Abstract:

Emerging research highlights the use of podcasts as teaching tools, particularly for complex, potentially controversial topics (Belfiore et al., 2021; Singer, 2019). In this investigation, students in an undergraduate course in speech sound development and disorders listened to podcasts on dialects and linguistic discrimination. The instructor divided students into small groups and then assigned each group four podcasts from the podcast series Unstandardized English (Gillon & Figueroa, 2017-present) and/or Vocal Fries (Gerald, 2019-present). Students listened to each of the four podcasts individually and then met with their group for discussion. Four class periods during the semester were set aside for students to meet with their groups to discuss each podcast. Each student wrote a one-page reflection paper following the group discussions. At the end of the semester, each group prepared a 20-minute presentation for the class highlighting information from their group’s assigned podcasts. Following each group’s presentation, students in the audience completed written answers to reflection questions probing what they learned from the presentation and how this might change their beliefs and future behavior. This paper discusses the positive impact of podcasts as teaching tools to facilitate conversation and reflection about potentially sensitive topics. In this investigation, student-led group discussion expanded the impact of the podcast assignment, holding each student accountable to participate while also creating a safe space to discuss potentially difficult topics. Students’ written reflections highlight the positive impact of this assignment on currently held beliefs and, potentially, actions.

References:
[1] Belfiore, M., Hoover, J., Jenkins, A & Ting, L. (2021). Teaching note – Exploring podcast-facilitated course work on racism. Journal of Social Work Education, 57:1, 173-180. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10437797.2020.1799890
[2] Gillon, C. & Figueroa, M. (Hosts). (2017-2021). Vocal Fries [Audio podcast]. https://vocalfriespod.com
[3] Gerald, JPB (Host). (2019-2021). Unstandardized English [Audio podcast]. https://anchor.fm/unstandardized
[4] Singer, J. (2019). Podcasting as social scholarship: A tool to increase the public impact of scholarship and research. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 10(4), 571-590. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/706600

Keywords:

Podcasts, undergraduate education, pedagogical tools, active learning, group learning.