Sound Sparks: Using Podcasts in your Classroom (Educators K-12)
In this episode of Winning Ideas, sometimes we need to hear things from others to help spark our interest and curiosity. How can listening to podcasts in class help inspire our students to learn more, ask more questions, and become engaged citizens.
We have all experienced it – that moment when you are teaching a lesson and a student takes you on a tangent. They ask you a question you don’t know the answer to so you start either researching it there in class, or you tell them to stay on topic, we will ask questions later. It’s both frustrating and fun because now we know students are excited about learning, but they are also taking away from your carefully crafted lesson plan that will help them through the next standard you need to teach. So how do we spark that curiosity while keeping our students focused on the task at hand and keep learning moving forward? One word: Podcasts.
For many years people have been making, recording, and listening to podcasts. Maybe on your way to work in the morning you listen to a podcast, or during an evening workout, there are so many opportunities for us to broaden our horizons while listening and learning from others. So why don’t we bring that back into the classroom. Why is that something we hold as our own personal moment of joy? If you have ever read from a book to your students in class you have seen them settle in and focus, giving you their full attention. Many students love to learn via listening, and podcasts have a lot to offer. How might you incorporate them into your already busy schedule? Some podcasts are incredibly lengthy, others ramble on tangents that don’t meet your needs, plus there are SO many to choose from and so many sources to find them. Selecting your podcasts can feel like a daunting task as well. Here are a few ways to find, incorporate, and use podcasts as a tool for learning.
Imagine this – you are getting ready for your Monday class, for this assignment the lesson topic could be Ionic Bonds, the history of transportation, traversing colder lands, or maybe even learning about friction. You have an epic plan to engage your students in a hands-on experience that creates a lasting impression. BUT this is the first time you have introduced the topic. You open the class with a podcast from Sound of Science titled “Science of Salt”. You and your students begin to think of questions, ideas, and connections to what you have learned and what you will be learning. Throughout the course of the week/period you go through your epic lesson, your students still reeling after listening to the short podcast. By the end of the lesson (or unit) everyone is feeling more confident in the material they are learning, so you listen to the podcast again with your class. This time you find the connections, relate the discussion to what you learned in class, and find deeper connections in your materials. Potentially the students pose deeper questions about the reason we use salt on our roads (which we recommend you have them send in to the studio to be answered in future sessions). Regardless, you have found a lesson spark. Your students’ brains were transported for a short time to thinking about things that impact real life.
Let’s consider an elementary class. You have a few moments to fill after an incredibly productive day – listen to a podcast! Once it’s done, allow your students to ask questions, have conversations, and even engage in discussion with their peers regarding what they heard. Maybe you have busy class for the day, they don’t want to sit down and want to bounce all over the walls. Turn on an interesting podcast for them to listen to while they are bouncing about. They can talk and walk, or they can create unique connections between what they heard and what they originally thought. The possibilities are endless!
From a purely academic perspective, podcasts are wonderful opportunities for your students to practice their inquiry skills, their reasoning skills, and so many more. When they engage in discussion or constructive disagreement post listening to the podcasts, they are practicing their communication and community building skills. If the podcast touches on topics close to home, they learn to build empathy for others and begin considering the ideas of service learning. When you have a moment, we here at NIU recommend you listen to a podcast with your students! To listen to more Sound of Science, or if you or your students have a question they want answered by our experts on Sound of Science, reach out to us here: Sound of Science.
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