Hey everyone! This week was my first week back on the job after summer vacation. Two days of meetings, cleaning out new classrooms, and organizing my caseloads, followed by two days of sitting in district-wide professional development (BLERG). Now you know a lot of times those PD topics unfortunately don't really apply to us specialists very much. However, there was something I heard about that really stood out to me as a great resource to use in therapy: Kahoot!
Kahoot! is an interactive and motivating website which serves as a great tool for engaging students via online quizzes, discussions, and surveys. It's free to join and start creating your own Kahoots, and there are also publicly shared Kahoots which you can choose to use or customize for your own needs.
Kahoot! has three different kinds of interactive formats: quizzes, discussions, and surveys. No matter which format you are using, the concept is the same. Teachers start a Kahoot on their computer, and students join by using any device with an internet connection (computers, laptops, tablets, phones). Students don't need an account or to log in, they just need the Kahoot game pin to play.
Once everyone has joined the Kahoot, the first question will display on the teacher's screen, then the answers will show up. The thing is, though, that on the student screens the answers are not displayed. They only see the colors and symbols that correspond with each answer. This forces students to look up from their devices and be more interactive in the classroom.
Quizzes are probably the most popular use. Students get points for choosing the correct answer, and get more points for answering quickly.
Kids (and staff using Kahoot! in professional development sessions!) get really competitive to try and improve their score after each question and move up the rankings!
Surveys work like quizzes, except there are no points involved, and typically there is no right or wrong answer. Surveys would be great for getting feedback from students, or to use if you don't want to have the competitiveness that comes with scoring points, or if comparing scores might be bothersome to a student. I created a Kahoot! to help me get to know my students better during the first week of therapy next week, so hopefully that will be a fun way to learn about some of their favorites and set some good expectations for their year.
The third mode is discussions. A discussion Kahoot! only has one single question. A graph of student answers which display on the instructor's screen could be a great way to get a persuasive discussion or writing assignment started.
No matter which mode you are using, you can download a summary of student answers after each Kahoot! is completed. That's right, your data tracking is incorporated right into the game!
Ideas for Use:
- I am absolutely going to use Kahoot! quizzes for progress monitoring. Have students retake a Kahoot every few weeks and track their progress!
- Quiz mode would be great for reviewing classroom vocabulary with our students. SLPs could give a pretest/posttest Kahoot! to see how students are improving in their vocabulary understanding and acquisition.
- A Kahoot! quiz or survey could be a great way to expose students to stuttering myths and facts.
- Create a Kahoot for staff development to help bring awareness to the role of SLPs in school!
- When you create a Kahoot! you can choose for it to be public or private, and all the Kahoots you create will be saved in your account.
- There is also a Ghost Mode which allows students to play against their previous scores or compete against other classes.
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How will you use Kahoot! in your therapy room?
