The impact of teaching English using podcasting

Using podcasts as a tool for teaching English to students has a tremendous impact on how well the students learn the English language. Not only will it help out children who speak English as their first language but it also helps to teach students who are learning English as a second language. Using podcasts in teaching English allows students to hear the proper pronunciation of the words and how the English language should sound. This is extremely important when people are learning English as their second language because it is a well known fact that English is one of the hardest languages to learn. English is quite different from the other languages, which if you have learned a foreign language you are already aware of. Because of the unique way that the English language puts words together to form sentences and the many grammar rules children of all ages have a hard time learning proper English.

Another impact that using podcasting in teaching English has is that the children tend to learn faster. This can be due to the fact that the children are in a fun learning environment and have more control over how they are learning so it is easier. Or it can be attributed to the fact that when using podcasts they can review the lesson as many times as it takes for them to understand the concept, podcasts allows students to learn at a pace that is most comfortable for them, which usually ends up creating better learning results. Another idea is that with podcasts children can participate in a variety of projects to help them understand the English language and its many grammar rules, it has been proven that the more you use the language and the more you practice with it the easier it is to learn.

Using podcasting in teaching English is also a great way to help advance a student's development. Unlike many other tools podcasting requires the students to combine a variety of skills in order to make and create a single product. When they are making and creating a podcast it helps to teach them about doing research, communicating in print, to speak effectively, and how to grab people's attention. But children also have to learn some of the technical skills that are involved with making the podcast and publishing it on the internet. This will give them plenty of oral and written practice with the English language.

Here are some ways that teachers can use podcasts in teaching English to children or adults who are trying to learn the language.

• Vocabulary words - the teacher can create a podcast each week for that week's vocabulary words. They can provide definitions, pronunciation, and proper spelling in the weekly lesson and then assign assignments at the end of the podcast.


• Create a play - the first part of this assignment can be done individually or in groups. But the first part consists of having your students write a play that will later be acted out (this project can be done numerous times until everybody's play has been produced). Assign different students roles and have them record themselves acting out the play. Play back the recording and let them listen to what they sound like and allow them to edit the play before publishing the podcast. This is a way to practice both their written and oral English skills. The podcast series could be updated weekly to include a new play every week.


• Current events - you can create a radio podcast show that students will manage to talk about current events that are going on in the newspaper. While the current events can be happening in another country the podcast should be done in English to help teach the English language skills they need.

There are many other ways that teachers can use podcasts in teaching the English language. Keep in mind that the greatest impact podcasts have in teaching English is that students can hear how to correctly use the English language.