Learning with kahoot! Kahoot! is an online tool for creating and playing digital quizzes. I have seen it often used in middle school classrooms as a fun way to review chapter material before a test. The screenshots to the right come from a game I made for a review of exponent rules and properties for a 7th grade Algebra I class. You can view the entire game HERE. In its basic subscription, Kahoot! allows a creator to make multiple-choice quiz questions into a fun and competitive activity. When playing a quiz, a teacher first starts a game, which creates an access code with which students may join the game on their phones (per school policy) or school-supplied technology. Each question (as
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seen to the right) is displayed on the teacher's screen, and the students submit their answers discreetly on their devices. After everyone has answered or the chosen time limit for the question runs out, the students see if they were correct, and the teacher's screen displays the stats for that question. The teacher has plenty of meaningful options for customizing game play such as automatic advancement, random question/answer order, and bonus questions. The student with the most correct and quickest answers wins first place at the end. Students love Kahoot!; it is a great way to engage with their learning.
This tool for informal assessment excels in Domain 2 of Danielson's Framework for Teaching: Classroom Environment. During a game, the classroom becomes a collaboratively competitive space that allows every student to participate meaningfully. In particular, Kahoot! exemplifies sub-domain 2B - Establishing a Culture for Learning. It creates a safe space for students to make mistakes without being embarrassed, so they can learn from them; it allows students to take pride in their excellence, motivated by friendly competition. In addition, a short time limit prompts students to find scaffolds and memory devices in the content and form connections themselves - in order to maximize speed in the game. Kahoot! also helps with sub-domain 2D - Managing Student Behavior because it creates a great opportunity for the teacher to encourage good sportsmanship and excellence, reinforcing that behavior.
I could definitely use this in my future classroom, especially if this is a tool my students like. Kahoot! is often used as a review game, but I think it would be equally beneficial as a pre-test introduction to a new chapter. It will provide a preview of future material in a way that does not intimidate. My hope would be that students would become curious and excited about what certain concepts could mean, and they may remember the game when we finally learn that concept. Kahoot! is great in that they have an option to share a student-paced game. I could create a game for students to work through by choice and at their own pace, which is extremely useful in an online learning environment when the students are not all together.
Kahoot! also satisfies a few ISTE standards for students. It allows students to practice being Digital Citizens. First of all, Kahoot! has an option for students to choose their own display names for the game, and this feature provides a teaching moment for maturity in an online and seemingly anonymous environment. Secondly, the competitive setting provides a teaching moment for encouragement of one another; the student can practice being kind to their peers during the game, just as they should refrain from cyber-bullying in online circumstances. Kahoot! also allows students to be Empowered Learners, as they may set goals for how well they want to perform during the game, whether a goal for how many correct answers they want or for how high they want to score in the ranking. The empowered students also are allowed to demonstrate their learning in this way using technology and digital tools, which provides instant feedback on their answers to questions. Kahoot! embodies the 4 Cs of 21st century skills as well. Teachers must think critically about how best to assess their students in engaging ways. They must be creative in the presentation of the questions to allow the students to form and strengthen connections in their schema. They must know their students, know their content, know their resources, and know the instructional outcomes for their students to make for a meaningful use of this wonderful tool.
This tool for informal assessment excels in Domain 2 of Danielson's Framework for Teaching: Classroom Environment. During a game, the classroom becomes a collaboratively competitive space that allows every student to participate meaningfully. In particular, Kahoot! exemplifies sub-domain 2B - Establishing a Culture for Learning. It creates a safe space for students to make mistakes without being embarrassed, so they can learn from them; it allows students to take pride in their excellence, motivated by friendly competition. In addition, a short time limit prompts students to find scaffolds and memory devices in the content and form connections themselves - in order to maximize speed in the game. Kahoot! also helps with sub-domain 2D - Managing Student Behavior because it creates a great opportunity for the teacher to encourage good sportsmanship and excellence, reinforcing that behavior.
I could definitely use this in my future classroom, especially if this is a tool my students like. Kahoot! is often used as a review game, but I think it would be equally beneficial as a pre-test introduction to a new chapter. It will provide a preview of future material in a way that does not intimidate. My hope would be that students would become curious and excited about what certain concepts could mean, and they may remember the game when we finally learn that concept. Kahoot! is great in that they have an option to share a student-paced game. I could create a game for students to work through by choice and at their own pace, which is extremely useful in an online learning environment when the students are not all together.
Kahoot! also satisfies a few ISTE standards for students. It allows students to practice being Digital Citizens. First of all, Kahoot! has an option for students to choose their own display names for the game, and this feature provides a teaching moment for maturity in an online and seemingly anonymous environment. Secondly, the competitive setting provides a teaching moment for encouragement of one another; the student can practice being kind to their peers during the game, just as they should refrain from cyber-bullying in online circumstances. Kahoot! also allows students to be Empowered Learners, as they may set goals for how well they want to perform during the game, whether a goal for how many correct answers they want or for how high they want to score in the ranking. The empowered students also are allowed to demonstrate their learning in this way using technology and digital tools, which provides instant feedback on their answers to questions. Kahoot! embodies the 4 Cs of 21st century skills as well. Teachers must think critically about how best to assess their students in engaging ways. They must be creative in the presentation of the questions to allow the students to form and strengthen connections in their schema. They must know their students, know their content, know their resources, and know the instructional outcomes for their students to make for a meaningful use of this wonderful tool.