A Wisconsin Teacher Creates a Podcast to Encourage a New Way of Learning

by Aiden An

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Students Hakeem and Austin talk about how they can kick start kindness at recess (photo credit: Caitlin Supple).

Each month, a third-grade class at Hoover Elementary in Wisconsin produces a podcast that introduces students to the wider world and the many paths they can pursue. Their guests have included the governor of Wisconsin, their school district superintendent, and professionals with fascinating jobs, from a meteorologist to an editor from Scholastic News, a non-fiction magazine for classrooms. The classroom podcast is led by their teacher, Caitlin Supple. 

 

Supple started podcasting with her third-grade students two years ago. She said her goal was to give the students a creative outlet that is also connected to their learning. Throughout the process of creating the podcast, Supple has noticed the impact on her students. She appreciates that even her quietest students are able to showcase what they are learning and let their personality shine. 

Kid Reporter Aiden An interviews Ms. Caitlin Supple and Eleanor, her former student (photo courtesy of the author).

Eleanor, one of Supple’s former students, is now in fourth grade. She shared that working on the podcast with her class last year gave her a new mode of learning. “From making the podcast, I’ve learned that there is a lot more to learning than just writing down notes,” she said. 

 

Supple also appreciates the way the podcast has helped expand how students learn. “It has really made a love of learning; students are now loving to collaborate and to talk and come up with their scripts. They’ve been wanting to learn about different people and different jobs. Tying into the jobs, they’re learning about different career options,” Supple said. 

Max asks West Allis-West Milwaukee Superintendent Dr. Robinson about his favorite part of his role (photo credit: Caitlin Supple).

Reading Scholastic Magazines in the Classroom 

 

One of the featured guests interviewed for the podcast was Scholastic News Edition 3 editor Rebecca Zissou. Eleanor was one of the students who conducted the interview. Her class was inspired to reach out to Zissou when they read an article in Scholastic News about kids who were making videos about bullying. 

 

The students asked Zissou why she wanted to be an editor. She responded, “I wanted to become an editor because I’ve always really loved storytelling, and I think everyone has a story to tell. Being an editor really allows you to just tell stories all day long, and I also really like working with other people to shape articles and make them the best that they can be.” 

 

Supple’s class reads Scholastic News every Friday. Students work in pairs and read together. While reading, they often get cool ideas for their podcast. “They’re really interested about a lot of things, and they want to see kids that are like them doing cool things,” Supple said. Eleanor shared that she loved reading the magazines every week: “You get to learn something new every day!” Eleanor has especially enjoyed learning about new careers through Scholastic News and would love to feature a vet in a future episode of the podcast. 

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