They Don’t Read—Can They Listen? Using Podcasts in the History Classroom

One of the most frequent complaints by history educators at all levels of instruction is that students have less and less stamina to read books. As a result, instructors increasingly rely on other kinds of media to transmit content. In recent years, an explosion of history podcasts has made it possible for teachers of history to have their students explore historical narratives by listening. The question is: Are students able to listen “the right way”? Do they hone the same historical thinking skills that educators hope they’ll acquire by reading texts when they are listening to a podcast episode? Do instructors know how to teach “critical listening skills”? This panel brings together podcasters who have produced popular history podcasts and/or used them in their teaching and who will share their experience of telling audio stories and teaching students how to listen.