Purposeful Podcasts

         Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular in today’s professional world as a tool for personal and professional growth.  Since podcasts don’t include any visual information, it is easy to listen and focus on the content, regardless of what you’re doing.  They can be played in the car, at your desk, or at home while you’re cooking.  Podcasts fill the air with stories and information, unlike listening to music, and are a wonderful way to become informed with little effort.  The popularity of this source of media is enticing many professionals to use the platform to reach out to listeners to share their personal and professional successes and failures with their audience.  Topics range from murder mysteries to personal economic strategies.  Listeners are tuning in at record rates and more hosts are jumping on-board to create more content.  These recordings are giving millions of people plenty of entertainment and education. 

         One of the professional podcasts I listened to was Vicki Davis’ 10 Minute-Teacher Podcast titled, “How to Motivate Teachers to Change.”  In this podcast, Davis interviews Joy Kirr, who wrote a book on how to implement gradual changes in the classroom for dynamic effect.  The two discussed how we as humans don’t develop overnight, but somehow, we expect that of our classrooms.  Schools are under tremendous pressure to help teachers innovate, but it’s equally important for educators to keep in mind the essential values, the reasons behind planned changes, and the desired result.  The two also discussed that is preferable to implement small modifications at a time, to help students feel more comfortable, before moving on with additional changes.  Kirr explained that educational shifts should always be made with the children’s best interest in mind.  Forcing change doesn’t work because the students won’t be happy.  They suggested teachers should visit other classes to share the successes and failures of implementing change which would assist teachers in tailoring their own plan of change for their specific class. 

         Within the Educate podcast, there is an episode by Emily Hanford titled, “Hard to Read,” which illustrates how American schools are failing kids with dyslexia.  It begins by highlighting the overwhelming number of students who struggle with dyslexia yet are undiagnosed.  Statistically, five to twelve percent of children have dyslexia; however, only 4.5 percent are diagnosed with a special learning disability that may not even include dyslexia.  The podcast describes the story of a boy named, Billy Gibson, how grew up with dyslexia, which was constantly overlooked by teachers.  Billy’s school disagreed with the test results obtained through private testing and denied him an IEP.  The cost to educate a child receiving special education is double the cost of educating other students in public school, which means school districts are less likely to offer those services.  Even though it’s a “legal requirement” for schools to identify children with disabilities and provide them with an appropriate education, schools still resist because of a running dispute about how to teach children to read.  The podcast discusses in-depth the reality of going through the school system with dyslexia.  The host ends the podcast describing how 41 states have recently passed laws that encourage schools to provide teacher training on identifying dyslexia, as well as providing a variety of laws and regulations.  

         While I enjoyed both podcasts, I was a bit underwhelmed by Davis’ podcast.  I didn’t gain a great deal of insight or additional information, which may be because I have been learning about this topic over the past few weeks.  I do have a greater understanding about the importance of teachers wanting classroom change, rather than schools forcing change upon them.  As for Hanford’s episode, I was much more intrigued because it’s a topic I know little about.  I listened intently about the shocking reality of children struggling with dyslexia, and the lack of support in many school systems.  It is imperative for teachers to be aware of each student’s skill set, and crucial for schools to fight for special education intervention, no matter the cost.  I also appreciated that both podcasts incorporated real-life stories and an industry expert, which made listening more enjoyable and better than the host discussing the topic alone.  

After listening to these professional podcasts, I can see myself using the podcast platform for my own professional growth.  By listening to other teachers, psychologists, and educators, I can broaden my range of knowledge on a variety of topics, like learning to detect reading disabilities. Hearing which methods are working for other educators will strengthen my awareness and expertise in the classroom. I will be able to implement suggested techniques, and perhaps share my own knowledge on future podcasts.  I like the possibility of listening to podcasts with my students, as a tool to engage their minds and spark their imagination, without screen time. 

Here are the links for the podcasts mentioned above:

https://www.apmreports.org/story/2017/09/11/hard-to-read

http://10minuteteacher.libsyn.com/how-to-motivate-teachers-to-change