It’s not you; it’s not the book; maybe it’s just the method! Podcasts offer a unique way for students to engage with stories and provide you with that extra time in class to check a few items off your list.

Okay, this post is a little different, here’s a few reasons why you should use Podcasts in your classroom.

Voice 🎤

• Podcasts are an auditory medium which requires students to engage in a different way than video, reading, or comics.
• The practice of active listening is shown to increase comprehension.
• Students can doodle or occupy their hands with other stimulus (fidget toys?) while still engaging with the content.

Variety 🌶️

• It provides a break from other types of learning.
• Lots of topics and presenters to choose from (check out the list below).

Accessibility 🤟

• Podcasts are free to listen to!
• Can be slowed down and sped up for different needs (0.5 - 2x). (A great app for this)
• Many kid-centered podcasts provide transcripts for students to read along with or review afterwards. Check out the learning guides for But Why?
• Kid-centered podcasts make complex ideas approachable. Many are often updated with current events weekly.

Diversity 🏳️‍🌈

• Explore stories from people around the world.
• Provide insight to your students from groups of people you may not have access to in your community.

Oh and don’t forget that your students will need to work quietly if they want to hear what’s happening in the podcast! Podcasts have built in classroom volume regulation! 😉

Some of our Favourite Podcasts

Brain Break Podcasts 🧠

Use these to when transitioning between tasks to offer a reprieve.

• Circle Round - Brain break folktales with music and prompting questions (20 mins)
• Six Minute Podcast - Break Breaks with cliffhangers at the end (6 mins)
• The Unexplained Mystery of Mars Patel - Character building story told over multiple episodes. Each episode comes with Classroom Resources like listening guides, explore boards and script analysis’. (10-25 mins)

Inquiry Podcasts 💡

Podcasts that model inquiry based learning and dive deep into topics. Many hosted by kids!

• Tai Asks Why - 🇨🇦 Canadian podcast exploring big questions. (10-20 mins)
• But Why? - Questions from student listeners (15-25 mins)
• Science On! - Science Inquiry (20-30 mins)
• Forever Ago - Ordinary things and their history. (20-30 mins)
• What if? - “What if” questions from kids turned into world building stories (20-30 mins) Great connection to creative writing.
• Smashboom - This Vs That Debate Podcasts (20-35 mins) Great connection to persuasive writing.
• Whose Amazing Life? - Stories about amazing people with their identity only revealed at the end of each episode. (15-30 mins) Great connection to inquiry and bias.

News Podcasts 📰

An entertaining way for your class to engage with current events and practice their media literacy.

• Kid Nuz - Kid Friendly News (7-15 mins)
• The Big Fib - The hilarious game show where kids have to figure out who’s an expert, and who’s a liar, liar, pants on fire. (20 - 25 mins)

Did this list inspire you to try something new? Pay it forward and share it with someone you know!

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