Podcasts have exploded in popularity ever since Serial released its first season in 2014. Since then many publishers have released podcasts which can be used to support classroom instruction.

Scott Petri, writing for KQED Education explains:

Research is very clear that listening instruction improves reading comprehension, increases reading speed and expands students’ vocabulary. My students clearly enjoy using Listenwise to improve their historical understanding prior to engaging in historical inquiry. Many stories cover multiple content standards across various grade spans, which enable California Social Studies teachers to spiral, or revisit content standards.

Podcasts are a great way to introduce or reinforce a topic for students. One of the more difficult aspects of using podcasts is finding quality content that aligns to a teachers lessons. Listenwise is a great resource for teachers to find public radio podcasts that include focused discussion question that supports learning standards.

Source: KQED Education