Teaching Podcasts - Alternative Approach

Teachers know that students somehow reject learning. It's that kind of anarchistic trait that resides in every child. We are aware of this when we look at a student outside of an educational environment, and see him interacting or making his own way with a device; for example, the most advanced laptop.

Naturally, such interaction is based on motivation, but teachers must find out the origin of it. For instance, imagine a youngster who spends most of his time listening to music. And he memorize all the lyrics of his favorite singers. Meanwhile, he's not doing very well in school. Besides that, he looks distracted in class and seems to have no interests at all.

The problem is basically not the student. Teachers are essentially battling with all the things youngsters are bombarded every day. So, the most logical approach would be to observe the channels on how the other information is funneled.

When I was going through the teaching program, an alternative teaching approach was proposed which focused on one of the means people normally get information from. And it was applied using a series of podcasts, transmitted through a radio program.

Teaching Language Using Podcasts

The strategy was simple; to make teaching more casual. No structures and rules. Only when it was necessary, some clarifications based on real interaction were made. The first opportunity presented was a foreign language assignation, which was a blessing because it was great way to use songs with the target language.

In those podcasts, the lessons where imparted using the radio programming format. In other words, the lessons were merged with the regular content of the radio station. With that, we avoid rejection. That is, losing the interest from the listeners and any eventual departure.

The broadcaster was partially trained because the new content he/she broadcasted was similar to every day's content. The only thing that was taken care of was how to handle the queries from the audience which was passed to a specialist in the target language.

This was a joint work between the broadcasters and the teachers. Nothing was left to chance. The broadcasters provided insights about the audience concerning interests, and teachers adapted the lessons to fit the radio program foundations.

Copying the model

This approach can be adapted to teach other fields too. And you can use other channels like internet. IF most students are today immersed in social network, why not use these platforms to teach. There have been examples where some teachers make students to upload their assignments to web portals.

It is just a matter of identifying where your students gather. I see it like being a seller. If you're selling shirts, are you going to look for clients that want shoes or for clients that are looking for your product?

Then, you need to know where they gather. Think of a fisher who doesn't throw the net on a random place. The most important element here is to identify the channels and adapt your content to make it more digestible.

You can start by running a survey. Ask your students where they spend their free time. With the feedback you get, you have enough data to establish a connection. Your content as I've implied, has to be light and action-oriented. It doesn't have to look like instructions. It must be structured in a way that resembles the content they're usually interested in.

Integral participation from the community

Students show more engagement when they feel they're part of the organization. This approach involves parents and the community around. We've seen examples of this when students willingly immerse in festivities.

They don't only feel important, but also they begin to experience responsibility. They are aware they're part of something that fills their hearts with joy.

As for parents, they perceive their sons and daughters commitment. So, it's usual that they partake on these kind of activities because beside of being fresh and didactic, this approach takes education from school to common places the general public hangs around.

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A word of advice: You might find obstacles by applying this approach. I faced rejection and even suspicion. So, it is a good idea to gain some support from colleagues before presenting it as an educational teaching project. We all know how rigid institutions are. Thus, I recommend to educate through meetups about the benefits of using alternative teaching methods.

@edave

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Previous Posts From This Series

• We Need To Be Flexible With Pedagogy?

• Community Service On Educational Institutions: Obligation Or A Willingly Deed?

• How Much Importance Do You Place On Grades?

• Why Do Some Of Us Learn More Outside The Educational Environment?

• Can We Take For Granted Everything We Are Told In School?

• Teachers' First Question: Why Do They Lie?

• Why Has The Value Of Teachers Diminished?

• Teachers And Educators - Differences

• How To Get The Best From Students