How To Use Kahoot! In A Classroom For Engaged Learning

In the modern age, young students have access to all kinds of digital entertainment. While games and apps have brought joy to many, they’ve also become a bit of a distraction when it comes to education. What if you could leverage these entertainment values for teaching, though?

Kahoot! is a platform doing just that. With game-based teaching resources and tools, Kahoot! is changing the playing field and making a gamified, interactive learning experience for students accessible to all teachers.

However, how do you use Kahoot! in a classroom exactly?

Keep reading our Kahoot! guide to learn how to use it in a classroom, what its features are, how to combine it with Zenva Schools, and more!

What Is Kahoot!?

As mentioned, Kahoot! is a gamified online teaching platform with several games, gamified quizzes, and teaching resources.

The idea behind it is that it will create a fun experience for students while providing teachings with information that they will retain. 

It has a clear focus on games and fun instead of standard video courses (though standard video courses still have their place, as you will see further below.

Why Should You Use Kahoot! And Its Top Tools In A Classroom?

Before implementing Kahoot! in a classroom, it is critical to understand what it can do to change your classroom.

Kahoot! can offer several changes to a classroom that can improve it for students and teachers. Here are reasons to use Kahoot! in a classroom.

• It can improve the general mood of the class and raise enjoyment for students. Specifically, it provides gamified resources mainly consisting of game-based activities and quizzes.
• You can use it to monitor how much students enjoy a subject, allowing you to create learning plans for them. Specifically, analytics will inform you of how long students spend on a particular resource, giving you an idea of the subjects they like and the ones you could make more enjoyable.
• Kahoot! will increase teamwork and cooperation in a classroom with team mode; this mode will combine students into teams to complete extensive team-based games. Better cooperation can improve the classroom’s atmosphere and enhance the students’ mood.

What Are The Features On Kahoot! That Teachers Should Use In A Classroom?

Although there are multiple features on Kahoot!, most teachers will likely want it for the extensive list of game-based teaching resources. However, the other platform components can provide benefits for teachers and students.

Here are some Kahoot! features you can use in a classroom.

• The gamified resources and quizzes focus on providing information to students in a way that they can digest and understand. The resources are also for teachers because they can get a better sense of the subjects that their students enjoy.
• There is a preview option for teachers who want to fully understand the teaching resource before they present it to students. Additionally, they can view it to see what else they can add to the lesson to enhance the experience for students.
• There is analytics on Kahoot! that can serve numerous purposes. For example, they can help teachers determine the subjects that students enjoy the most by looking at how long they spend on games and resources within that subject. Teachers can also use analytics to measure performance levels by checking scores for quizzes and assessments.
• There are video conferencing features so teachers can include students in a remote location; they can host games on these to walk students through the content and be there for them if they need to ask a question.
• Some Kahoot! games are just for fun; these can start a lesson or end one (you can use these games as a reward at the end of a lesson).
• The question timer tool helps get students more familiar with an intense assessment atmosphere. Conversely, you can turn the timer off if some students need more time to answer a question; this can be more effective because it provides a higher likelihood of students retaining information.
• The Kahoot! creation tool is effective for getting students to create Kahoot! games; this is a different type of learning that is equally effective as teaching games by playing them. For example, a student can get a more accurate impression of game development by learning how to use essential tools.
• Team mode is mainly for increasing cooperation within a classroom. It splits students into teams and gets them to complete game-based teaching resources together. 
• Professional development sessions are on the site for teachers to improve their skills and learn about the benefits of gamified teaching. Pairing these sessions with Zenva Schools’ PD options will prepare teachers to use the platforms together.

How Do You Use The Primary Kahoot! Features In The Classroom?

We detailed all of the major functions and features on Kahoot!, but before you start making decisions on purchasing the platform, you need to know how to implement its features in a classroom.

The features on Kahoot! are mainly for interactive teaching and learning, but there are many ways to achieve these goals using the tools on the platform.

Here is how to use the features in Kahoot! in a classroom.

You Can Use The Game-based Teaching Resources To Engage Students And Let Them Enjoy Themselves While They Learn

The primary use for Kahoot! in a classroom is using it to show students a new and exciting way of learning. 

The game-based teaching resources are the ways that Kahoot! changes the learning experience for students. They do this with:

• Fun. The teaching resources tap into a student’s want and need to enjoy whatever it is they are doing; the resources encourage interactivity and are similar to recreational games that many students associate with enjoyment.
• Simplicity and accessibility. Because of the focus on fun gamified learning, the resources need to be simple enough so students can understand the game and effectively learn the teachings.

Kahoot! also includes some games that are solely on the platform for students to enjoy. These are for the start of the lesson or as a reward for the end of one.

To use the gamified resources on Kahoot!, you can choose from multiple teaching resources and either invite students to a video conference to complete them or send them an email with a link to start the task on the computer. 

Teachers can also create their own teaching resources and games on Kahoot! if the pre-made ones don’t fit the subject they are teaching.

Additionally, you can preview the content to see if it is suitable for the topic you want to teach. You can also preview Kahoot! content to see what you can add around it to complete your lesson plan (some Kahoot! games will not be enough to cover an entire lesson).

Teachers Can Use Insights To Review Tasks And Courses And Decide What Students Need To Learn Again

Kahoot! also has multiple uses for teachers.

For example, Kahoot has analytics to determine multiple outcomes to improve their future lesson plans. 

For example, the insights on Kahoot! can provide teachers with information on the games and teaching resources that students enjoy the most; the relevant information for this will be the amount of time a student spends on a game or how many times they replay it. 

An example of this is if a student plays a game that teaches them grammar and keeps replaying it. You should check the analytics to see how well they perform on it each time; if they consistently perform well, you can conclude that they are repeating the game because they enjoy it; when you work this out, you can save the game to use it for another class.

Additionally, you can use analytics on Kahoot! to find out how students are progressing on games and teaching resources; head to the analytics section, click on a student’s name, and check their scores on the games and assessments they finish. 

The data on these pages can help determine if a student needs to move on to more challenging games and teaching resources or if they need help to complete the game and understand its teachings.

Another way teachers can use Kahoot! is to join a professional development session; these sessions can help teachers understand how gamified learning can benefit students. Additionally, the sessions can help teachers get up to date with subjects they are less familiar with (digital technology subjects, for example).

You Can Encourage Teamwork In The Classroom By Using Team Mode For Teaching Resources

Team mode is a Kahoot! tool teachers can use for themselves and their students. If you’re a teacher and are teaching a virtual class with Kahoot!, you can enter the setting and change certain games on the platform to team mode, transforming the games from single-player to multiplayer.

Team mode can benefit students by showing them how teamwork and cooperation can help them when learning a resource. Additionally, the games you can put into team mode will change and focus on teaching students how they can solve particular problems.

Additionally, it is for teachers because it provides a collaborative atmosphere in their classroom. It can also free up time for teachers so they can focus on other tasks like creating lesson plans.

How Do You Pair The Features Of Kahoot! With Zenva Schools  In A Classroom?

Although Kahoot! provides a new way for students to learn, it can’t do absolutely everything. Therefore, combining a teaching resource provider with different content will give a school a more well-rounded content selection.

Zenva Schools is an example of a teaching resource platform that combines interactive learning with detailed video courses (courses on subjects like game development, coding, and more). Using it and Kahoot! together can provide multiple benefits in a classroom.

Here is how you can use Kahoot! and Zenva Schools in a classroom together.

You Can Use Kahoot!’s Game-based Courses And Zenva Schools Detailed Teaching Resources To Create An Excellent Learning Experience

The most effective way to use Kahoot! and Zenva Schools together is to use their resources to formulate effective lesson plans.

Both platforms have different focuses for their teaching resources.

Kahoot! focuses on gamified interactive learning; students can play games on the platform to learn new concepts and ideas. Additionally, these games cover multiple subjects (English, maths, etc.). However, although the games are effective for engaging, other teaching resource types (like video lessons) can go into more detail on a subject.

Plus, there are always some topics you just can’t turn into a game.

Zenva Schools can pair well with Kahoot! because it has more resource types to provide well-rounded lesson plans in a classroom. The resource types include detailed video lessons, demos of coding and programming languages, text-based lesson summaries, quizzes, interactive activities, and more.

The variety of resources on Zenva Schools can support a teacher who needs content that is different to the games on Kahoot!. Additionally, Kahoot! has minimal resources for digital technology subjects, so Zenva Schools can fill that gap.

You Can Use The Analytics And Reports On Kahoot! And Zenva Schools To Fully Understand Your Class

As well as having high-level teaching resources, Zenva Schools and Kahoot! also have analytics that can fulfil multiple purposes. 

Compiling the insights on both platforms can give a teacher a better undertaking of a student.

Kahoot!’s analytics determine the resources and games that students enjoy the most; you can check how long students spend on a game to work out if they enjoy it. You can also check game scores to determine how students are progressing.

With Zenva Schools’ analytics, you can track course progress and view details about where each student in your class is at, and exactly when students are completing the lessons with their assigned courses.

Combined together, this gives you an even greater degree of confidence in where students are at. You can compare and contrast performance on both platforms to identify problem areas – allowing you to follow up with additional help where needed.

Overall, this helps you stay on task with learning goals and make sure your resources all support achieving that aim.

You Can Use Kahoot!’s Poll Feature To Determine What Students Need To Learn On Zenva Schools

One of the tools on Kahoot! is the poll tool; it involves asking students questions and creating pools to get their opinions.

The poll tool can be handy when using Zenva Schools; you can use it to get student opinions on several issues, including how much they enjoy a particular subject on Zenva Schools, how challenging they find the resources, and more. 

In addition, the feature can help teachers determine the best resources and suitable difficulty levels to utilise for a future class.

Once again, these polls can help you stay on task with outcomes, but also make sure the subjects you’re covering are actually ones that are interesting to students. It also gives shy students a chance to let their opinion be known without the need to divulge it to the entire class in a one-on-one callout.

A Final Conclusion On How To Use Kahoot!’s Best Features In A Classroom With Zenva Schools

Kahoot! offers several good tools and features that can make the classroom experience much better.

Of course, the gamified approach is the main attraction – providing you fun, interactive ways to engage students who are used to such distractions in their life. Paired with the platform’s analytics and video conferencing tools, it also makes it easy to support your students learning habits.

To boot, the ability to choose between pre-made resources or making your own gives you the ultimate control over the teaching resources you provide, especially when it comes to assessments.

Of course, while gamification has its place, so too does more traditional learning. Zenva Schools is able to provide engaging courses with a variety of learning materials (such as quizzes, video lessons, and more). With Zenva Schools analytics and classroom management features, the platfrom also makes it super easy to stay organized.

Together, the two platforms make a formidable, education foe. The more ways you engage students with content, the more the repetitious learning will start to stick. And ultimately, getting that education to stick is the most important goal.