Educators are always looking to find the latest and best resources to effectively reach students and to improve their own teaching methods. Education Podcasts are both entertaining and informative, which make them excellent tools for teachers to use both inside and outside of the classroom.
Teachers are not the only ones who benefit, however. Anyone involved with education ﹘ parents, PTA members, administrators, and counselors ﹘ can find inspiration from podcasts.
Below are some podcasts that are inspirational and practical for those in the educational field:
1. Google Teacher Tribe
Hosted by teacher Matt Miller and digital learning consultant Kasey Bell
⏰ Average run time: 40 minutes
Google Teacher Tribe (GTT) podcasts, published weekly, are aim at helping teachers effectively use technology in the classroom. In particular, GTT provides practical ideas on how teachers can use Google products and G Suite.
Topics include “Tapping into Creativity with Google Drawings” and “Blended Learning with G Suite.”
Since school districts are investing heavily in Chromebooks for their schools, teachers and students need to master these tools. Each week, Miller and Bell provide tips, resources, news, updates, and strategies for K-12 teachers. The pair frequently interview teachers and how they integrate Google into their classrooms.
Not using Google tools in your classroom? Check out episodes like “Staying Productive with Google Chrome” for tips that increase your productivity in and out of the classroom.
2. This American Life
Hosted by Ira Glass since 1995
⏰ Average run time: 60 minutes
These weekly podcasts delve into different aspects of American culture, including criminal justice and community organization. This American Life chooses a different theme each week and publishes podcasts that contribute to the theme.
The stories are entertaining while examining many important issues in depth. “The Kindness of Strangers” is an excellent way to emphasize how day-to-day interactions impact other people’s perspectives. The recent episode, “Words You Can’t Say,” is an excellent way to prepare for discussions with students about changing societal norms.
If you’re new to This American Life, a great place to start is their archives. You can quickly filter for tags like “parenting,” “high school,” “school,” or “education” within their archive of past episodes.
3. Ten-Minute Teacher Podcast
Hosted by Vicki Davis, teacher and blogger
⏰ Average run time: 10 minutes
As the podcast name indicates, these daily podcasts are short enough to listen to in the car on the way to work each day.
The Ten-Minute Teacher podcast frequently interviews teachers, administrators, researchers, and authors that fit into a daily theme like Motivational Mondays and Thought Leader Wednesdays. Interviewees include teachers and technology experts Jacqui Murray, Julie Hembree, and Greg Smedley.
Parents can benefit from listening as well, especially to broadcasts such as “Five Home and Smartphone Filtering Options for Parents.”
4. Teaching Matters
Hosted by Scott Titsworth, Dean of the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University
⏰ Average Run Time: 45 minutes
Teaching Matters, an NPR series, focuses on teaching excellence while examining the unique needs of today’s students. In under an hour, each episode looks at identifying student needs and how to address them.
Frequently, Teaching Matters interviews award-winning teachers that share their experience about teaching excellence. Some notable interviews are:
- Eva Moskowitz, Educational Reform Advocate
- Sydney Chaffee, 2017 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year
- Student/Teacher Communication Motives with Dr. Scott Myers
Teaching Matters is a great resource for administrators, teachers, students, and parents in search of contributing to the success of modern learners.
5. We Love Schools
Hosted by Joel Gagne and Carole Dorn-Bell of Allerton Hill Consulting
⏰ Average run time: 30 minutes
We Love Schools explores community involvement with K-12 schools. Gagne and Dorn-Bell cover a variety of topics that engage administrators, teachers, child advocates, and parents. We Love Schools episodes are categorized into 4 overarching topics, including:
- Communication best practices
- Issues facing schools today
- Lessons in leadership
- Technology in the classroom
These podcasts work well for community presentations and help drive parental involvement. Start by checking out episodes like “Poverty in Schools” and “The Impact of Technology on Education.”
These are just a few of the dozens of educational podcasts available online. These episodes are usually free and are easily accessible.
While in-person training and discussion groups will always be helpful for teachers and administrators, podcasts act as a stimulating addition to the educational arsenal. Some podcasts can be directly implemented into student lesson plans, adding another media dimension to spark student success.
Aside from teachers and admins, podcasts are a valid addition to the educational community’s mission to inform, inspire and unite. The local PTA can find episodes that help guide their mission, as well.