Level Up Minecraft

Level Up is a new resource utilising the video game Minecraft and is targeted to primary school students. The game delivers rail safety messages with a focus on level crossings.

Background

This clever new tool was created by two female Transport for New South Wales staffers in conjunction with education specialists and a Minecraft video game developer.

The game focusses on level crossing behaviour featuring built-in safety messages. In the game, unsafe behaviour triggers a stern warning from a Train Driver, and the Engineer guides students as they build a safer level crossing.

Microsoft Minecraft Education allows students to tailor the world they play in and customise the rural setting to represent their town, which helps transfer what they learn in the game to real life.

Level Up’ co-creators Tayla Hallett and Madhavi Shankarling identified an opportunity to harness children’s love of Minecraft and to fill a gap in regional transport safety education.

Play Minecraft Level Up

Download the game files to your computer.

The Level Up Game will only load where Minecraft Education is installed.
The NSW Department of Education provides access to Minecraft Education Edition to all NSW government schools.

Educational materials

Level Up Quick Play Guide (PDF, 473.27 KB)
Designed to help you explore Minecraft Level Up Rail Safety with all the necessary shortcuts and tools.
Level Up Rail Safety: Teachers Handbook (PDF, 1.1 MB)
Provides details on how this unit of work involves in-world Minecraft explorations and in-class activity, as well as alignment to the curriculum.
Level Up Rail Safety: Student Workbook (DOCX, 1.34 MB)
A booklet designed to support learning in the Minecraft environment.

Appreciation and credits

Tayla Hallett & Madhavi Shankarling, of TfNSW for the original idea to create a learning game as a TfNSW Bright Ideas Project.

Senior train drivers who provided their expert advice and content:

Peter Bull, Gosford
John Leonard, Junee
Robert Marczan, Wollongong

We acknowledge valued educational feedback from:

Kim Flack, NSW Department of Education
Clare Appleby, Sydney Trains
Karyn Morrison dedicated teacher for developing the student booklet.

Acknowledgements

Level Up Rail Safety was commissioned by Transport for NSW as part of Bright Ideas 2021

Level Up Rail Safety was co-designed & created by:

Stephen Elford, classroom teacher, Minecraft Education Consultant and Contenion
Dr Bronwyn Stuckey, Director, Innovative Educational Ideas