How to bring history to life. Podcasting on history lessons in secondary schools

History lessons at school can sometimes seem to be distant or dry to students. They feel overload and tired when learning all those dates and historical facts. But history is more than just dates and events - it’s a collection of human stories, perspectives, and conflicts that have shaped the world. How to show it during lessons at schools?

Podcasting offers a powerful way to make history lessons more interesting and immersive by engaging students through storytelling, expert interviews, and first-hand historical accounts.

Listening to history podcasts allows students to experience the past in a dynamic way. Instead of reading a dry textbook, they can hear dramatic retellings of historical events, debates between historians, or even primary sources like speeches and personal letters.

Podcasting can be used in the classroom in several ways. Teachers can record their own podcasts and integrate them into history lessons by assigning episodes as homework or using them as discussion starters. They can also use podcasts recorded by others and available somewhere online.

One of the major benefits of podcasting is accessibility. Students can listen at their own pace, whether at home, during a commute, or in class.

Teachers can also motivate students create their own podcast. Producing a historical podcast requires research, critical thinking, and storytelling skills, helping students analyse sources and present historical arguments in a creative way. They can role-play historical figures, re-enact key events, or debate historical interpretations.

To successfully implement podcasting in history lessons, teachers should provide structured guidelines, such as recommended topics, episode length, and assessment criteria. Free recording and editing tools like Audacity make it easy for students to create quality podcasts with minimal resources.

If you are a teacher who wants to engage students into great podcasting experience or a student who would like to experience immersive way of learning history, check our online Podcast Your School course.