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Using podcasts in the languages classroom
Principles of teaching
Improving performance across skills
Practising speaking and listening outside the languages classroom, has traditionally been more difficult than reading and writing. One of the strengths of podcasting is that it focuses on these skills and as a result students can benefit from having greater access to audio resources in their own time and being able to choose when and how they want to learn. Moreover, reluctant speakers may feel more encouraged to record their spoken work in class because they know they are going to publish it to a real audience and therefore feel the task is more purposeful.
Other positive skills-based outcomes from podcasting can include:
- a rise in motivation from students who like the idea of having their work published online and as a result want to raise their standards
- an increase in the frequency, length and quality of spoken work
- an improvement in accuracy through rehearsing in groups and peer assessing each other’s scripts
- better pronunciation thanks to the recording and editing process and students listening more actively to their own and others’ work
Students can also feel that podcasting is more relevant to their everyday lives and how they like to learn in the 21st century as they are already familiar with technology such as mp3 players and downloading audio files in their free time. By personalising learning in this way, students gain ownership of their work and are able to channel their creativity while acquiring new cross-curricular skills in the process. They can also gain a deeper understanding of grammatical rules or key phrases as a result of explaining ideas in their own words and teaching others.
Podcasting ideas
There are many ways in which podcasting can be used to engage students, develop language skills and enhance the teaching and learning of languages.
Podcasts can be used for:
- chanting verbs or drilling vocabulary
- rehearsing dialogues
- speaking with a foreign language assistant
- practising pronunciation
- explaining grammatical rules
- singing songs
- reciting GCSE model answers for the oral exam
- making a weekly weather forecast
- creating a tour guide of the local area or town
- reviewing a recent film
- producing a radio show or news report in weekly updates
- making a presentation for a partner school
- taking part in authentic conversations with native speakers on an educational visit
- recording a weekly learning log
- summarising a unit of work in the student’s own words
- collaborating with another department on a joint project
Suitable topics for podcasting
There are many topic areas at 14 to 19 and also at Key Stage 3 where podcasting can be used to advantage:
- saying what you like to do at the weekend
- describing the local area
- creating a tourist guide to a locality or region
- buying a train ticket
- booking a room in a hotel
- ordering food in a restaurant
- speaking to the doctor about different ailments
- talking about daily routine
- explaining the cooking instructions for a recipe
- discussing social issues
- making news reports as part of creative language work
- creating audio reviews of books, films, television programmes, song albums or concerts
- working collaboratively on audio projects with partner schools
Podcasting as assessment for learning
Preparing a podcast can change the dynamics of a classroom as students take more of an active role in their learning and the teacher becomes more of a facilitator.
Many Assessment for Learning (AfL) opportunities can occur as students assess each other’s scripts based on specific success criteria, clarify meaning and rehearse together in a non-threatening, informal way.
More formal assessment of a podcast could take place via comments on a blog or podcasting portal where students follow the rules of two stars and a wish and make two positive statements about a piece of work and one suggestion on how it could be improved.
Cross-curricular skills
The benefits of podcasting are numerous and will serve students well in other areas of the curriculum. Podcasts:
- develop a sense of audience in students
- develop self-esteem
- promote independent and collaborative learning
- develop research skills
- develop the ability in students to communicate ideas effectively
- promote critical and creative thinking
