Podcasting is booming and we want to make it easy for you to find the best podcasts for teachers.
The first podcasts in the form we know them now probably started around 2004. The Apple iPod had been around for a few years, but on-demand radio-like audio was in its infancy. This 2004 article even debated what to call it (including Audioblogging and GuerillaMedia).
If you’re not already listening to a podcast, there are so many amazing topics to get you started! There are almost a million different podcasts, with 30 million episodes covering every conceivable topic. More people are discovering podcasts (for fun, entertainment, education and learning) every month – as the Google Search Trends data below shows – although different countries are embracing podcasting at different rates.
Most of the links and recommendations on this page are for International School Teachers. However, if you’re keen to know what general podcasts are topping the charts, have a look at this site (though it only contains data for some countries and the iTunes charts specifically)
Want the super-super-fast version? Whizz down to the Download button below and you can instantly download the list of all our recommended podcasts ready to import to your podcast app.
THE BASICS.
Listening to a Podcast
You probably already know this and already have a podcast app on your phone. If so, jump down to the next section.
To download and listen to a podcast, you need an app.
Your iPhone comes with the Apple Podcast app and access to one of the best podcast directories to find new content.
Your Android phone may come with a built-in podcast app, the Google Podcasts app. However, at the time of writing, this Google app (only released in mid 2018) is not great. A better alternative might be the free, open-source AntennaPod app for Android. One key benefit of the AntennaPod app is that it allows you to search multiple different podcast directories, including the Apple list. This makes for a quick and simple discovery process. (If you have a favourite alternative app for podcast listening, do let us know).
Podcast app basics – subscribe, download, listen, delete
A best podcast apps should enable you to:
- Search for podcasts
- ‘Subscribe’ to Podcasts to stay up to date when new episodes are available
- Download new episodes over wifi (without you needing to open the app)
- Delete old episodes automatically (or not, as you require).
You might also want the ability to:
- Import/Export podcast lists (e.g. if you are switching from Apple to Android phones)
- Share podcasts links with others
There are hundreds of podcast apps. You might already have a favorite. If so, stick with it. For most people there is no value in paying for a Podcast app as the free ones above do such a great job.
HOW TO USE.
How to use this guide
Below we have collated a range of Podcasts. We’ve set out to find the best podcasts for international school teachers. They are, deliberately, in no particular order as we all have our favorites and you will too! For now we haven’t included subject-specific podcasts. However, we would love to hear the subject podcasts you love. Send us your suggestions (incuding your own if you’re a podcaster!) and we’ll add it in.
Where possible we have added a link to the Apple Podcasts directory. This is marked with the icon.
However, we’ve gone one step better. Most podcast apps (with the notable exception of Google’s own – see above!) allow you to import a list of podcasts. To import our list in an OPML file, click the button below.
For this to work in the simplest possible way for you, I’d recommend you download this link from your phone (assuming that’s the device with your podcast app in it).
Click the button above to download the file from Dropbox. You can save this tiny .opml file to your phone, then use your Podcast app to Import it. In AntennaPod the import option is in Settings – Storage. On an iPhone you can click on the opml file and “Share to” the Podcast app. If in doubt, search for your app’s import settings on Google.
TOP PODCASTS FOR TEACHERS.
Here are our top picks for International School teacher podcasts. Grab the full list here or download them one-by-one below.
Since there are a million other podcasts to choose from, if you think we should add one, we’d be thrilled to make the list even better. Just let us know.
Ted Talks Education
What should future schools look like? How do brains learn? Some of the world’s greatest educators, researchers, and community leaders share their stories and visions.
Podcasts – TeacherToolkit
The latest interviews and thoughts on education from one of the UK’s most influential education blogs.
Professional Learning International
Professional development for international educators
HWRK Podcast
HWRK is a platform for teachers and pupils to share their stories. Called HWRK as it’s more fun than HomeWoRK: education is what shapes us, so let’s make it a fun journey for everybody involved.
The Enrollment Spectrum Podcast
Exploring the central tenets of enrollment management strategy. This episode looks at The Evolving Landscape of International School Admission with Deb Welch, Executive Director, at Academy for International School Heads (AISH).
The Spencer Group Podcast
Not available as an Apple Podcast
In this recording, Ashwin Assomull, Head of Education for Strategy Consultancy LEK, shares his insights into the challenges and opportunities facing International Schools operators across the GCC, SE Asia and China, touching on a broad range of subjects from working with regulators, acquiring the right type real estate to open a new school through to longer term operational challenges of recruiting and retaining teachers.
Pivotal Podcast
In this 2015 episode of the Pivotal Education Podcast series, Darlene Fisher, a teacher and administrator with 40 years of experience looks at some differences between learning in an international school and, for example, a ‘national’ school in the UK.
10 Minute Teacher Podcast
Bitesized podcast series by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher. For more from Vicki you can also download her previous series, Every Classroom Matters.
QuestioningMark
Mark Ryan @MarkRyanPod hosts his QuestioningMark podcast. Try episode 9 with outgoing head of Taaleem international school, Ros Marshall, in Dubai.
Inspiring Teachers
Discussing the “why” of teaching: inspiring stories from the classroom to the podcast, and interviews with teaching professionals from many walks of life.
Teach Better Talk
Educators from all around the world discussing failures, successes, and dishing out tips, tricks, and advice for engaging students.
TES – The education podcast
Interviews, news round-ups and research related to education from TES.
The Teachers’ Podcast
Each episode delves into a key topic within education with a guest, interviewed by Classroom Secrets’ MD, Claire Riley.
Empowering Expat Teachers
Sorcha Coyle’s podcasts including this one with renowned ex-teacher, Andrew Hallam, author of Millionaire Expat, a no-nonsense guide to maximising your savings.
Angela Watson’s Truth for Teachers
Designed to speak life, encouragement, and truth into the minds and hearts of educators.
The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast
A very popular podcast: teaching strategies, classroom management, education reform, educational technology. If it has something to do with teaching, they’re talking about it.
The Creative Classroom with John Spencer
Discussing how teachers can “transform classrooms into spaces of imagination and wonder”
House of #EdTech
Exploring how technology is changing the way teachers teach and the impact that technology is having in education.
brainED – The edu-comedy podcast
Do add this to your selection. Every other podcast above is a serious (or at least deliberately educational) podcast. This one is still by teachers for teachers, but is a spoof, a comedy show taking everything that’s funny about the world of education.
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
A slightly different podcast to end on. Not by teachers, but there’s something that everyone (including students) can learn in here about resilience. Fascinating interviews with well-known people celebrating the things that haven’t gone right and what they learnt about how to succeed better.
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If you like this, you might also like some of these other guides:
WHAT ELSE?
Which teaching podcasts would YOU recommend?
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