- Voice of Literacy
- Reading Teachers Lounge
- Truth for Teachers
- Educate
- TED Talks Education
Reading is a critical skill, and these podcasts for reading teachers can be a great tool to help you combat illiteracy and empower your students with the reading skills they need to live a successful life. Unfortunately, the illiteracy rate in this country has reached epidemic proportions according to RIF (Reading is Fundamental), and reading teachers are on the front line to combat this epidemic. Research is constantly adding to our knowledge of how students learn and which techniques prove most effective in raising the student’s reading level.
Voice of Literacy
This bi-weekly podcast delves into the latest research about literacy and how that applies to teachers, parents, and policymakers. The three co-hosts, Dr. Betsy Baker, Dr. Candace Kuby and Dr. Sarah Vander Zanden, interview experts in the fields of education and literacy. Titles of podcasts include ” Reading Motivation Among African American and Caucasian Students, “Comprehension Strategy Instruction in Core Reading,” and “Effective Middle and High School Reading Programs.”
Reading Teachers Lounge
This podcast lets you listen in on conversations between two reading teachers, Shannon Betts and Mary Saghafi, who are passionate about literacy. By sharing resources and classroom techniques and strategies, the podcast can be a great tool for continued professional development in a casual, enjoyable manner. They cover a range of topics such as “Becoming a Reading Teacher,” “Learning Disabilities 101,” and “Getting to Know Your Readers.”
Truth for Teachers
This podcast is a great source for teachers to learn self-care. They release a new episode every Sunday, and they typically run from 15 – 20 minutes each. Titles of podcast episodes include: “No, Teachers, You Don’t Have to Consume Yourself to Light the Way for Others,” “What’s Considered ‘Enough’ Lesson Support to Help Kids Be Successful?” and “5 Ways to Simplify Prep for Substitutes.”
Educate
This podcast, which comes from American Public Media, covers a range of education-related topics including how people learn. While a fair amount of air time is focused on Higher Education, you will find episodes specifically relating to reading teachers such as, “Hard Words: Why Aren’t Our Kids Being Taught to Read?” Some episodes are as short as 10 minutes while others go for almost an hour.
TED Talks
Topics cover a range of education-related ideas with titles such as “How to Inspire Every Child to be a Lifelong Reader,” “How Technology Allowed Me to Read,” and “How Students of Color Confront Imposter Syndrome.” While TED talks are primarily video, you can stream the audio on devices such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home by asking your device to play a TED talk about a certain topic. You will also find curated podcast playlists of TED Talks: Education wherever you get your podcasts.
Related Resource: Top 20 Best Master’s in Reading and Literacy Online
Reading teachers face a daunting task. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the US has the greatest literacy disparity with more people at both the top and the bottom reading levels than other countries. Teaching is a constant learning process, and these five podcasts for reading teachers can help keep you up to date on the latest research, give you tips and tricks to inspire your students, and show you ways to keep yourself inspired.
