Imagine teaching an Introduction to Writing (English 101) class at a two-year community college comprising a population of 25 students with less than half being international multilinguals, and the majority of students being domestic with English as their first language. How do we as teachers bridge the gap and make the classroom more inclusive for students who may still lack English proficiency and understanding of the material presented? We must provide ways to accommodate all students. A common thought is to incorporate group activities into lessons for students to have a shared learning with shared responsibilities, which typically works well. But from my experience, group activities are not in the students’ best interest outside of a community college classroom. These students come from various backgrounds and age groups, where group activities outside of the classroom is less than ideal; the key is to maintain engagement, participation, and understanding, of course materials in the learning environment. One solution I have developed and incorporated in the classroom is Kahoot! Kahoot! helps students feel more included in classroom activities, group assignments, and lectures.

What is Kahoot!?

“Kahoot! is a free game-based learning platform for teachers” (Kahoot!, 2018) that can be played in different ways on any kind of digital device with internet access. Kahoot! permits teachers to create fun assessment games to gauge student knowledge of course material and gather survey responses all in one place. Being quite user-friendly and free, once teachers have created an account, they can immediately delve into creating a Kahoot! Kahoot! also has a repository for a variety of disciplines consisting of multiple quiz games to choose from. Teachers have the option of using a public quiz game from the repository, duplicating the quiz, editing the quiz, and then administering the quiz to the class. Teachers who choose to create their own unique quiz game simply click “Create Kahoot!”, type the question in a box, create four multiple choice answers, choose the correct answer, click save, and move on to the next question for students. It’s just that simple. Teachers also have the option of adjusting the time students are allowed to answer the question. Granting students less time makes the game a bit more competitive. Kahoot! also allows teachers to include a video or image to show to students while they answer the question and download student quiz results via an excel sheet. I find that students are quite fond of listening to a bit of music while playing a fun quiz.

Kahoot! in Action

In order for students to access the quiz game, they must log on to Kahoot.it, enter a pin (each Kahoot! game has its own pin), and then select one of the four color-coded options that matches the correct answer. As an in-class activity, teachers determine whether students play as a group or individually. My favorite is to administer the quiz individually, so students who do perform well stand out individually and are recognized for their independent excellence. Students are awarded by being presented visual trophies with their name on the podiums as either first place, second place, or third place. Teachers also have the option of further incentivizing the game by giving points, extra credit, candy, or whatever works best. Kahoot! is definitely an unconventional game that increases class participation, encourages students to practice course material (thus enhancing understanding), and allows others to see who the top achievers and fully engaged students are in the classroom. King (2017) elaborates on incorporating Kahoot! in the classroom two to three times per unit: “In fact, all my students are always excited to play Kahoot! that it works wonders also as a reward and an energizer.” ( par. 6) Students take pride in their winnings, for sure.

Kahoot! for Students

According to Kahoot (201), the platform was intended for teachers to administer to students. This is definitely one concept the company can reconsider when making changes to its platform. The reason being is that students can also develop accounts and assess their peers. Obviously, Kahoot! is great for teachers to use as an assessment tool for students, but it is just as great for students who are seeking interactive ways to engage their peers. Think of it as a student-centered classroom where the students are quizzing their peers in a fun and engaging way or facilitating material discussions and tallying survey responses for research. My point is that Kahoot! does not have to be exclusively administered by the teacher. Students can make use of it as well. One of my assignments to students was to complete an empirical research study that entailed getting feedback from their peers. The students used Kahoot! to develop a survey for their classmates and used the data as a means of reflecting on course reading material. The outcome was great because students were able to examine the climate of the classroom and refer to survey results as a means of sparking future classroom discussions.

Kahoot Challenges

While Kahoot! is certainly a great tool to keep students engaged, participating, and understanding the course material, I would be remiss if I did not highlight some of the challenges faced with Kahoot! For starters, unless the teacher is in a computer class or all of the students have a digital device, this platform is not ideal because not everyone would be able to participate. Another challenge I have noticed while using Kahoot! is that students sometimes get disconnected from the platform amidst the game, which unfortunately causes those students to not be able to submit their answer and essentially lag behind their classmates. Whether the cause of the disconnection is due to internet service or a glitch in Kahoot!’s system is one that is uncertain and can certainly be researched further.

Conclusion

Despite the challenges provided, Kahoot! is still a great way to increase student engagement, participation, and understanding of course material. It is undeniable that incorporating digital options for learning in the classroom changes the ways in which both students and teachers view educational learning. Moreover, the use of Kahoot! challenges students to study in competitive ways where they can be recognized and rewarded publicly. This game works well for all college students; I have been using Kahoot! for the past two years and have consistently received positive responses from students and fellow teachers. Furthermore, Kahoot! pushes us as teachers to revisit the ways in which we perceive student engagement, participation, and understanding of course materials in the learning environment.

References

Kahoot! (2018). What is Kahoot!? Retrieved 21 March 2018 from https://kahoot.com/what-is-kahoot/

King, A. (2017). Using Kahoot! Australian Mathematics Teacher, 73(4), 35-36. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=kctcsjcc&id=GALE|A521874907&v=2.1&it=r&sid=AONE&asid=71522dcc

Quanisha Charles holds a PhD in Composition & TESOL. Dr. Charles is currently an English Instructor at Jefferson Community & Technical College (JCTC) where she teaches both Writing I & Writing II. In addition, she assists in the ESL department of JCTC where she advises first-year experience ESL students. Dr. Charles has experience teaching English composition, writing, intercultural communication, writing across the curriculum, and critical reading.