How Podcasts Can Improve Literacy in the Classroom
Common
Sense: 4.17.2018 by Michael Godsey
Boost
confidence and focus with these free, accessible, and fresh texts.
I'm
going to confess, I did not bring podcasts into my English classroom with any
intention of improving my students' literacy skills. The idea came from a more
selfish place: My wife and I were enthralled by the first few episodes of Serial, and I wanted to share our
excitement for the amazing story with my students. Like almost everybody, they
were hooked by the pilot episode and begged me for more.
I
began using other podcast episodes and excerpts as both primary and
supplemental texts.
Using
Serial turned out to be a huge academic success for a variety of reasons, most
of them related to critical thinking, listening comprehension, and the art of
storytelling. While I felt guilty that the students weren't doing as much
reading from a traditional text, they voluntarily studied maps, evaluated
clues, argued with each other, and wrote twice as much in their journals as
they previously had. Perhaps most satisfying to me, they were engaging in adult
conversations with teachers, parents, and administrators who were listening to
the same podcast.
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The
Benefits of Using Podcasts in the Classroom
If
you're considering whether or not you want to explore using podcasts as primary
or supplementary texts, consider these benefits for students:
➤Reading
along with a podcast builds confidence and literacy.
➤Podcasts
present a broad array of narrative types and subject matter.
➤Reading
along keeps easily distracted students extremely focused.
➤Podcasts
are free, accessible, and always contemporary.
Literacy
Podcasts via PlayerFM Thursday, May 2, 2019
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