Setting Up a Podcast Project to Assess Literacy Skills

Almost 35 percent of Americans ages 12 and older listen to podcasts at least once per month. Even I, an avid podcast listener, didn’t realize the numbers were that high. As state standards call for the effective implementation of technology in teaching, and as we compete with technology for our students’ attention, it only makes sense that we lean into their interests and create spaces and opportunities that allow them to lean into their learning in a way that sparks joy. Thank you, Marie Kondo, for you are a teacher in your own right. 

It’s easy to take for granted the amount of critical thinking, organizational, literacy, speaking, and listening skills required to deliver a high-quality podcast—and that’s separate from the technological aspects! Therefore, if we’re intent on ensuring that our high school students get to a level where they demonstrate higher-order thinking skills and master state standards, it may behoove us to embrace a new medium that allows them to show us what they know about what we taught them in a new and highly engaging way. 

Podcasts Can Inspire Students to Read 

As a University in the High School teacher, I teach college courses to high school students, and it’s honestly a struggle to get my students to do the assigned reading with fidelity. It’s not a reading issue. Based on their Scholastic Reading Inventory and Regents scores, most of my students read on or above grade level. Still, the majority of them, to use their words, “hate it.”

They view the academic texts in our curriculum as too complex, dense, and rife with citations to even want to read them. Learning this saddened and scared me. After multiple discussions with my students about why they didn’t want to read, I thought, “Well, what if I gave them a really good reason to read—something that got them invested to the point where reading was a necessary means to an end?“

I know many of my students commit to doing things they don’t necessarily like, or even hate—because the value of the outcome is that great for them. They just need a purpose. Student athletes often say that they hate training, but they do it so that they can play and play well. I’ve also heard my student dancers say they hate practice and dread going, but they go so that they can perform.

What if they had to “perform” what they read? Wait—podcasts are performances. I had just found my newest teaching tool.

Phase One: Determine Student Interest

First, I polled my students with a Google Form to gauge their interest; the statistics proved true and even exceeded my expectations. Over 90 percent of my students said that they listened to podcasts and also would be interested in delivering one. What’s more, about 80 percent of them said they knew how to record and edit an audio or video podcast! I thought, “Gen Z is impressive.”

Next, I allowed students to pick their “pods” because my goal was to make the experience as low-stress and enjoyable as possible. After students assembled into four or five pods of equal numbers, I assigned the reading (10–12 pages) and then provided them with guided discussion questions. Each pod received different questions.

Students were required to read the text, discuss and answer questions as a pod, and turn each answer into a speaking point. Each pod member was required to deliver at least two points. Once all of the discussion points and speakers were identified, students submitted their responses, and I provided them with feedback on accuracy and phrasing. After that, students were required to come up with a name for their podcast episode that captured the essence of the reading. 

Phase Two: Students Produce Their Podcasts

Outside of class, students began recording their podcasts over two to three days. I provided each pod with a set of task-specific guidelines that covered audio, visual, and content expectations. My students who presented recorded versions of their podcasts made effective use of their smartphones—no other technology was needed. Students were also given the option of delivering their podcasts live in class while I recorded them.

I also created a project rubric, which encompassed four criteria: accuracy (the extent to which students presented accurate information from the text); delivery (the extent to which students presented information in a conversational, engaging manner); quality (the extent to which students presented a professional product—waived for live podcasts); and a Q&A period (the extent to which students were able to extemporaneously answer questions from their peers). Students received an assessment grade for their podcasts.

Student Enthusiasm Generates Quality Work and Reciprocal Teaching

To be honest, developing this activity took a bit more work than any presentation or research paper I’ve ever designed… but the results were incomparable. Not only was the quality of the work that my students presented proficient and above, but their enthusiasm around this project was marked and deeply fulfilling. I know how to engage students—I know what it’s like to have a class deeply immersed in thoughtful discussion. However, what I’ve experienced, by way of this teaching method, is what it means to be engaged by my students.

It was reciprocal teaching at its finest, and there were moments when I held back tears, and I was moved by being able to witness the genius that could have lain dormant had it not been for the use of this tool. 

Did every pod earn an A? No, but every student read the text with purpose, every student was able to accurately answer comprehension questions, every student showed up for their group, and every student worked outside of their comfort zone. There’s not much more that I want or can ask for as an educator. Teaching is a mixed bag—it’s part art and part science—so if we want students to do hard things (even if we don’t think they’re hard), we must lean into the art of educating. So get creative, get uncomfortable, and most important, get in tune with students.