Today, podcasts are more popular than ever. According to the statistics, around 24% of Americans listen to multiple podcasts every week. On average, podcast listeners consume seven shows per week and the most popular age of those listeners is 25-44.
How it all started
Podcast popularity skyrocketed in the early 2000s when the first portable audio devices, such as iPods, appeared on the global market. In 2005 Steve Jobs demonstrated how any of us could create a podcast with the help of a Mac and share it with the whole world. By the way, one of the most popular podcast apps now is the Apple podcast. Over about 20 years, more than 700,000 podcasts have been created, mostly for free. But the leader in podcast apps today is Spotify.
As the world becomes busier, the podcast is also becoming incredibly popular, especially among students. Audio content allows them to multitask and complete more work during the day. However, when multitasking is not helpful enough, young people can turn to a plagiarism checker with no word limit to ensure their paperwork is plagiarism-free. Using FixGerald, you can paste your text and it will be checked for plagiarism for free. It has no limit to the number of checks you can perform. What’s more, students can learn using podcasts. How does it work? Let’s discuss it below.
Improving learning effectiveness with podcasts
Without any doubt, using podcasts for study purposes is a good idea. How to make them a part of the educational process? Keep reading!
1. Make a list
As a student, you can take advantage of loads of podcasts out there if you create a list of those that meet your needs. The statistics show that education is one of the top categories in podcasts. Modern podcasts are designed by experts to be easily understandable and highly informative. Their aim is to make school subjects less frustrating and prepare for exams painless.
Moreover, podcasts must spark some joy in students. This purpose can be achieved with podcasts created by comedians. For example, there is a great podcast The Infinite Monkey Cage, hosted by popular physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince. Students say that it is a laugh as well as informative. No matter what subject you are struggling with, podcasts can make things much easier for you.
2. Focus on what you are listening to
When you are listening to some entertaining podcasts, you can put them in the background. They don’t require much concentration because your goal is just to have one. But if you want to learn something new, you shouldn’t put podcasts on while you are doing something else, like cleaning your apartment or working out. And this is fine because even if you lose your focus for a few seconds, you can easily pick up on the tread.
However, this is not the case for educational podcasts. If you stop paying attention to it, you are likely to be completely lost. So it’s best to avoid multitasking with podcasts if you have ambitious study-related goals. Do your best to maintain maximum concentration and enjoy the learning process.
3. Take notes
Of course, you may not be willing to interrupt the passive nature of a podcast by taking notes. But in this case, your learning will not be effective. Basically, learning is an active process, so you should sit down with a notebook each time you listen to a podcast. To memorize things, jot down every lesson you’ve learned from a podcast.
However, if it’s too tedious for you, you can just pause your podcast every five-ten minutes and say aloud what you’ve understood. Don’t think that this approach makes you slow. In fact, it just helps you to deepen your knowledge in certain subjects. It’s better to take a few hours to get through a complicated podcast than to be quick and end up forgetting everything you’ve listened to.
4. Look through transcripts
Not all podcasts have transcripts, it varies from one episode to another. But if you manage to find those that publish full transcripts, it will save you much time. You can use them in a few different ways. First of all, you can read along with a podcast while listening to it. Secondly, you can consult a transcript when you have difficulty understanding the words someone is saying. Also, you can highlight key information in the text and revise it when needed.
Transcripts can make your learning process way more efficient. You can fill in some knowledge gaps using a written version of your podcast and acquire new skills much faster.
5. Use mnemonic techniques
Mnemonic is a trick helping you organize complicated information in a way that is easy to remember. One of the most common mnemonic techniques is the alphabet trick. How does it work? You need to tie each takeaway from your podcast to a different letter of the alphabet. By arranging what you have learned so that it fits a specific letter, you can memorize everything much more effectively.
Apart from the alphabet trick, you can use acronyms. For example, if you are listening to a podcast on Economics or Finances, you can use the acronym “money” to capture new facts you’ve just learned. And if you are studying Medicine, you can try the acronym “health”. Most importantly, use your imagination and creative thinking.
6. Share as much as possible
Share podcasts you find most informative with your peers and classmates if you feel they could be interested in a topic. It gives you a chance to discuss the episode and see the conclusions that others make while consuming the same content. Learning someone else’s perspective can be extremely helpful in terms of studying.
By the way, before you get to discussions, you can write a short summary. Include any interesting points, even those on which you don’t agree. It will not only encourage talking points but also help you frame the learning. Note that conversations are an important building block in absorbing and retaining information.
7. Make a vocabulary
Of course, while listening to informative podcasts, you’ll encounter new words. Although it may feel quite confusing, it’s absolutely okay not to know some terms. This way you can expand your outlook and deepen your knowledge, which is the final goal of any learning process.
Maki by a vocabulary might be a throwback to high-school classes, but it’s really important. Before you look up word meanings in the dictionary, try to figure it out from the context. After that, check if you were right and write down the definition to get a sense of what the word means.
This activity can be very time consuming and even boring. But after the first few times, you do this, it will become easier. You’ll get a new habit of filling your vocabulary for every single episode and start noticing progress in the discipline you are learning. By the way, you can use your vocabulary notebook to make flashcards then, so you can review the words later.
Top podcasts to check
Stuff You Should Know
This podcast has been running for over a decade. And it still dominates the charts, being one of the most popular educational podcasts in the world. It covers a myriad of areas, including science, history, and pop culture. Whatever you are interested in, you can learn more about it with Stuff You Should Know. The episodes are co-hosted by Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark who give the feeling of listening in on the conversation of your close friends.
Encyclopedia Womannica
If you want to learn more about remarkable women throughout history, you should check the Encyclopedia Womannica show. The episodes highlight the stories of women who lived in different countries, cultures, and centuries. This podcast covers the contributions of incredible female mathematicians, civil rights activists, and poets, to name just a few.
Climate Cast
Climate change is an extremely important topic that requires much attention. If you want to learn about its impact on the world, you should listen to Climate Cast. This show is hosted by Paul Huttner, MPR’s Chief Meteorologist. For each episode, he invites knowledgeable guests, such as political figures, researchers, and academics. All the topics are approached in a clear, factual manner.
99% Invisible
This show hosted by Roman Mars is extremely popular today. Basically, it tells how architecture and design shape our world. Each episode is highly informative and has compelling narratives. It’s highly engaging and boasts high production value. Any student who has ever listened to it says that the show sparks curiosity in them. It will definitely inspire you to reflect on interesting topics and expand your outlook.
Overheard at National Geographic
If you are an adventurous person, you’ll like this podcast. The episodes are not tied together, they are rather random. But all of them provide new insights into topics you might have never considered. Overheard at National Geographic is playfully delivered, which makes it both educational and entertaining at the same time. The episodes are pretty short, usually under 30 minutes, so they are perfect to listen to while commuting to your college.
Final thoughts
Podcasts are a viable tool to enhance learning effectiveness. If you choose the most informative and easy-to-understand episodes, take notes of them, use mnemonic techniques and discuss what you’ve listened to, then you will get the most out of this tool. Hopefully, this article has inspired you to discover new podcasts.
Author’s BIO
Percy J. Bunnell is an academic coach and interviewer. She works with students, helping them reach big study goals fast and efficiently. Percy enjoys taking interviews and often records to create podcasts.
