Kahoot it!!!!

The following is an article written by Dorinda Contreras describing the use of fun teaching tool
that can be applied to many of the PSI discipline areas…

How do I Kahoot it? My Glory! What is a Kahoot? How can I use it in my classroom? Will it be so complicated I will just say, “What the Kahoot! It looks like fun, but it is far too complicated for me!”  Well, in an effort to integrate technology into my classes, I have begun to use Kahoot. If you are unfamiliar with Kahoot, let me introduce one of the most interactive learning platforms I have seen yet. Kahoot offers a free, understandable way to produce quizzes and discussion for classes.

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Students participate and compete using individual computers and the teacher’s computer or smart board. Kahoot quizzes appear as a game show where students must guess the answer within a limited amount of time. There is fabulous music and a ticking that adds to the suspense. There is immediate feedback showing who was correct, who earned the most points, and of course, most importantly from the student perspective, who is in the lead. All of this leads to laughs, groans, and unsuspected learning!

Kahoot can be used to review already taught idioms and grammar structures such as the past participle. Vocabulary can be taught through the use of uploaded clip art and photos.

Students get involved and excited. I have seen students so excited they are on their feet as if it were a Wii or Playstation game! Students I have never seen move or respond are on their feet and excited about learning. In my end of the year evaluation students were asked to draw or write about something they enjoyed in ESL class. The vast majority mentioned Kahoot as a way they had enjoyed class, but had learned at the same time. It was a great way to end the year. While all the other classes were boring and sitting watching movies, ESL students were having a blast learning to the end thanks to Kahoot!

SEVEN TIPS TO TAME TEMPER TANTRUMS!

 

  1. Pasta discipline.

This technique starts with a large jar and a few boxes of macaroni—small elbow macaroni works best. When students are all working together well or independently on a task, grab a handful of macaroni and dump it into the jar as a reward. When the jar is full, the students have earned an agreed-upon reward. Possible rewards: Free activity time, a night or two without homework, or an ice-cream party.ParadigmArticle3

  1. Sh-h-h-h-h!

If students are a little talky, you might take advantage and whisper an instruction that begins “If you can hear my voice and (give an instruction), you can have ten minutes of free time at the end of the day.” The beginning of the whispered statement will get the attention of some or many students. Give the instruction just once; those who don’t give you their immediate attention or miss what you say because they were talking too loudly miss out on the reward.

  1. Three strikes!

Each student starts out the week with three index cards. The blank sides of the cards have their names printed in large letters. If a student disrupts or breaks a rule, instruct the student to write on the lined side of the card (on the first available line) the date and the disruptive behavior. Then the student must drop that card in the fishbowl at the front of the room. Establish a reward for students who still have three cards at the end of the week and consequences for those who have two, one, or no cards left. The next week, the students get their three cards back and start fresh. The cards also serve as a record when report card time comes or when a parent conference must be arranged.

  1. RESPECT.

Write the word RESPECT on the board at the start of each week. Each time the class gets out of hand or is off-task enough to be disruptive, put a big X through one of the letters. The class will have discussed and agreed in advance on the rewards and consequences for “keeping” or “losing RESPECT” during the week. Other words—such as REWARD, BEHAVE, or the name of the school&*212;might work as well. You can extend or shorten the time frame, depending on class goals.

  1. Bell work.

Many teachers provide “bell work”—activities that students jump into as soon as the bell rings to signal the start of the school day. Such assignments get the day off to a purposeful start by focusing kids’ energies and attention. The activity might be written on the board; it might be a review of a skill taught the day before. Other teachers might expect students to come in each day and spend the first ten minutes writing in their journals; there might be a question on the board to prompt those students who can’t think of anything to write. One teacher posted a Daily Numbers sign (from the state’s lottery game by the same name) in the back of the room. Students walk into the classroom and go immediately to the back of the room to grab their “daily numbers”—a half-sheet of ten math problems that review math operations and a variety of other concepts including measurement, telling time, and money. As the students finish the work, they get immediate reinforcement or correction. When they finish their daily numbers, they start right in on the day’s work. When the teacher finishes correcting everybody’s math problems, the morning meeting begins.

  1. The buddy room.

Many teachers use the “buddy room” concept. Two teachers agree to be buddy room partners. This works best if the buddying teachers are in adjacent rooms. If a student is being disruptive, the teacher takes the student to the buddy room. There a special seat is assigned for such circumstances. Nothing needs to be said; the student heads directly to that seat. Some teachers leave the student there until he or she is ready to return to class; at that point, the student raises a hand and the buddy teacher takes the student back to class at the first opportunity. Other teachers leave a stack of “think sheets” in the desk in the buddy room; the offending student completes a think sheet—which has places for the student to describe what he or she was doing wrong, the effects the behavior had on the class, and what he or she will do to correct the behavior.

  1. Behavior book.

On the first day of school, many teachers provide questionnaires for students to complete. The questionnaires collect important information—such as phone numbers, addresses, and the like—as well information about hobbies and other interests. Some teachers collect those sheets and keep them in a binder. Teachers who have multiple classes use simple notebook dividers to separate one class from another. When a student disrupts the class, breaks a class rule, or does something positive, the teacher reaches for the binder and jots a note on the back of that student’s questionnaire. Those notes serve as a record for grading or planning parent conferences. One teacher buys three-holed plastic sleeves and inserts each student’s questionnaire into a sleeve. She keeps a pile of scrap paper on her desk. Whenever a student does anything negative or positive, she scribbles a dated note on a piece of the scrap paper. At the end of the class period, she drops those notes into the students’ plastic sleeves. Those notes serve as a record of the student’s year.

Gary Hopkins

Education World® Editor-in-Chief

Copyright © 2010, 2015 Education World

– See more at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr261.shtml#sthash.zNj6Jpq4.dpuf

 

 

Two PSI employees will be presenting at the Ohio Catholic Education Association Annual Meeting

PSI’s Karen Heichel and Karen McKelvey will be presenting at the Ohio Catholic Education Association (OCEA) annual state conference on November 13, 2015. Karen Heichel will present on Learning About Mindfulness, and Karen McKelvey will present on Suicide Awareness and Prevention for Students- Complimentary Program Information.  PSI is proud to present  at this years conference.

Focus on Commitment: Rick Dillman

For the past 23 years Rick Dillman has been the Director of PParadigmArticle2upil Services for the Bedford School District. It has been a long journey in education that began 47 years ago, 1968 to be precise, when he began his career.

Having graduated Union College of Barberville, Kentucky with a degree in History and a minor in Psychology, Rick soon got a teaching position in special education in a small Kentucky town that didn’t even have a traffic light. His first administrative post came soon after as Director of Special Education for the Goosecreek Consolidated Independent School District of Kentucky, a locale that may not be too familiar for most of us.

As to how it happened that a youth with a History degree got to work with children with disabilities, Rick says, “I liked both history and working with kids. At the time, they needed a special ed teacher and I looked like I could do the job.”

With his long and varied background to draw upon, Rick’s advice to those who today are considering a career in education is to have a passion for teaching and a willingness to accept the rewards that kids will bring. “The rewards are simple and clear: showing that they’ve learned what you’ve taught them!” He adds, “It’s tougher now with all the accountability demanded at every turn. Testing is not the only way to evaluate the experiences of a child in the classroom. Evaluations are all done on computers, and not all students do well because of that.”

The Bedford School District is 85 percent African-American, with the administrative staff equally black and white. The district has 3,400 kids pre-K though 12, eighty percent of whom are from families that are under the poverty line.

 

For about fifteen years PSI has been involved, helping to staff Nursing, Clinic Aides, English as a Second Language and Child Abuse Training. “One of the things PSI has done for me is that when I put a new program in place, I can get the right people and quickly.

Rick’s accomplishments number being the Chair of the National Membership Council for Exceptional Children and President of the Ohio Association of Pupil Services Administration. Next year will probably be his last.

As with everything everywhere, the new technology has made its mark. While a lot of Bedford students don’t have PCs and keyboards, they do have iPhones and tablets. “Our schools have a wireless network. We have become a Google Application District, meaning kids get free Google accounts and storage that any device can access.”

What can be problematic about the job is that the buck stops at Rick’s desk when it comes to expulsions. “It happens more often than you like. It used to be mostly boys, but unfortunately that’s changing.” Most students return after being expelled for a certain amount of time.

Where is burnout in all this? “I don’t have that problem. I like what I do and I like the people. Besides, I’m an optimist and I enjoy the challenges.”

 

PSI is a proud sponsor of LifeAct’s 12th Annual Into the Light Walk

PSI is very proud to be one of the sponsors of such a fantastic event.  LifeAct brings awareness to our schools for recognizing teen depression, and preventing suicide.

LifeAct recently held it’s 12th Annual  Into the Light Walk, if you would like to find out more about lifeAct click here.  It is only about 4 minutes long, but it does a fabulous job of capturing the spirit and emotion of the evening.  Please feel free to share with others.

For more information on LifeAct, go to www.lifeact.org

PSI will be hosting a free webinar on Media Engagement for Schools

PSI will be hosting a free webinar on Media Engagement & Strategic Communications for Schools on Thursday, October 29th, 2015. This webinar is presented by Darlene Chambers, Ph.D., and Julie Conry of OAPCS.  In this webinar  you will learn the basics of developing a media relations toolkit and communication strategies to promote your school successes and positive stories.

Click Here to register for the webinar.

PSICertify

PSI is proud to announce the opening of our newest division to train school staff in critical areas requiring certification and specialized programming due to state mandates. Trainings are available in face to face format–we come to you! Some topics are available in webinar format as well.newbxPSICertifyLogo2-2

Topics include:

  • Bloodborne Pathogen Training
        Meets the annual requirement for school staff
  • Safety and Violence Prevention Training
        Meets the Ohio Revised Code 3319.073
  • American Heart Association Heartsaver ®
    CPR Training/AED Training
        Can you save a life? Certification Included
  • Anti-Bullying Programs
        Supports Ohio Revised Code 3313.666
  • American Heart Association Heartsaver ®
    First Aid Training
        Crucial Steps for Emergencies; Certification Included
  • Crisis Intervention Team Training
        Supports Ohio Revised Code 3313.536
  • Communicable Disease Awareness and Recognition
        Ohio Department of Job & Family Services–Meets ODE Requirement OAC3301-37-11
  • Staff Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training 
        Meets HB 543 mandates
  • Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, Restraint and Seclusion Training
       Supports OAC 3301-35-15; PBIS Training provided by PSI; Restraint Training & Seclusion Guidelines provided through PSI by Certified   Restraint Training- CRT®
  • Epinephrine Autoinjector Training for School Staff
       Meets training requirement of ORC 3313.7110 & Ohio Substitute HB 296 (for non-patient specific Epinephrine auto injectors)
  • Overview of Ohio HB 264 regarding caring for students with diabetes in the school setting
     Meets training requirement of ORC 3313.713 & Ohio Substitute HB 264
    (Level I, II and III Training as appropriate)

For information on pricing, program descriptors and other available topics please contact karenmckelvey@psi-solutions.org.

Contact hours or certification provided for all PSICertify Training Programs​.