I am probably behind the curve with my recent peaked interest in podcasts, but I am always behind the curve. So what’s new?
I recently started listening to podcasts on my commutes and it has been helpful with my practice of mindfulness and depth of perception on issues. The experience of listening to podcasts is one that I would equate to the experience and enlightenment I feel from reading.
As a teacher in a Title I school, where the testing averages are well below the state average, I am often reflecting on how to help my students reach levels of academic engagement that match their intellect level when their reading level makes it difficult to find those opportunities. I recently had the epiphany that podcasts can bridge this gap.
Similar to how writing has a dialectical relationship with reading, listening has a dialectical relationship with speaking. This is obvious. But the claim that podcasts have the capability to enlighten students as much as a book can is new.
How can this transition to practices at the writing center? My initial thought was that podcasts could help with the acquisition of language for English language learners who visit our writing center. Often, the next steps we provide for English language learners when they ask for tangible ways to improve their fluency are general. Tutors tend to give them the hopeful “keep listening and reading, and you’ll get there!” Or we provide them with common phrases in conversation so that they can acquaint themselves with casual conversation in English. One next step that I have frequently given writers is “Read your favorite childhood book in English!” When learning a new language, students are often directed to discuss menial topics in order to practice the pronunciation and develop familiarity with the language. While these methods are well-intended, they lack opportunity for intellectual depth and stimulation. What intrinsic motivation will there be to acquire the language?
Podcasts offer intellectual depth in addition to practice with colloquial language. Additionally, podcasts apps typically offer the user the option to slow the dialogue so that they may have more time for interpreting the language, while still listening to conversations that are stimulating and thought-provoking.
What are your thoughts? Comment below, friends!