You may have thought about using podcasts as a listening exercise for learners, or maybe even a practical ‘speaking’ project, but how about for your own professional development? Daniela Meyer shares her thoughts about the potential of podcasts and some of her favourites to listen to.
Are podcasts still relevant in ELT? I asked myself this question recently, when I was prompted by my PLN (private learning network) to list the podcasts I listened to regularly for my own professional development. The issue then stuck with me because I had not thought of podcasts for ELT in a long time, not even for student learning. How relevant are podcasts nowadays? Are they only relevant for learners’ benefit or also for teachers’?
We all know, by now, what podcasts are; a digital program you can download as an MP3 or listen to online. We all also know that podcasts can be explained as today’s radio programs. Teachers have always exploited radio programs to expand students’ exposure to authentic English. But podcasts are also very different from the radio programs of yesterday and today. They are digital audio files, more like a series of radio programs, and one can become a subscriber of one’s favorite podcasts, receiving these audio programs regularly on a mobile device. Students and teachers therefore have easy access to podcasts, and can listen to them wherever they are, whenever they want to.
Podcasts as an authentic material
In terms of expanding students’ exposure to authentic English, podcasts play a very special role because of their availability and wide range of topics addressed. There is probably a podcast for any subject that might interest our students. Podcasts are to be considered listening activities, with the added benefit of enhanced motivation, given that students can choose the topic they want to listen to. Podcasts may also be used to improve writing and speaking, if the students are encouraged to prepare and then upload their own podcasts. As Pete Sharma says in his YouTube video on podcasts, “it is not the technology itself, but the pedagogy.” In other words, the importance of podcasts in ELT is what we can have students do and learn with them. Our duty would be to teach students how to use podcasts, and where to find and select them. The opportunities are endless.
Podcasts for professional development
But have you considered podcasts as an instrument for your own professional development? In spite of the fact that teachers have very little free time, subscribing to the TED talk app, for example, might be a fruitful opportunity to listen to absorbing audios, be it in the Education field or others. Google Teacher Tribe is another gripping podcast, if you are into technology. The Cult of Pedagogy or Ed Tech Talk might be an option for those that are more interested in the theory of Education. The non-native teachers will also benefit from exploiting authentic podcasts with the objective of perfecting their language skills. Googling ‘ELT podcasts’ brings back 2,840,000 results, which proves that there are numerous options for both teachers and students. Shall we put podcasts back into our radars, both for students’ and teachers’ benefits?
Bibliography
Sharma, Pete. 2017 “The Relevance of Podcasts in ELT” Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTmjdf4H2Xc
BBC/British Council “Podcasting for ELT” https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/podcasting-elt
Arena, Carla. 2018 “Podcasts for Professional Development” www.amplifica.org/amplifix/33
For more perspectives on the use of authentic materials for language learning, check out Lewis Lansford’s article summarising the outcome when he asked his colleagues – what are the advantages and disadvantages of using authentic material in the classroom?