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A school reform podcast

Revisiting the results of your survey

Have you ever wanted to speak up? How about being the voice of your schoolmates? Are you ready to give it a go?

In this mission 2 you will record a podcast with a class discussion about some educational issues.

To do this, you will work on listening, writing, and speaking, and reflect on the results of the surveys you conducted in mission 1.

At the end of this mission you will have:

  • collaboratively written a script for your part of the podcast;
  • learnt how to use question tags;
  • recorded your segment of the podcast;
  • reflected on the different issues presented and your performance.
A man writing on a piece of paper
Mohamed Hassan. Untitled (CC0)

To start with, let's analyse the results of the survey as it is a crucial step in gaining insights for your podcast discussion. 

Data compilation

Gather all survey responses and create categories based on the topics covered in the survey (e.g. curriculum, extracurricular activities, facilities).

Frequency count

Identify the frequency of each response within the categories.

Visualisation

Create visual representations of the data, such as graphs or charts, to make patterns and trends more evident.

Prioritisation

Pay special attention to the most frequently mentioned and most significant issues.

Qualitative analysis

Extract valuable insights from any comments or explanations provided in the survey.

Comparison

Compare the results of different courses, student backgrounds, etc. to look for patterns and shared concerns.

Reflection

Reflect on the survey results and discuss any surprising findings. Remember to use this analysis to guide the structure and flow of your podcast.

Rediscovering podcasts

What is a podcast? The word podcast is an acronym formed by the word "iPod" (electronic device for playing digital audio) and the word "broadcast" (transmission). Therefore, according to Cambridge dictionary, a podcast is "a radio programme that is stored in a digital form that you can download from the internet and play on a computer or on an MP3 player". 

It’s time to learn about famous podcasts. This will help you to take the right steps when creating yours. 

Check out the popular TEDEd website to listen to a podcast inside the category of education leaders. To check the comprehension activities and improve your listening skills, you need to register on the site.   

Melissa Schwartzberg. What did democracy really mean in Athens? (Standard YouTube License)

There are plenty of other podcasts that cater to teenagers and cover relevant educational topics, such as: Stuff you should know, Teenager Therapy and The EdSurge Podcast. They include discussions similar to the one you will have in your podcast. You may decide to listen to some episodes to get some ideas.

When you carry out a discussion and you want to engage your interlocutor, you often use question tags to show that you expect the listener to agree with your statement. Go to the LearnEnglishTeens website, watch the video and do the activities proposed to learn more about question tags. 

Now that you know how to use them, choose a podcast episode, listen to it and identify some examples of question tags.

  • How are they pronounced? Have you noticed that all the negative forms are contracted? Do you pronounce contractions correctly? Have a look at the videos Speak natural English: Using contractions and Contractions: negatives "not" to check out. Try to imitate the correct pronunciation.
  • Has the intonation called your attention? Is it always rising or always falling? Go to Pronunciation Studio and find out. Remember to copy the specific intonation when recording your podcast.

Recording your podcast

It's time to start thinking on your podcast! 

Now that you have got to know about famous podcasts and listened to some of them as well as learnt about questions tags and their pronunciation, it is time to prepare the script for your own podcast.

To do so, follow the instructions:

Survey results analysis

Review survey results and take into account the main issues identified at the beginning of the mission.

Topic selection

Each group will choose a different education issue among the ones from the survey to include in your segment of the podcast.

Brainstorming

Brainstorm what you will talk about and consider incorporating relevant statistics, personal anecdotes, or examples to enrich discussion.

Engaging introduction

It must capture the audience's attention.

Structured discussion 

Organise your talking points in a logical manner and use transitions to guide your audience from one point to the next. 

Include question tags or rethorical questions to encourage audience engagement.

Pronunciation

Practise pronunciation of words and phrases before you start recording, especially when using questions tags and contractions. Remember to speak clearly and at a moderate pace.

Closing statement

You must summarise the main points and encourage further reflection and discussion at the end.

Revision and edition

Review your script for clarity, coherence and relevance. Make sure it aligns with the tone and purpose of the podcast and make any final adjustments where necessary.

Are you ready for your school podcast?

It’s time to record your podcasts!

Now that you have learnt the important aspects to take into account when creating a podcast, it is time to put everything into practice. In this final task, you will work in groups of three to participate in a podcast and talk about your school issues. To do so, you will use the script you have prepared.

Microphone recording
Unknown author. Untitled (CC0)

Take it in turns to have your discussions. Do not forget to use question tags and contractions focusing on the pronunciation and intonation. 

Remember that your will have to record your discussions so that you can share them with your schoolmates on the school webpage. This will help to raise awareness about school concerns and encourage the school community to actively engage in the discussions for change. 

To record your podcast, you can simply use the voice recorder of your telephone or some of the many digital tools specifically designed to create podcasts, such as Riverside, Audacity and Adobe Audition. If you want to learn more about how to use them, you can look for some tutorials on YouTube. It would be advisable to have a microphone and probably some headphones, but these are not essential.

To evaluate your task, take a look at the "Rubric to assess a podcast" your teacher will use when assessing your performance (Download editable file/Download pdf file).

This will help you know how to do a great job!

Learning diary

It's time to continue with your portfolio. Remember it helps you reflect on what you are learning and, most important, what the best way for learning is. 

You will create a new section entitled "A school reform podcast”. You will update it with your work and reflect on your learning using the following questions:

  • What did I do?
  • When did I do it?
  • How did I work, individually, in pairs or in groups?
  • How did I feel working in that way?
  • How well/badly did it go?
  • What did I learn with this task?
  • How will I use it in the future?
  • What do I have to improve?
  • What strategies will I use in the future to improve it?

Remember to update the glossary and grammar section with the new words and grammar structures you have learnt. 

The "Rubric to assess a (digital) portfolio" (note) will help you design your learning diary (Download editable file/Download pdf file).

Do not forget it would be great if you shared these feelings and thoughts with your classmates. You will have 10 or 15 minutes to complete this part.

If you are working on a printed portfolio, the aspect "USE OF DIGITAL TOOL" does not apply.

Creado con eXeLearning (Ventana nueva)