About Blocks

In 1975, Seymour Papert of the MIT Media Lab created a beginners’ programming language called LOGO. He developed it based on research that showed that playing with blocks of code was a particularly effective way to teach programming concepts. Papert coined the term “constructionism” to describe the way that learners construct new knowledge by building on established knowledge. The blocks in MakeCode, and the blocks in Minecraft, are themselves models for the way that new learning happens through the application of concepts in an open-ended learning environment. Block-based programming languages such as Scratch and MakeCode build on Papert’s research and are a great way for students to start learning about coding concepts without having to worry about syntax.

let gauss = 0
let slow = false
if (slow) {
    for (let i = 0; i <= 99; i++) {
        gauss += (i + 1);
    }
} else {
    gauss = (100 * (100 + 1)) / 2
}

If you are brand new to Minecraft, or just need a refresher, or if you are curious about how a game can be used to teach students, continue reading. Otherwise, feel free to skip ahead to Lesson 2, and start coding!