I love teacher podcasts. I don’t always have to time to sit and read, but I do spend a lot of time walking and driving, and podcasts are the perfect company for those times. I’ve been keeping notes about my favorite episodes from this year, so I put together a summer playlist for teachers. I know … It’s only May. We’re still in school. We’re tired. And we certainly are not thinking about professional development. At. All. I get it. I do.
Except some teachers are. And some teachers will. I have a friend who already has four teaching books and a floppy hat in a beach bag, ready to read when the last kid walks out of the classroom on the last day. For her, it’s how she recharges and resets for a new year. It energizes her to find new ideas or better ways of doing things.
For others, a complete break is needed. I’ve had those summers too. There were summers when I didn’t want to think about teaching. I didn’t want to talk about teaching. I certainly didn’t want to read about teaching. And some summers, if I’m being totally honest, I even wished I wasn’t a teacher. It’s exhausting. If that’s you this summer (or every summer), enjoy the unplugging! There are so many other things to do … there are flowers to plant, shows to binge, bikes to ride. And don’t get me started on the wide open time slots for napping.
But if you’re a PD-by-the-pool kind of person, find your favorite teacher podcasts and get your summer playlist ready. You may already have some favorites you listen to. I think it can be a challenge to find podcast content just for K-2 teachers, but there are some out there. Honestly, I find most educational podcasts to be like church sermons. If you listen with an open mind and make relevant connections, there’s something there for everyone. The information is good. You just have to think about how it applies to you, your students, your grade level, and your teaching philosophy.
Teacher Podcasts – Part One
I often listen to The Creative Classroom podcast with John Spencer. Now don’t be scared by this next part. He’s a former middle school teacher who currently teaches at the university level, but many of his episodes are still relatable for elementary teachers. (It’s like the church sermon example from above.) If you are into Project Based Learning, or PBL, his podcast is a great one to check out. Sometimes, he’ll reference eighth grade standards during an episode, but that’s because he’s reflecting on and sharing his own teaching experiences … both the successes and the mistakes. The ideas, though, are conceptual and work across grade levels.
Summer PD Playlist – PBL
I kind of caught this particular series midstream and ended up listening to it out of order. No big deal. It still worked. But if you’d rather listen to it sequentially, I recommend starting with the March 12th episode.
- 3-12: Dr. Melissa Deutsch on the PBL Journey
- 3-22: Making Time for Project Based Learning
- 3-30: The Powerful Combination of PBL and SEL
- 4-2: Dr. Lorea Martinez on How to Implement SEL with the Heart in Mind
- 4-8: Every Student Deserves Access to Project Based Learning
- 4-19: Seven Myths Keeping Teachers from Implementing Creative Projects
- 4-28: How do you teach the standards when doing project based learning?
Podcast Articles
In addition to each podcast episode, John includes a related article on his blog. These are great if you think you might forget something important he said that you want to try. Maybe you feel a little guilty that “teacher-you” isn’t reading a “real book” over the summer. Don’t. I think learning is learning, no matter the format. But I admit, sometimes I like to use my highlighters and sticky notes on actual pieces of paper. Something about that adds to my identity as a lifelong learner. It feels like proof that I professionally developed … or PDed, for short. If that’s you too, go ahead and print out the articles and mark them up. Get tangible if you want to.😊
If you’re a visual learner, John is a doodler. He includes these little mind-map-brain-dumps in his articles and in videos he has on YouTube. For example, these👇 were the fears he faced when he was first starting out with project based learning. Sound familiar? I think I’ve thought almost every one of these.
From Teacher Podcasts to Teacher Books
These two books fit in really well with John’s episodes about PBL and they were both written with an eye on elementary classrooms. If you want to give your highlighters and sticky notes a workout this summer, grab a copy of The Curious Classroom by Harvey Daniels or Inquiry Illuminated: Researcher’s Workshop Across the Curriculum by Anne Goudvis, Stephanie Harvey, and Brad Buhrow. If you have like-minded teacher friends, you could even start a book club around one of these books. Most everything is more fun with friends, right?
Oooh… you could start a podcast club. Is that even a thing?
It is now.😂
I’ll be back next week with another podcast episode that got me excited about the rich opportunities that are possible when we take our teaching and learning outdoors! In the meantime, I’m always looking for podcasts that speak to elementary teachers. If you have a favorite one, or even just a single episode you love, let us know in the comments below.👇
Happy teaching!
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