Why We’re Podcasting in 8th Grade
“Whoever is doing the talking is doing the learning.” — David Guerin
I’m an 8th grade homeroom teacher. I’m blessed — and I don’t say that sarcastically — to spend most of my days with 28 interesting, funny, and creative 13- and 14-year-olds. They keep me on my toes.
Shaping Lifelong Readers
Our Thursdays are the only day of the week completely uninterrupted by band, electives, language classes, or PE, and we spend the entire length of it together. Partly for that reason, I schedule our weekly independent reading block on Thursdays.
Students get a break from my voice during these 30–40 minutes of quiet, but they also get something much more valuable.
They get a chance to relax and read whatever they want.
In Sparks in the Dark, a book by Todd Nesloney and Travis Crowder that has reignited my passion for literacy, the authors point to the importance of allowing students some reading freedom.
“Students can be required to read specific texts or write particular essays, but if they’re not intrigued, captivated, or truly engaged, it’s just an academic exercise. To shape students into lifelong readers and writers, we must relinquish some of our control and allow kids the freedom to choose the books and topics that speak to them.”
I believe that. Independent reading isn’t some filler period. It’s an essential practice that must take place in order to build a love of reading in our learners.
Critically Reflecting
At the close of this independent reading block, I ask students to complete a simple reflection. Up to about a month ago, the reflection followed a simple outline that I posted on Google Classroom.
Our learning target for this weekly activity was and continues to be “I can think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts.”
Taking Reflections to the Next Level
Over the Christmas break, I was inspired to do more with these reading reflections. A combination of factors contributed.
There was the Teachers on Fire podcast I launched in March of 2018. More on that adventure here.
There was my interview with Dan Ryder back in June, when he talked about the links between design and authentic products. No more dumpster projects, he encouraged. Instead, look for meaningful ways for students to share their learning beyond the walls of the classroom.
There was the Visible Learning conference I attended in the fall of 2018, which encouraged me to amplify student voice further in my teaching practice. To move from vertical (teacher-student only) representations of learning to ones that could be shared and enjoyed by larger audiences.
There was the work that my colleague, Jordan Mayer, did in his classroom last fall using Anchor (the podcasting platform) as a stage for class debates in Social Studies. Although Jordan chose not to publish student work outside of his learning community of parents and students, the fact that he was using Anchor in his practice was inspiring.
There’s also the upcoming EdVent IV, when I’ll have four minutes and four slides to answer the questions “What’s keeping you alive in your education practice?” and “How is learning coming alive in your classroom?” Still new to the speaking circuit, this felt like a great time to take a risk and try something new in my professional practice.
Enter the Gr8 Expectations Podcast
So in January, I launched the Gr8 Expectations podcast. We’ve published four episodes now, and you can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or a handful of other podcast apps or platforms.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Riley Dueck, another colleague, for the clever name. I love it!
Let’s start with WHY
Our curricular learning target hasn’t changed from the original reading reflections. “I can think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts.”
Except now, students are reading their thoughts out loud. And as my colleague and instructional coach Kathy Holmes quoted David Guerin this week, whoever is doing the talking is doing the learning.
Hmmm. So there’s the “out loud” part.
But why publish a podcast?
- The podcast amplifies STUDENT VOICE. Podcasting literally allows every student’s voice to be heard. I get to listen to my students on my commute home from school. And that’s amazing.
- The podcast increases EQUITY. Hearing every student’s voice shows equal value in every learner. Every student is given all the air time they want. Every student matters. It’s the FlipGrid effect.
- The podcast is an AUTHENTIC PRODUCT. In my classroom of ten years ago, students would’ve submitted their written reflections into a physical inbox — papers that may or may not have received a summary mark, been handed back, and promptly recycled. In contrast, podcast episodes enshrine our learning on iTunes and other podcast platforms, a medium universally and permanently accessible. That’s a product that has some import, some real significance.
- The podcast builds more PARENT CONNECTION. The nature of the medium means that parents can listen to their children at the gym, on the commute, or while walking the dog. No, I don’t expect every parent to listen to every episode. But some parents will listen to some episodes, and that’s a clear win.
- The podcast SHARES the LEARNING. Classmates can listen. Students from our other 8th grade classes can listen. Students from other grades, other schools, other cities, and other countries can listen. This is the power of the internet, and the power of the podcasting medium. We can all make our voices heard. The audience is waiting.
HOW I publish the Gr8 Expectations Podcast
From the beginning, I committed to keeping this thing technically crude and simple. I can’t spend the time to edit audio clips and publish this content all over the web. It’s got to be fast, easy, but effective.
You can do this!
Here’s my complete process:
- Students read independently for 30–40 minutes.
- I play some soft Marconi Union on our Google Home.
- Students complete this reflection on their reading in Google Docs on Google Classroom (my school is a BYOD environment).
- Students find a quiet corner in the school or library to record themselves using their laptop’s native voice recorder and internal mic (Chromebook users can use Online Voice Recorder for free).
- Students save and rename their audio file in format 1-Alex, 2-Bob, 3-Clara, etc. corresponding with their student number. This helps me organize the audio clips quickly. They submit their audio file on Google Classroom.
- At the end of the day, I download all the submitted files from the corresponding Classroom folder that was auto-created in my Google Drive.
- I log into Anchor (it’s free, by the way), and import all the student audio files into one episode. I usually separate students with quirky little audio transitions, but that’s optional. The importing and arranging is a fast business.
- I title the episode, add a few quick notes, and hit publish. That’s it! The podcast appears in my Apple Podcasts app almost instantly.
In Summary
Listen, I get it. This podcast will never earn thousands of raving fans. But that’s okay, because that’s not the goal.
The point is that my class is on a reading, reflection, and content creation journey together.
We’re amplifying student voice. We’re increasing equity. We’re building parent connection, sharing our learning, and producing authentic products for an authentic audience.
It’s the sound of learning.
