Learning the PDCA Cycle through Minecraft: Nurturing Thinking Skills Through Play
I recently attended several ICT education trial sessions for children that utilized Minecraft.
Each venue had a different approach, with some focusing on:
- Teaching the basics of typing and programming using Minecraft: Education Edition, while
- Others used the standard version of Minecraft (base game) with the objectives of “learning to run the PDCA cycle" and “fostering teamwork through group work."
Through experiencing these sessions firsthand, I felt that repeating the process of setting goals, trying them out, and reflecting—rather than just “programming thinking" within Minecraft—is what truly drives children’s growth.
Group work is an element that naturally gets learned within school life as well.
However, the experience of consciously running the PDCA cycle on one’s own is surprisingly rare both at home and at school.
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t we get the same educational effects as attending a trial session costing thousands of yen a month if we just use Minecraft at home to run the PDCA cycle?"
With that thought in mind, I decided to try out a home-based Minecraft PDCA practice program.
Method: Experiencing PDCA in a 1-Hour Cycle
💡 What is the PDCA Cycle Anyway?
The PDCA cycle refers to an improvement cycle used in business, studies, and other areas.
It consists of the following four steps:
- P (Plan) = Plan: Setting goals
- D (Do) = Do: Actually trying it out
- C (Check) = Check: Reviewing the results
- A (Act) = Act: Thinking about how to improve next time
By repeating this flow, children gradually develop their initiative and problem-solving skills.
Because Minecraft provides an environment where you can “freely experiment" and “easily retry even if you fail," it is the ideal learning material to experience this PDCA cycle.
The 1-Hour Flow
To ensure it could be maintained at home, I set each session to a 1-hour cycle.
This structure makes it easy for the child to stay focused and ensures dedicated time for parent-child dialogue.
| Phase | Time | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Goal Setting | Approx. 5 mins | Establish today’s objectives and numerical goals (Plan) |
| 2. First Half Play | 30 mins | Take on the challenge toward the set goals (Do) |
| 3. Mid-Point Review | 2–3 mins | Check progress and adjust goals (Check → Act) |
| 4. Second Half Play | 30 mins | Retry with the revised goals (Do) |
| 5. Overall Review | Approx. 8 mins | Review achievements, challenges, and set next goals (Check → Act) |
Making Verbalization a Rule
In each phase, placing importance on “putting thoughts into words" is heavily emphasized.
Verbalizing helps organize thoughts and makes it easier to understand the meaning of one’s own actions.
- Before starting (Goal Setting): “What do you want to achieve today?", “How much is that expressed in numbers?"
- Mid-point review: “How far have you gotten so far?", “How will you change things for the remainder?"
- Overall review: “What went well and what didn’t?", “What will you devise next time?"
Parents must thoroughly play the role of the “questioner," avoiding giving direct answers and consciously securing time for the child to think.
Practical Example: Set Out to Build a House, Ended Up Collecting Rabbits…
Our initial goal was to “build a house." However, halfway through, my child suddenly declared, “I want to collect rabbits!"
It deviated from the original goal, but instead of forcing them to stop, I decided to watch over them until a natural stopping point.
By casually saying, “You’re interested in rabbits too, huh? Shall we add that to the next goal?",
even a detour transforms into material for the next learning experience.
As a result, the next session became a dual objective of “house building + rabbit hutch construction," and I could see them restructuring their plans independently.
Challenges and Improvements: Balance Between Focus and Freedom
As we repeated these practices, several challenges also became apparent.
- Focus drifts, leaving goals half-finished
- Excessive parental intervention reduces spontaneity
- The boundary between “play" and “learning" tends to become vague
To solve this, I incorporated improvements in how we prompt and verbalize things.
List of Phrases to Use When a Child Gets Distracted
- Gentle awareness-raising phrases
- “Oh? Today’s goal was 'house building,’ but you’re also collecting rabbits?"
- “That looks fun! But your goal of building a house is still there too, so it’s a dilemma deciding which to do first."
- “Between building a house and collecting rabbits, which one will you present at our stopping-point check?"
- Phrases respecting their interests
- “You’re interested in rabbits too, huh? Should we add that to the next goal?"
- “Could 'building a rabbit hutch’ be your new idea?"
- “Can we connect house building and rabbit collecting? (Like letting them roam in the yard)"
- Phrases used during the stopping-point review
- “You didn’t finish the house this time, but you gathered a lot of rabbits. So what shall we do next?"
- “Do you want to keep building the house? Or go with a two-track approach of 'house + rabbit hutch’?"
- “A new goal came up midway, but how should we treat it to make things even more fun?"
- Phrases to boost motivation
- “That’s an interesting idea. We could make it a 'rabbit mission’ for the next session."
- “Once you finish the house, you might be ready to welcome some rabbits!"
- “Next time, we could split it into ’30 minutes of house building + 30 minutes of rabbit collecting.'"
Conclusion: “Thinking Learning" That Can Be Done at Home
Education using Minecraft is not just about skill learning like typing or programming.
Its greatest appeal is being able to experience the process of “thinking, trying, and reflecting" while playing.
By being conscious of the PDCA cycle even at home,
- The habit of thinking for oneself
- The rhythm of planning and improvement
- The ability to put goals into words
are naturally acquired.
Moving forward, we plan to introduce timer mods and chalkboard mods to visualize “time," “goals," and “achievements," thereby establishing a more practical PDCA environment.