How Might Podcasting Support Meaningful Discussions in Our Classroom?
This year my inquiry question has been:
“How might podcasting support the development of my learners' ability to engage in extended, meaningful discussions about a text?”
This week Room 1, Dorothy Burt and myself had the absolute privilege of visiting Jay Jay and Jazmin at their Podlab studio to learn more about the art of podcasting. They gave us a full tour of the studio, from the editing software, to the lighting setup, to the microphones they use. The students were buzzing with excitement seeing what goes on behind the scenes!
The Visit
This week we had the absolute privilege of visiting Jay Jay and Jazmin at PodLab. They welcomed us into their studio and showed us:
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The microphones and lighting setup
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How they edit podcasts
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The tools they use to make their shows sound professional
The students were so engaged and curious,
it was inspiring to see the behind-the-scenes world of podcasting!
Recording Mic Drop 🎙️
The highlight of the visit was recording our very own podcast, Mic Drop. Every student had the chance to:
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Be the guest, talking about a topic of their choice
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Be the interviewer, asking questions and keeping the conversation flowing
Jay Jay got us started, and Jazmin kindly edited our episode. You can watch it now on our KPE blog!
What I Noticed
Recording the podcast gave students the opportunity to:
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Have rich, extended conversations
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Share ideas about things that mattered to them
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Practise listening and responding thoughtfully
It was so exciting to see the students move away from short answers and really begin to build conversations together.
Next Steps
At the moment, most of our class podcasts are 100% scripted. Moving forward, I want to:
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Give students more opportunities to ad-lib
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Encourage a greater sense of authenticity in their conversations
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Support them to ask questions and develop ideas naturally
This experience showed me just how powerful podcasting can be for oral language growth.
Thank You 🙌
A huge thank you to PodLab, Jay Jay and Jazmin for giving us this amazing opportunity. Thank you to Mrs Burt for joining us on this amazing trip. We would love to come back again in the future!
