Kahoot!

Because Teachers and Students LOVE Kahoot!

Kahoot is a gamified Classroom Response System (CPS).

Students sign in using a game pin. They see the questions on a projector or computer and answer on their own device. Students get points by correctly answering questions. The faster they respond the more points they acquire. There is also a newly added Team Mode (Play as a team with fewer devices) and Ghost Mode (play against your original score in the same Kahoot).

Login at Create.kahoot.it and follow the steps below to search for an existing Kahoot! to play with your students.

Log in to create.kahoot.it and click Quiz, Discussion or Survey to create a fun learning game in minutes, made from a series of multiple choice questions

Adding a good description helps you define learning objectives for the game and keep it focused. Using descriptive #tags will ensure other people can find it easily. A great cover image helps the kahoot stand out and attract more players.

Follow the instructions on-screen to add questions, answers, images and video clips. You can also fine-tune the kahoot using different timer and points settings or setting multiple correct answers.

A powerful way to introduce new concepts, Blind Kahoot!’ing is all about building knowledge brick by brick in a single game.

Before getting started with a Blind kahoot, you’ll need to have a clear goal in mind as to what the lesson’s outcomes should be. What is the single most important thing your learners will take away from that lesson, and why? Make a note of the question you would ask at the end of the lesson to make sure learners had achieved this goal.

Here’s an example:

Goal: Learners can confidently and correctly spell tricky words with ie and ei.

As you move gradually towards that goal, there will no doubt be milestones along the way. Before you get started creating your kahoot, make a note of those milestones – they’ll help you form the right questions.

In the example above, the milestones might be:

• Milestone 1: Learners recognize that ie and ei often make the same sound
• Milestone 2: Learners can confidently apply the “i before e” rule
• Milestone 3: Learners can confidently apply the “i before e” rule together with the “except after c” rule

Are there tricks or rules which would help your learners grasp the new content? Make a note of those, as you’ll be using them to explain the new subject during Kahoot! gameplay.

Spend some time finding and creating fun, relevant and tangible examples of those rules in action.

Create a Quiz kahoot as usual - as though learners had already learned the content. This time, though, imagine that the kahoot is broken into several sections: Part 1 is to reach Milestone 1, Part 2 is to reach Milestone 2, and so on.

Learners will feel more connected to their learning journey if you start out by setting some objectives for the lesson using an Introductory Question. The first question in the kahoot should be tied to the goal you made a note of earlier, and designed to grab everyone’s attention.

For each milestone, first ask the toughest question – one which, if answered correctly and quickly, would demonstrate that your learners have understood the content and are ready to move on. This is called a Blind Question. When you actually play the kahoot, be prepared for very few correct answers!

Having had to guess or answer the Blind Question incorrectly, learners will now be actively seeking to understand how they could have answered correctly. That moment is a prime opportunity to explain the correct answer, using a trick or rule you’d made a note of earlier.

With the knowledge fresh in their minds, give learners the opportunity to immediately and successfully apply what they have just learned. In practice, that means adding a series of Reinforcement Questions with the fun, relevant examples you’d prepared earlier.

Depending on how complex a subject you’re tackling, that might even mean 10 almost-identical questions. Have fun with it, turning the timer right down to 5 or 10 seconds for the latter questions, and using funny GIFs to keep them engaged. With each question, learners will feel more and more confident about the new content.

If you’re confident that learners have grasped the new content, ask your toughest Milestone 1 question again. As it’s no longer ‘blind’, this time around you’ll no doubt have correct answers across the board!

Now you’re ready to get started towards Milestone 2. The trick here is to challenge your learners by switching things up with another Blind Question, something that doesn’t fit neatly with what they’ve just learned so well.

Brimming with confidence from having correctly answered the toughest Milestone 1 question, they’ll be shocked when they get the first Milestone 2 question wrong. The benefit of throwing them off course in this way? Learners will be actively engaged and seeking to understand why they got the answer wrong.

Now’s your chance to explain a new trick or rule, and demonstrate how it builds on what they learned.

Again, the trick is to give learners the chance to immediately and successfully apply what they have just learned. If they were paying attention a few minutes ago during your explanation, every learner – not just your most advanced students – will have a chance to feel success.

If learners are answering any of the reinforcement questions incorrectly, take a few moments to re-explain the new content before moving on.

At this stage, learners should feel very confident about what they have learned during the Milestone 2 section. Now’s the time to mix it up and give them a chance to apply their knowledge to more complex questions and learn the subtleties.

This series of questions should be designed to let them apply everything they’ve learned so far - they’re called Compound Reinforcement Questions.

Carry on in the same way until all of your learners are confidently and successfully applying their new knowledge. You’ll be amazed at the results – your learners will have truly grasped the new concepts and had plenty of fun getting there.

To further reinforce knowledge and boost motivation, try using Ghost Mode. Teachers often either send the Ghost Mode link as homework so their students can try to beat their own scores at home, or play in Ghost Mode during next week’s class so learners can see just how far they’ve come.

Connect with other classrooms to play Kahoot! against one another.

Your co-host will need to get everything organized at their location, making sure that their learners are gathered around a shared screen at the right time, and ready with devices in hand. It’s best to team up with someone who knows Kahoot! already so that they can let their learners know what to expect before getting started.

You don’t need to share the kahoot, but if you’re planning to connect with another classroom it’s best to make sure both teachers are happy with the content of the game. To share the game, just click Share and then type in your co-host’s Kahoot! username – they’ll be able to preview the questions and answers, and thumbnails of the images you’ve included.

Whether you use Google Hangouts, Appear.In, Skype or another screen sharing tool is up to you – the most important considerations are that the co-host(s) can log in, and that you’re comfortable using it for video calls and switching between your camera and the screen. To use Google Hangouts, the co-host(s) you’re connecting with will need to have a Google account, or an account for any Google application, like YouTube. To use Skype, they will need a Skype account and Skype installed on the computer they’re using to join the game. Some Kahoot!’ers prefer to use Appear.In since an account isn’t needed, but you’ll need to make sure Google Chrome is installed on your computer and the host’s computer first.

Invite your co-host(s) to join a video call or an Appear.In room, just as you would if you were calling one of your friends. Make sure that the sound and camera are working correctly – it’s no fun if you can’t hear each other!

Before launching a game, the host should take a moment to make introductions and explain what’s about to happen. Encourage learners to wave and say hello.

Now it’s time to switch over from the camera to screen sharing. On most video call or screen-sharing applications, if you hover over your screen you’ll see a little icon to Start Screenshare or Present to Everyone – click on it, and select “Entire Screen”. Check that your co-host(s) can now see your screen.

Now, launch the kahoot as usual. The Kahoot! ‘lobby’ screen should now appear on your screen as well as on the screens of all the co-host(s) you’re connected to via screen sharing. Everyone in every location will see the same PIN code to join the game.

Play the kahoot as usual, but switching between screen share and the camera whenever a question needs further explanation or to cheer a player’s achievements.

Designed to challenge learners to beat previous Kahoot! scores, Ghost Mode is all about motivation, healthy competition, and reinforcing learning through fun repetition.

How you use Ghost Mode is up to you – some teachers send Ghost Mode links to their students as homework to reinforce key facts through repetition. Others might play the same game in Ghost Mode several times throughout a term to motivate learners by letting them see just how much they’ve progressed.

Launch a kahoot as usual, whether that’s in the classroom or as part of a Connected Kahoot!’ing experience. As you’re playing, Kahoot! will automatically be collecting the scores for each question in the background – there’s no need for you to change any settings.

Playing the same game in Ghost Mode right away is easy - just click on the “Ghost Mode” button at the end of the game. To play again later, assign Ghost Mode as homework or to challenge others to beat your scores, you’ll need to find the Ghost Mode link in your “My Results” screen. When logged in to Kahoot! (create.kahoot.it) you should see your username at the top of the screen. Click on your name to open a drop-down menu, and choose “My Results”.

On the ‘My Results’ screen you will see a list of all the kahoots you’ve launched or created. Next to each game, you’ll see Download, Save, Play Again (with a Ghost icon) and Share Link - that last one is the shareable Ghost Mode link.

Copy and paste the Ghost Mode link into a message to students or add it to your class’ intranet. When they get home, they can click on the link and play again on their own or with friends.

• New to Kahoot
• Kahoot Creator

Adapted from Kahoot PD materials.