Listen & Learn with Podcasts!
Today's blogpost is based off of two podcasts I recently listened to. Podcasts are becoming a huge trend in all aspects of life from cooking, health, fashion, and now even education! Teachers all over the world are giving advice, sharing ideas, and inspiring one another through these verbal "shows".
5 Ways to Teach with Art
The first podcast I listened to came from 10-Minute Teacher Podcast hosted by Vicki Davis. I chose episode 450: "5 Ways to Teach With Art" where author Nicola Giardina gives advice on how to use art in the classroom. Her five tips for teachers were:
1. to find works of art you want to teach with. This can be done by searching museum websites or even from postcards collected from trips.
2. to think thematically and make sure the piece of art you are discussing has some relevance to the lecture, class, and students.
3. Use art as a "springboard" for discussion.
4. Use art to engage the students in multi-sensory learning. By activating their minds and bodies kids will learn and understand the lesson better. Students can draw their own art, act like sculptures, or even create stories for the art.
5. Encourage kids to learn about art outside the classroom with museums, galleries, and even local artists.
Nicola also gave a #6 BONUS tip and encouraged teachers to be creative and have fun-you don't have to be an art expert to teach it!
What I really liked about this episode was how easy Nicola's steps were for implementing art. Everything she suggested seemed achievable for all teachers. Also her tips and ideas about using art can be used for any grade or any subject! The one thing I did not like about this episode was Nicola never gave an exact example of a piece of art she recommended using and how to tie that to a lecture, and I think that would have been extremely helpful!
5 Habits that Help Me Simplify and Automate My Life
The second podcast I listened to came from Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers Podcast. I chose episode 140 "5 Habits that Help me Simplify and Automate my Life". Host and author Angela Watson gets personal and real with her listeners in this podcast. She strays away from the classroom and discusses how she makes her life simpler which in effect means less stress. This is a great podcast for all people to listen to-not just educators! Her five habits are:
1. "I prioritize simplicity in my lifestyle choices". Here she discusses major life decisions like having/not having children, types of pets, and commitments.
2. "I prioritize simplicity in my daily routines". Here she talks about easy life hacks for boring house chores.
3. "I pay just as much attention to the things I say NO to as to the things I say YES to".
4. "I'm proactive of the time I set aside for things that move me toward my goals, and I keep showing up for myself". Here she makes it clear that having "me" time is not selfish, but healthy and necessary.
5. "I batch as many things as possible to focus on deep work". Here she stresses the importance of taking breaks from projects and other activities that require a lot of energy and mind power. Just like students should take breaks while studying, adults need to take breaks from certain tasks as well.
What I liked about this episode was how relatable and personable it was. Listening to Angela speak felt more like talking with a friend than just hearing a podcast. I think her tips and tricks are very interesting and can be applied by nearly anyone. What I didn't like about this podcast was how long it was and how specific her examples got sometimes. I think that if she had simplified and summarize her points it would have been easier to follow. As well, although I appreciated her opinions and commentary, I think some of the rants she went on weren't necessary for this type of podcast.
I think podcasts are becoming a popular method for professional growth because of how accessible and easily produced they are. With the growing dependency on technology, it seems so much easier to click on a link and hear someone speak than to try and either 1. schedule a meeting or 2. listen to them during a convention. Podcasts connect professionals from all backgrounds with the click of a button and can be accessed anywhere you are connected to the internet. I do not know if I would personally make my own podcasts, but I would definitely and will definitely continue to listen to them because I think it is a great source of free information and advice.
5 Ways to Teach with Art
The first podcast I listened to came from 10-Minute Teacher Podcast hosted by Vicki Davis. I chose episode 450: "5 Ways to Teach With Art" where author Nicola Giardina gives advice on how to use art in the classroom. Her five tips for teachers were:
1. to find works of art you want to teach with. This can be done by searching museum websites or even from postcards collected from trips.
2. to think thematically and make sure the piece of art you are discussing has some relevance to the lecture, class, and students.
3. Use art as a "springboard" for discussion.
4. Use art to engage the students in multi-sensory learning. By activating their minds and bodies kids will learn and understand the lesson better. Students can draw their own art, act like sculptures, or even create stories for the art.
5. Encourage kids to learn about art outside the classroom with museums, galleries, and even local artists.
Nicola also gave a #6 BONUS tip and encouraged teachers to be creative and have fun-you don't have to be an art expert to teach it!
What I really liked about this episode was how easy Nicola's steps were for implementing art. Everything she suggested seemed achievable for all teachers. Also her tips and ideas about using art can be used for any grade or any subject! The one thing I did not like about this episode was Nicola never gave an exact example of a piece of art she recommended using and how to tie that to a lecture, and I think that would have been extremely helpful!
5 Habits that Help Me Simplify and Automate My Life
The second podcast I listened to came from Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers Podcast. I chose episode 140 "5 Habits that Help me Simplify and Automate my Life". Host and author Angela Watson gets personal and real with her listeners in this podcast. She strays away from the classroom and discusses how she makes her life simpler which in effect means less stress. This is a great podcast for all people to listen to-not just educators! Her five habits are:
1. "I prioritize simplicity in my lifestyle choices". Here she discusses major life decisions like having/not having children, types of pets, and commitments.
2. "I prioritize simplicity in my daily routines". Here she talks about easy life hacks for boring house chores.
3. "I pay just as much attention to the things I say NO to as to the things I say YES to".
4. "I'm proactive of the time I set aside for things that move me toward my goals, and I keep showing up for myself". Here she makes it clear that having "me" time is not selfish, but healthy and necessary.
5. "I batch as many things as possible to focus on deep work". Here she stresses the importance of taking breaks from projects and other activities that require a lot of energy and mind power. Just like students should take breaks while studying, adults need to take breaks from certain tasks as well.
What I liked about this episode was how relatable and personable it was. Listening to Angela speak felt more like talking with a friend than just hearing a podcast. I think her tips and tricks are very interesting and can be applied by nearly anyone. What I didn't like about this podcast was how long it was and how specific her examples got sometimes. I think that if she had simplified and summarize her points it would have been easier to follow. As well, although I appreciated her opinions and commentary, I think some of the rants she went on weren't necessary for this type of podcast.
I think podcasts are becoming a popular method for professional growth because of how accessible and easily produced they are. With the growing dependency on technology, it seems so much easier to click on a link and hear someone speak than to try and either 1. schedule a meeting or 2. listen to them during a convention. Podcasts connect professionals from all backgrounds with the click of a button and can be accessed anywhere you are connected to the internet. I do not know if I would personally make my own podcasts, but I would definitely and will definitely continue to listen to them because I think it is a great source of free information and advice.
Hi Courtney!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed you summarizing the 5 tips for each of the podcasts you listened too! I found it really interesting for the first podcast the bonus tip about not having to be an art teacher or expert to teach about art. It's so easy to stay away from a more unknown territory or subject but it can be such a great opportunity for growth! I have also found myself to be drawn to more relatable podcasts that come off more as a conversation. While educational and professional podcasts are great, it doesn't always fit the best for my mind space like after a long day. You mentioned that the second podcasts was a bit long and how her examples could have been summarized better, do you think if it was shorter and more to the point it would have taken away from the personable feelings it originally had?
Hi Courtney!
ReplyDeleteYour blog was fun to read and very interesting! I loved how you were able to break down some of the meatier portions of these podcasts into more digestible pieces. I really think I'm drawn to how you can simplify a lot of seemingly complicated tasks and smooth the overall process of analyzing and drawing conclusions from podcasts. I'm not too big of a fan of step-by-step podcasts, but you seem to really enjoy learning from little snippets of information and transforming it into something that you can use later on. Do you think you prefer podcasts more if they cut straight to the point sooner? Or would you be willing to listen to a podcast for longer if it meant getting better information towards the ideas you are interested in?