The 22 Best Education Podcasts for Teachers in 2020

Gone are the days when the only resources that taught teachers, professors, and education students how to shape young minds are schools and books. Of course, that is still the norm today but, since the advent of the internet, our horizons have expanded. There are so many more resources available to us, not just for learning fundamentals but, for learning about how to succeed as an educator.

There are eBooks, courses, blogs, online articles, webinars, videos, and so much more. Among these, one of the best ways of learning how to be a great teacher is to listen to podcasts – an episodic series of audio files with speakers talking about a variety of topics. In this case, the best education podcasts.

Why Listen to an Education Podcast?

As an educator, you will find a lot of useful tidbits in education podcasts. You’ll hear about how you can improve your teaching strategies, learn how to develop lesson plans, and most importantly, hear practical advice that can inspire you to become the best teacher you can be. Education podcasts are not just for your professional growth, but personal as well.

The Best Education Podcast for Teachers

There are a lot of education podcasts on the internet that you can listen to. Through a simple Google search, you’ll see plenty. But, you don’t have to do any kind of searching with our comprehensive list of education podcasts you should be listening to in 2020. If you’re a teacher and would like to start subscribing and listening to podcasts that offer great value, this is the list for you.

Teach Thought Podcast

About the Podcast & Host: Overall, Teach Thought, is dedicated to innovation in K-12 education. They aim to do this by fostering the innovativeness of teachers and supporting them with the use of technology. Drew Perkins is the host of the podcast and director of Teach Thought.

Website: www.teachthought.com/

Compared to the other podcasts on this list, the topics from Teach Thought are more formal and scholastic. For example, episode 172 is all about “The Complexity Of Shortcomings In Education,” with Glenn Loury, economist, academic, author, and professor at Brown University. He shared his thoughts about different education topics like school choice and competition, and social justice issues like racial equality. You can expect the rest of the episodes to have a similar feel.

Teach Me, Teacher

About the Host: Jacob Chastain is a part of the Richland Middle School located in Richland Hills, Texas. He teaches 6th Grade Pre-AP ELAR and loves every minute of it.

Website: www.teachmeteacherpodcast.com/

Teach Me, Teacher was born from Jacob’s own curiosity about the teaching profession. After attending a ton of seminars and workshops, he realized that the only advice that worked for him were those that came from teachers who were still in the classroom or from those who work closely with those teachers.

He mainly discusses teaching as a profession, but from time to time, he and his guests talk about social issues like guns in school and even teacher bashing. As an educator, you’d likely think of his podcast as relatable, current, and useful.

Class Dismissed

About the Host(s): Class Dismissed has several hosts, all with different professional backgrounds. There’s someone who has had experience in broadcasting, a school principal, a founder of a software company, and, of course, and educator who has had experience teaching in both private and public schools. Because they have different career experiences, they allow listeners to hear different perspectives.

Website: www.classdismissedpodcast.com/

Class Dismissed talks about current education new as well as inspiring stories and ideas from all over the United States. Their very first episode talks about fidget spinners. Fast forward to today, their latest episode to date talks about the effects of the pandemic on schools.

Teach on, Teach Strong

About the Host: Katie is a fulltime teacher in a secondary school in London. She’s a teacher with a passion for self-reflection and well-being in herself, her students and others.

Website: www.teachersresourceforce.com/podcast

This podcast is centered towards taking care of yourself as a teacher. Katie, the host, also touches on topics for teaching, like how to boost motivation, how to differentiate students, and how to any teacher’s desk more inspiring. If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration and motivation, Teach on, Teach Strong is definitely worth a listen.

10-Min Teacher Podcast

About the Host: Vicki Davis teaches. As with most of the podcasters on this list, she, too, has a passion for learning and imparting knowledge. But, more specifically, Vicki has a heart for kids who learn differently or who struggle in school, because she has seen this difficulty in her own children.

Website: www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast/

If you don’t have enough time in your day, as with most teachers, then the 10-Min Teacher podcast is perfect. All you need is 10-mins per day, according to the host, to be a remarkable educator. Each day of the weekday has a theme: Motivational Mondays, EdTech Tool Tuesdays, Wonderful Classroom Wednesdays, Thought Leader Thursdays, and 5-Idea Fridays. Choose your pick!

Ask a Principal

About the Host: Dr. Miley is a principal at the Crieve Hall Elementary school in urban Nashville, Tennessee. He is a dad of four and loves his bowties. For him, it is possible to create a school culture that makes parents feel valued and schools where students are empowered to do great things.

Website: www.intro-episode-a-preview-of-this-season-on-ask-a-principal.simplecast.com/

Definitely, you have your own questions for your school principal but are too afraid to ask. Well, here’ your chance to “Ask a Principal”. The show dives into topics that principals deal with like running a school, dealing with parents, spring break, and protecting kids online. As of the moment, it is still on its pilot season, but the podcast shows promise. True to its name, you can even send in your questions for Dr. Miley to answer.

Crying in My Car: A Podcast for Teachers

About the Host(s): Devin Seibold and Mike Lee have been working on creative projects for years. Devin has had a lot of success with his teacher comedy (yes, he is a standup) and Mike has had success in the radio world, so combining the two talents was a natural fit. 

Website: www.devincomedy.com/podcast-2/

Even teachers need a breather! After your classes, if you just need a good laugh while discussing common concerns and issues teachers have, then this is it. According to the hosts, listening to one episode after the other will help keep you from pulling the hairs out of several students. With some comedy after a long day, you might be able to survive with your sanity intact.

Teachers Need Teachers

About the Host: Kim Lepre has taught middle school for 16 years. Her middle school teaching days were very important to her as she felt like she was part of the pivotal stage of her students’ young lives. She also looks at herself as a mentor for beginner teachers, guiding them towards developing solid practices and great habits.

Website: www.teachersneedteachers.com/

When you’re a new teacher, it can be hard to navigate your career. You wouldn’t know what to do first, let alone knowing how to handle several classes for a year. Well, Kim will help you get through it all. Lessen your anxiety, have your beginner questions answered, and learn about what other questions you should be asking.

Autism Spectrum Teacher

About the Host: Steph Reed is an Autism Specialist Teacher, Advisor, Coach, and Mentor. She has been teaching in mainstream and autism specialist schools for the past 10 years. She has encountered a lot of different students, and that made her pick up a few things when it comes to learning, communication, sensory processing and importantly, the need for a personalized, holistic approach to teaching.

Website: www.autismspectrumteacher.com/category/podcast/

This podcast is going to a good reference for you if you are into special needs as an educator. There are only a few episodes that have been published, but all of them offer great resources, strategies, and interventions for teaching children who are on the spectrum.

Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast

About the Host: After many years as a classroom teacher, Jamie Sears, the host, grabbed the opportunity to step out of the setting and create a curriculum as well as deliver personal development for elementary educators. She misses her students, but she is thankful that she gets to help teachers every day.

Website: www.notsowimpyteacher.com/podcast

This is for you, elementary school teachers! One of the biggest challenges that you will face is figuring out how to encourage your students to be more engaged. It is especially tough when you’re teaching “boring” subjects like Math or Reading. Now is your chance to turn things around in your class.

Teaching with Inquiry

About the Host: Patti is a teacher from Canada and a mom of three. Currently, she teaches a split grade class and enjoys it because she has opportunities for differentiation. She believes in inquiry-based learning – a form of active learning where the students are more involved in their own learning process.

Website: www.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teaching-with-inquiry/id1309256060?mt=2

Although you are an educator, you are not exempt from running out of patience. Most of the time, you probably will just spoon-feed the class and give them the right answer to a problem after some time. It is different with inquiry-based learning where students are encouraged to ask questions, explore the material, and share ideas to get the right answer. It may sound tough, but you will get great tips when you listen to “Teaching with Inquiry”.

Language Latte Podcast

About the Podcast: Becky Morales, the host, talks about topics like educational technology, getting students to speak in the target language, teaching vocabulary, using films and popular games in class, bringing in culture, using IPA’s, TPRS, CI, the role of grammar, and more. The aim of this podcast is to help students gain fluency.

Website: www.languagelatte.libsyn.com/

It’s challenging to teach a world language to a student, especially if they’re not in a country where they can practice the said language every day. To make your lessons easier, more interactive, and understandable, listen to Language Latte where you will hear different world language teachers and their practical tips to improve language lessons.

Edverything Podcast

About the Host: Edverything has two hosts: Danielle Johnso and Nicole Clark. Danielle has worked at writing centeres in higher education and in secondary classrooms in the Northeast. With each position, she has discovered the use of technology to support her students. Nicole, on the other hand, has experience in teaching a foreign language to students in the mid-Atlantic. Because of her creativity, she quickly rose to the position of the department chair in the school she teaches in.

Website: www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-edverything-podcast-for-everything-2iUI6n1kRdl/

The hosts describe their show as part inspiration and part implementation, featuring anything and everything that a teacher may find useful in the classroom. From tips, resources, new technology, to new ideas on how to make the classroom more efficient, you will hear it from these two educators with big hearts.

Educators 2 Educators Podcast

About the Host: Carrie Conover, a former teacher, and an educational consultant is a passionate educator that has visited hundreds of classrooms across the nation. Where there are great learning and teaching involved, you can be sure that Carrie will talk about it on her podcast, in order to lift the educator community.

Website: www.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/educators-2-educators-podcast/id1270398819

Relevant and digestible personal development – these are the main subjects that Carrie discusses with her guests. She talks about self-care, how to ensure that people of color are celebrated, and supporting students who are experiencing homelessness, to name a few. Each podcast will share 3 concepts that listeners can bring back to their school or classroom.

EdTech Take Out

About the Host: Mindy Cairney and Jonathan Wylie team up as the hosts of EdTech Take Out. Both are Digital Learning Consultants for Grant Wood AEA. And they both, too, believe that technology should be an integral part of teachers’ instruction to engage students to solve problems creatively.

Website: www.edtechtakeout.podbean.com/

Gadgets and other modern tools are still when used in education, being debated. Are they a distraction? Do they actually do more harm than good? If you’re a teacher who seeks answers to these questions and wants to learn about how you can use technology in your classroom the right way, this is the podcast to listen to.

Spark Creativity Podcast

About the Host: Betsy Potash has been blogging since 2008. She has several blogs, including Spark Creativity, but writing or sharing information isn’t the only thing that she is passionate about. She also very driven when it comes to helping English teachers innovate.

Website: www.nowsparkcreativity.com/

You can tell just from the name that the podcast is all about inciting creativity for those who teach English. Busy teachers which don’t have a lot of time to prepare will also find this podcast useful as they’ll be able to get practical advice that can be immediately applied to any ELA (English Language Acquisition) classroom.

The Brian Mendler Show

About the Host: Brian Mendler is a certified teacher, presenter, and international keynote speaker. To date, he has written and co-authored six books, including the best-sellers:  That One Kid, Tips for Teachers, Power Struggles, and Tuning Tough Parents into Strong Partners.

Website: www.brianmendler.com/podcast-blog/

Brian talks about classroom management, discipline, and motivation on his podcasts and even offers workshops on it. He believes that by changing the lives of teachers through his podcast, it will make a difference in the way they teach and the way they interact with their students.

The Shake Up Learning Show

About the Host: Kasey Bell, is an edtech leader, international speaker, author, blogger, and digital learning coach for K-12 teachers. She’s passionate about technology because she knows that it can make teachers’ lives in the classroom so much easier.

Website: www.shakeuplearning.com/shake-up-learning-show-podcast-with-kasey-bell/

The Shake Up Learning Show is another podcast that talks about technology and how it can be meaningfully integrated into the classroom. Kasey shows teachers how to approach technology with her expert presentations, on-air coaching calls, and powerful interviews with educational leaders and discussions with student guests.

Flipped Learning Worldwide

About the Host: Jon Bergmann is the host and one of the developers of the “flipped classroom” model. He is leading the worldwide adoption of flipped learning by working with private and public sectors. He is also coordinating flipped learning initiatives all over the globe.

Website: www.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/flipped-learning-worldwide/id646787432

The Flipped approach allows educators to use class time to guide each student through practical and innovative applications of the course principles. If you’re an educator who makes use of this kind of teaching method (or you would like to know more about it), you will hear a lot of useful tips on this podcast which touches on the evolution of flipped learning on a global scale.

Educate Podcast

About the Podcast: The American Public Media (APM) aims to raise awareness, trigger conversations that could be controversial, and prompt positive change through journalism. When it comes to podcasts, APM has several. One of them is Educate, where each episode is centered on their mission of inciting positive change.

Website: www.apmreports.org/educate-podcast

You will hear different stories when you listen to Educate. These aren’t just stories that can inspire teachers, but also stories that can help change an educator’s perspective. The podcast aims to uncover the truth about certain issues that can fly under the radar because no one is talking about them.

The Truth for Teachers

About the Podcast: Angela Watson is a National Board Certified Teacher with a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She started her website in 2003 to share practical ideas and help teachers have a more positive mindset. She didn’t really know that it would impact over 8 million teachers worldwide every year.

Website: www.thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/

This podcast speaks on the complexities of an educator’s life. Many appreciate it because it helps with their mindset and perspective when it comes to teaching and real life. As the podcast description says, this show was designed to speak life, encouragement, and truth to the hearts of teachers. And, it is doing just that.

The Cult of Pedagogy

About the Podcast: Jennifer Gonzalez is the Editor in Chief of the Cult of Pedagogy and the host of the podcast as well. She hopes to create a community of teachers who are vibrant, encouraging, and stimulating. She wants educators to support each other towards excellence.

Website: www.cultofpedagogy.com/pod/#

Every episode of the Cult of Pedagogy will leave you engaged and empowered. Jennifer and her guests discuss teaching strategies, classroom management, education reform, and, basically, anything that has something to do with teaching. Sometimes, the psychological and social dynamics of schools are talked about. There’s more to talk about on this show that you won’t find in any textbook.

All You Need to Know About Podcasts

If you have never listened to a podcast before, you can think about it as a radio show that you can listen to anytime and anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection.

Today, there are video recordings of podcast sessions, showing the interaction between the host and the guest(s), but mainly it is more of just the audio. For the convenience of its listeners or subscribers, the audio file is uploaded into the internet (commonly on a website), allowing everyone access. In most cases, the file can even be downloaded so the subscriber can listen to an episode even without connecting to the internet.

Podcasts are also pre-planned. Although there is a good amount of freedom when it comes to the conversation during recording, there is still a set theme for the episode and even prepared questions for the host to ask.

As for when podcasts are uploaded online, it will solely depend on the person or company making it. There are podcasters that upload once a month and there are those that upload episodes once a week.

Conclusion

Our list is actually just the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of other podcasts, like science podcasts, that teachers can learn online which goes to show how passionate and dedicated the teaching community is. Take this chance to learn from inspiring people and groups who are doing their part to elevate teachers and teaching as a profession. Choose the podcast that speaks to you most and starts growing as an educator today.

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