Podcasts for English Learners. What are they? Where can I find one?
PODCASTS for English Learners: You can listen to what you want, when you want, and how you want!
What is a podcast? “[a podcast is] a digital audio file made available on the Internet for downloading to a computer or portable media player, typically available as a series, new installments of which can be received by subscribers automatically.” Imagine listening to “radio”-style talk about any topic that you’d like on your phone, laptop, or MP3 player every day. You wake up and automatically have new shows ready to listen to while you exercise or commute to work. This is the podcast listening experience.
With podcasts you don’t have to wait to hear something that interests you. You choose what you want to listen to. There are now thousands of podcasts and the number is growing rapidly. For English language learners, it’s a magical thing.
7 favorite podcasts for learning English:
This is one of our favorite sites. It has so much to offer, from Audio to video in so many great topics, including grammar and current news. subscribe to Voice of America Podcast to get audio automatically delivered to you. You can listen to the files on your computer or load them on your portable media player and take them with you.
BBC iPlayer Radio – listen to live BBC Radio or catch up on the last 7 days of BBC programs from across the UK and World Service. They have plenty of programs to listen to, including The English We Speak, which includes a variety of fun topics. Explore all the possibilities!
“All Ears English is an English as a Second Language (ESL) podcast for intermediate to advanced English learners around the world. Teachers Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan will show you how to use everyday English vocabulary and natural idioms, expressions, and phrasal verbs and how to make small talk in American English. We will also give you special tips on American culture, customs, etiquette, and how to speak with Americans as well as conversation and commentary on study tips, business English, life in America and Boston and New York, how to apply to university in the US, dating, travel, food and more. You’ll get TOEFL, IELTS, and TOEIC help also from The Examiner of Excellence, Jessica Beck. This podcast is for adult students who are professionals and university students as well as ESL teachers.”
All podcasts are free for language learners and teachers, but only members receive the learning English worksheets, vocabulary tasks, webquests and transcripts. They provide podcasts for different levels. They aslo provide listening activities for efl and esl students to improve their conversation. The worksheets and transcripts provide valuable English language lessons and improved learning opportunities for those who learn English and teach English at all levels.
Learn English grammar in six minutes. Every Tuesday join 6 Minute Grammar and learn a new key area of grammar. You can subscribe and take it with you on the go. They will introduce you to grammar rules quickly and with easy listening.
ESL Pod has their podcast available on iTunes, a learning guide, and even a teachers’ page. This podcast covers a easy and everyday topics. Learn about dining, shopping, business, and daily life situations. If you register, for a price, you can have access to their learning guides and complete transcripts of the conversations.
“The podcasts on this site will help you to improve your English vocabulary and pronunciation and your listening skills. They are quite short (5 or 6 minutes) and delivered in clearly spoken English. Many of them are linked to grammar and vocabulary notes, or to exercises or quizes.
You can download the podcasts to your computer, or subscribe using iTunes or Yahoo, or listen to them by clicking the Flash player on the web page at the top of each episode. If you like, we can send you an e-mail every time a new podcast goes on air.” –listen-to-english.com
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HELPFUL INFORMATION: Practice English with Podcasts
