Idea: Podcast offers education on demand
A pub conversation with substance. You could call the podcast by Harold Meulendijks and Renske van Berlo about developmental psychology. The two MBO teachers try to stimulate their students with it.
Image: Angeliek de Jonge
“Hello, and welcome to the Developmental Psychology podcast episode: The Adolescent. My name is Harold Meulendijks.”
“And my name is Renske van Berlo.”
“Today we're going to talk about a word that people never spell right: the adolescent. It is very similar to an English word: adult. "
“Yes, but actually it comes from Latin: from adolescence. It's the stage before you grow up.”
“Indeed, a kind of transitional moment, between puberty and adulthood.”
Wind with you
Harold Meulendijks (42) and Renske van Berlo (26), care and welfare teachers at ROC Ter AA in Helmond, were one of the first teachers in the Netherlands to record a podcast consisting of nine episodes. “We both teach developmental psychology to students of health and welfare. In this coronat time we only do that online and those lessons are often very theoretical. So we were looking for a way to make education more attractive.” Meulendijks: “A few months ago I spoke to a colleague who is a nurse and who makes a podcast about healthcare. That is why I came up with the idea to also use this tool in our education.”
Meulendijks and Van Berlo have the wind in their favour, because these audio recordings that people can listen to via their mobile, tablet or computer are popular. Very understandable, says Meulendijks. “The big advantage is that you can listen to a podcast at any time of the day and during almost any activity. We send our students the podcast via Whatsapp. For example, some go for a workout while listening to our podcast, but you can also just relax on your bed.”
No replacement
The podcast does not replace an online lesson, Van Berlo emphasizes. “It's complementary. In addition to the podcast, we still work with an online bundle, there are online lessons and students have to do assignments. The podcast is actually a way to stimulate students and it works well.”
Actually, the podcast is a way to stimulate students and it works well
During the podcast, Meulendijks and Van Berlo talk about their own experiences in a light-hearted way and link that to the teaching material. Meulendijks: “In the episode about puberty, for example, we talk about the first time we drank a beer as teenagers and the first time we secretly smoked a cigarette. That is very recognizable for students.”
spontaneous
The podcast is not very well prepared and according to the two, that is precisely its strength. “The more you unsubscribe in advance, the better it gets,” says Van Berlo. “Precisely because it is spontaneous, it is fun to listen to. And if you prepare too much, you'll also be stressed if you make a mistake. Now you just say, 'Oh no, I actually mean something else', and move on.” Meulendijks sometimes compares it to a pub conversation. “You really have to do it with two people. I once tried to make a podcast on my own, but it turned into a monologue. Not interesting to listen to.”
However, there is some preparation. Meulendijks: “We have a common thread, which we put point by point on the whiteboard beforehand. Furthermore, we build the podcast according to the principle: introduction, core and conclusion. And we always look for an appropriate music to start and end with. With the latter you have to be careful not to just put it on Youtube, because then you will have to deal with Buma/Stemra rights. We do it via the website of Thieme Meulenhoff, the publisher we work with in this case.”
Just like Netflix
Another tip is about the length of the audio recording. “It should not be longer than twenty minutes, because otherwise students will drop out in terms of concentration,” explains Meulendijks.
According to Van Berlo, a podcast fits very well in this corona time. “Distance learning has taught students to work even better independently; at the same time, we often heard from students that they were completely tired of those long hours behind the laptop. This is really something different.” Meulendijks adds: “Listen where and when you want; actually this is'education on demand' like you with Ziggo and Netflix 'video on demand' have.”
The experiences with the podcast are so good that they will probably continue with it after corona. Van Berlo: “Besides the fact that it really adds something to the education, it is also a nice change for us as teachers.”
It is also a nice change for us as teachers
In terms of technology, it is still difficult for Van Berlo and Meulendijks. Meulendijks: “We just sit in a room and record the podcast with a smartphone. They do have portable microphones for good sound, but no professional microphones, no standards and no rodecaster (a kind of compact mixing console, ed.). To be honest, we haven't asked our team leader yet, but I think she's open to it. Especially after this Education magazine stood."
Want to listen to the podcast yourself? Go to the website of ThiemeMeulenhoff
