Space to Breathe: Using Podcasting to Innovate and Transform Teaching
Overview
As a member of the professional services staff, at Goldsmiths, Ms Kocoa Brown hosts the ‘Growing Through Goldsmiths’ podcast, works directly with students, and was recently awarded her SFHEA. Whilst completing her application case studies, she was able to showcase her passion for teaching and learning innovation. After completing her SFHEA submission, and as a recommendation of action from the review panel, she began working with Tracy Part from the Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre (TaLIC) Fellowship team to develop a Community of Practice (CoP) initiative called “Spaces to Breathe” which aimed to support the teaching and learning staff to use podcasting as both an instructional and assessment tool.
After completing my Senior Fellowship application in February 2024, I worked with Tracy to use the ‘The Space to Breathe’ workshops to support staff during the Goldsmiths ‘Transformation Programme’ and beyond. Our initial focus was to support the many staff that were ‘in scope’ for redundancies, role changes, loss of departments and subjects being taught.
The design of the podcast workshops allows participants to develop their understanding of podcasting using the knowledge and skills they have already developed through their own practice or teaching, and it offered a space that was able to support them through challenges in developing new concepts or presenting their materials via the podcast medium.
Phase 1 gives staff an opportunity to have a sense of agency whilst the process of the transformation is being rolled out and supports with:
- Positive mindfulness
- Action through reflection
- Developing passion during the transformative period
- Developing new skills whilst producing a podcast that explores a subject participant currently teaches or is passionate about
- Developing a personal narrative and a case study to use at interviews and as professional development
- Opportunities to introduce or reimagine a subject to inspire self, students and listeners
During the five-week programme participants complete a combination of social learning, research, theory and evidence, presenting in groups and practical personal practice, with homework tasks between workshops aiming to have a finished or ‘near to completion’ podcast to present to the group.
Contributor
Ms Kocoa Brown (she/her)Link opens in a new window, SFHEA, Goldsmiths, University of London
Student Success Coordinator, Office for Student SuccessLink opens in a new window (2024)
Lesson plan
- If a dedicated physical podcast space can be created this allows participants to work more easily as a group, however online or hybrid is also effective.
- Start by introducing the benefits of using podcasting as a tool to facilitate teaching and learning. Have a conversation about different types of podcasts and platforms available. Discuss what participants listen to and the pros and cons. Also discuss the recording software and apps available (ie Garageband/Logic, Adobe Podcast, Riverside.fm)
- Prompt participants to begin formulating podcast subject ideas for a tester mini-podcast (Goals, Topic, Format (solo, co-host(s), Panel, Storytelling).
- Draft a one-minute introduction for the tester mini-podcast. Record on equipment or phone. Review each recording as a group and give feedback.
- Participants then develop the content for the five-minute tester podcast. Review as a group and give feedback (think about tone, pace and delivery).
- Reflect on the process and lessons learned.
Tutor's observations
I intentionally created the ‘Spaces to Breathe’ workshops to be a flexible, inclusive and supportive environment where staff could experiment and have fun learning a new skill. I started by allowing attendees to talk about what was most important to them in my delivery of the workshops whilst the [Transformation] programme was ongoing. This approach was well received and appreciated.
Attendees had very different ideas of what represented a ‘good’ podcast and who their target audience would be. This allowed us to explore a breadth and depth of topics, styles, and approaches. Developing skills and competencies using the mini podcast approach enabled me to guide and reassure each participant to find and nurture their unique voice, thus ensuring that there was an authentic tone and timing to their delivery and by encouraging participants to share and review their work, it created a support network leading to more confident questions and experimentation.
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Departments: Goldsmiths, University of London