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Podcasts have become a vital component of our everyday life in the age of modern technology and rapid information flow. We listen to them when commuting to work, running in the morning, or just lounging around the house.
However, have you ever thought that these captivating audio programs can be a powerful English language learning aid?
Podcasts offer much more than simply improve listening comprehension; they also expand one’s vocabulary, improve pronunciation, and even stimulate critical thinking.
Imagine a class where students are thoroughly immersed in the world of vivid speech, real-life conversations, and engrossing stories rather than dry textbooks and repetitive exercises.
Are you prepared to take a fresh look at podcasts? Then continue reading!
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Different types of podcasts
1. Monologue podcast types
For specialized industries with lone speakers, monologues work well. Every week, Say Your Mind with Kelecki Okafor features pop culture-related shows. By soliciting questions and comments, the show promotes audience participation.
2. Interview types of podcast
In one-on-one interviews, hosts talk about the experiences of participants in particular fields. Artists, activists, and politicians are interviewed by Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso to learn more about their feelings and ideas.
3. Panel discussion podcast types
Several visitors contribute to vibrant, engaging conversations by exchanging personal stories that make for delightful listening. Examples of podcasts that discuss food-related subjects include Jay Rayner’s The Kitchen Cabinet.
4. Video podcast types
Examples of podcasts with videos blend various techniques to produce original episodes. New York lawyer Jesse Weber hosts the Law&Crime Sidebar Podcast, which provides legal commentary of high-profile cases.
5. Hybrid podcast types
These podcast formats have a fixed presenter, and their guest hosts craft panel discussions or monologues in a distinctive patchwork fashion. One example of a hybrid podcast is The Daily, which covers current events.
6. Educational types of podcasts
Education podcasts, which feature speakers from a variety of disciplines, including chemistry, psychology, technology, and more, are aimed at educators and students. TED Talks Education features community leaders, scholars, and educators.
7. Business podcasts types
To keep listeners informed about the newest business trends, ideas, and viewpoints from industry experts, business podcasts employ a hybrid format. Guy Raz’s How I Built This highlights the business experiences of entrepreneurs.
How podcasts can aid in learning
Podcasts are more than just on-the-go audio recordings. They provide a wealth of possibilities to improve a variety of abilities and can become an essential component of learning English.
Developing communication skills
Enhancing communication skills is one of the biggest benefits of podcasting.
The majority of podcasts include in-person interviews, talks, and conversations that demonstrate how actual people use English to communicate.
This teaches students how to carry on a conversation, what idioms and phrases are used in common speech, and how discussions are constructed.
Interview-based podcasts, for instance, let listeners hear how questions are posed, how answers are provided, and how conversations progress.
This improves students’ ability to communicate with others and gets them ready for talks in the real world.
“Luke’s English Podcast” is the best option for anyone who want to learn English and experience British culture at the same time.
This podcast was created by British comedian and English teacher Luke Thompson to help language learners improve their abilities in a fun and laid-back way.
Luke has a great sense of humor and is an excellent storyteller.
He talks about his travels, his comedic acts, and humorous and thought-provoking incidents from his life in each episode.
Listeners may easily understand the intonations, rhythm, and organic tempo of conversational speech through these stories, which is an essential skill for anyone hoping to talk comfortably and eloquently.
The focus on actual conversational situations is one of the main characteristics of the “Culips English Podcast.”
Listeners can learn to comprehend and use the language like native speakers do by following the hosts’ analysis of regular conversations.
There are other episodes devoted to examining particular lexical elements and grammatical structures.
An full episode, for example, features the hosts explaining idioms and how to use them in conversation.
Expanding vocabulary
Podcasts are a great way to increase one’s vocabulary because they cover a wide range of subjects, from news to science, from entertainment to storytelling. Listening to podcasts helps students retain new words and phrases by exposing them to them in context.
Encourage your students to record new words and phrases from each podcast in a vocabulary diary, which they can then utilize in their written or spoken assignments. This teaches kids how to properly use new language in addition to aiding with word memorization.
Writing a review, for example, might be one of the assignments. As they listen to the podcast, students jot down new terms and phrases. They must write a review of the podcast using the selected terms, including their favorite parts, the subjects discussed, and any new knowledge they acquired.
They can also share their reviews with the group and talk about the words that each of them had never heard of before and how they could be useful in the future.
In addition to improving vocabulary memory, this assignment helps to build writing and critical thinking abilities. Students listen to a chosen podcast episode and record new words and expressions in the following assignment. Create five to ten questions using the new words that might come up in relation to the episode’s topic.
If the podcast was about travel, for instance, they may ask about “itinerary,” “destination,” and “adventure.” They then engage in a dialogue with a partner in which they pose the prepared questions to one another.
One of the following roles is available to them:
- Traveler and guide: One of the students will pose inquiries about the journey as a traveler, and the other will act as a guide, responding to inquiries and offering guidance.
- Journalist and expert: One of the students will interview as a journalist, and the other will be an authority on the subject of the podcast.
This exercise promotes collaborative learning, the usage of new language in context, and the development of speaking abilities.
Improving pronunciation
Students can practice mimicking native speakers’ pronunciation by repeatedly listening to audio programs.
Learners may improve their own pronunciation and make it sound more natural by listening to how words are pronounced and what accents and intonations are employed.
The “shadowing” technique is a powerful tool for enhancing pronunciation.
How does it operate?
You pick a podcast that has clear pronunciation, pay close attention, and then instantly duplicate the host’s words as closely as you can.
Increase the repeat speed gradually while attempting to match the speaker’s cadence. This method improves natural intonation and gives one’s speech a more assured tone.
Critical thinking and information analysis
Current and complicated subjects that demand thought and analysis are frequently covered in recordings. Students who listen to these podcasts are encouraged to think critically about what they have heard, formulate their own opinions, and express them.
Ask your students to share their opinions, ask questions, and debate their points of view with friends or classmates after they have finished listening. They will be better able to understand the subject matter and hone their critical thinking abilities as a result.
When and how to use podcasts in lessons
In English language instruction, audio programs have become a powerful tool that may liven up the learning process and make it more interesting and effective. It’s critical to successfully include podcasts into your lessons if you want to realize their full potential.
For different age groups and at different points in a lesson, audio recordings can be used.
Students in middle and high schools
Student-oriented podcasts could feature interviews, science shows, or news reviews. They foster discussion and critical thinking in addition to improving listening skills.
Adults
When studying English, adult learners frequently have certain objectives, whether they be personal or professional. Podcasts that are relevant to their interests and requirements are appropriate for them.
These could include interviews with a corporate focus, podcasts with a professional subject, conversations about current affairs, or even literary assessments.
Focus of the lesson
The teacher poses preliminary discussion questions to the class at the beginning of the listening lesson that are connected to the podcast’s expected subjects.
Depending on the length and complexity of the podcast, it is crucial to allow students to listen to it in its entirety or in smaller chunks throughout the listening phase.
Following listening, the instructor assigns exercises designed to assess students’ understanding of the podcast’s subject matter.
These assignments may consist of statement completion, multiple-choice questions, and other comprehension assessments.
Students can express their opinions about what they listened to during a discussion of the podcast’s main points at the conclusion of the class.
Using a range of approaches is crucial to getting the most out of podcasts in a speaking lesson.
Role-playing can be utilized as an interactive method, in which students pretend to be podcast characters or write original dialogue based on what they have heard.
Students can, for instance, pretend to be podcast participants by posing as the presenter and guests, asking questions, voicing opinions, and defending their positions.
Students can also participate in debates centered around the podcast’s subject during a speaking class.
They are split up into “for” and “against” teams, and they use the information and arguments from the podcast to discuss different facets of the problem.
This method not only improves their speaking abilities but also fosters critical thinking and the capacity to formulate persuasive arguments.
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Conclusion
Podcasts have become essential tools for studying English in the digital age, because material is widely available and readily available.
They offer unmatched chances to improve listening skills as well as build critical language competencies.
In addition to helping students master important language skills, this tool encourages creativity, teaches them how to collaborate with others, and gives them the confidence to articulate themselves in English.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the types of podcasts?
There are interviews, storytelling, education, narration, news and current events, true crime, comedy, health and wellness, business and finance, technology, and sports.
How many genres of podcasts are there?
There are about 30 different genres of podcasts.
Which podcast is best for beginners?
- The Adam Buxton Podcast (Issue #001) Host: Adam Buxton.
- Off Menu (Issue #015)
- The Guilty Feminist (Issue #013)
- Films To Be Buried With (Issue #023)
- The Receipts (Issue #010)
- Kermode & Mayo’s Take (Issue #022)
- Sh**ged, Married, Annoyed (Issue #004)
- No Such Thing As A Fish (Issue #018)
