invest some time into designing activities for
their students to complete in MinecraftEdu. Teachers also found that they could obtain
important feedback regarding student learning within the MinecraftEdu worlds directly from
students during each lesson, directing improvements for subsequent lessons.

Both teachers found that activities that required students to use higher-order thinking skills,
such as building models within the game, were the most successful and engaging lessons. The
open-ended aspect of these activities allowed students to demonstrate their depth of
understanding of the topic. Activities that required the students to apply their knowledge with
clear objectives in a creative environment resulted in the highest level of application.
Examples of these tasks include building shelters resembling rock types, building cells
(Figure 2) and a model of the human digestive system. The teachers involved in this trial
found these types of lessons excellent alternatives to traditional platforms such as posters,
paper cut-outs or plasticine models.

Conclusion
This study sought to investigate the effectiveness of utilising MinecraftEdu as a teaching aid
for high school science classes, focusing on Earth Science. In addition to providing useful,
practical information pertaining to the most effective strategies for deploying MinecraftEdu
in the classroom, the study obtained high quality data regarding student perceptions of video
games, science and ICT in the classroom. MinecraftEdu was successfully deployed with
students in three Year 8 science classes at two different Perth high schools, providing
information to facilitate a contrast between students at a private all-girls school and a public
co-educational school.

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 International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

Implementation of the program was not as simple as a traditional lesson, requiring

coordination with the school ICT department to set up a local MinecraftEdu server.
Additionally, students needed some guidance in installing the software, and the students who
had not played Minecraft before required help learning how to play the game. However,
following the initial lesson, subsequent lessons required substantially less work from the
teachers. Additionally, the systems employed to support the use of MinecraftEdu in the
classroom are now in place, with little work required to expand the use of the software to
other classrooms.

Students at the private school were found to be less active with video gaming before the trial
began, particularly with console games. Despite this, the level of engagement from students
during the program was found to be similar at both schools. Student perceptions of ICT use in
education became more positive following the trial. Importantly, student interest in science
increased following the use of MinecraftEdu in the classroom. The program provided a way
for students to become more engaged in the Earth Science topic than if they were subjected to
a more traditional pen-and-paper lesson.

It is important to note that the teachers in this program have strong backgrounds in video
gaming, which assisted tremendously in the research. For successful implementation of
game-based learning, teachers need time to develop a familiarity with the software involved
(Ketelhut & Shifter, 2011). This idea reinforces the importance of effective teacher training
for the successful deployment of digital game-based learning.

Overall, the data from this study provides promise for the use of MinecraftEdu for innovative
education in science. The results from this program indicate that digital game-based learning
has proven itself again to be an engaging and motivating way to teach, and provides another
step towards this movement gaining traction in Australia (State of Victoria, 2011). Many
studies, including the one presented in this paper, have shown that digital game-based
learning is a powerful motivational tool and increases student engagement (Gee, 2003; Erhel
& Jamet, 2013; Papastergiou, 2009; Prensky, 2003; Van Eck, 2006; Wouters, van Nimwegen,
van Oostendorp, & van der Spek, 2013). However, there is little evidence to support whether
game-based learning increases academic achievement - an ideal area for future research. It
has been proposed that effectively evaluating student learning with new innovations could
prove difficult (Van Eck, 2006). With this challenge in mind, the authors hope to conduct
further study into the effectiveness of game-based learning at their respective schools in the
future, with an objective of evaluating any learning benefits that may be present.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support provided by Penrhos College and
Churchlands Senior High School. The ICT departments at both schools provided invaluable
support in setting up the infrastructure needed to run MinecraftEdu. The Science departments
at both schools were also very supportive in encouraging innovative teaching practices and
lending their expertise when required.

“A school culture that cultivates innovative practice based on greater teacher agency is
needed for authentic game-based learning to find traction in the classroom” (Chee, Mehrotra,
& Ong, 2014, p. 1).

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 International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22-34, 2015.

Most importantly, the authors thank the students in Dr Pusey’s and Mrs Pusey’s Year 8
Science classes for participating in the program, completing the surveys and not being afraid
to have a go.

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