The Power of Podcasting in Social Work Education

by Shimon Cohen, MSW, LCSW, and Jonathan B. Singer, PhD, LCSW

(Note: Listen to a podcast version of this article, with additional comments by the authors, on the Social Work Podcast.)

     In 2019, there were more than 30 podcasts created by and for social workers (Singer, 2019). These podcasts are an incredibly rich and valuable resource for educators and students. They offer a different way to engage students in learning, are readily available on numerous platforms, provide an educational listening experience while commuting, and are often free (Cohen, 2019; Singer, 2019). In this article, we will offer tips for educators on how to utilize podcasts as teaching and assessment tools, as well as tips for students about using podcasts as an educational tool. As podcasters ourselves, we offer tips for anyone who is interested in creating a podcast. We have chosen case examples that highlight issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion as a way of pointing out the transformative nature of podcasting. We hope that, by the end of this article, you are excited about assigning podcasts to your students or creating one yourself.

Promoting Lived Experiences and Storytelling

    One of the unique contributions of podcasting is the emphasis on storytelling and lived experience (Berzin et al., 2015). Critical race theorists note that this emphasis challenges rigid Eurocentric structures of what constitutes knowledge and evidence (Franco, 2020; Kishimoto, 2018; Sue, 2015; Yosso, 2005). Teaching with podcasts by and/or featuring voices of those who have been historically marginalized, such as those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC), can provide a counter-narrative to the dominant white narrative, amplifying voices of those who are often excluded, especially within academia. Assigning these types of podcasts can inspire discussions about why BIPOC voices have been minimized, excluded, or erased from education and practice. Having students create their own digital stories honors traditions that value oral traditions over written narratives, and it gives them the opportunity to practice telling their stories.

Accessibility

    Podcasting is accessible to anyone with a recording device and an internet connection. It challenges structural barriers of publishing journal articles and textbooks, and podcasts are often more accessible due to not being behind paywalls/subscriptions (Singer, 2019).

     Podcasts often come with transcripts, which provide accessibility and allow podcast users to move at their own pace. If there isn’t a transcript, contact the podcast host or contact your school’s Disability Services office to see if they will provide a transcript. If yes, share a copy with the podcast host so they can post it and make it more accessible.

Easily Integrate With Learning Management Systems (LMS)

    Most LMS make it easy to embed podcasts, so students can access them within course modules. You can provide links, but you can also embed the audio player of the podcast. This is usually done by going to the podcast’s website, clicking “share” on the podcast episode, and copying and pasting the html code within your LMS. Talk with your LMS support people for assistance.

Tips for Educators

    For educators, podcasts can be used for class discussions, writing assignments, assessments, and whatever ways you can imagine.

Class Discussions

    You can assign a podcast episode (or episodes) to stimulate class discussion. This can also be used for discussion boards for online classes. We recommend creating a few questions that you want students to think about as they access the episode. Think-pair-share (Bain, 2004) is a great activity for class discussions. Students individually think (and could write down some bullet points or a full answer) about the questions, pair up with a classmate (or small groups with multiple classmates), and share their answers with each other. As the educator, you can join in on each group to see how the conversation is going. You can then bring the entire class back together for a larger discussion based on the small group discussions. This activity works really well to get all students engaged, and especially students who will talk in small groups but not in the larger class. This also works well using breakout rooms on Zoom.

     Here is an example of a professor using a podcast episode to start the semester with a discussion.

Case Example: Discussion on Meritocracy

    Meritocratic ideology is the belief that, in a meritocracy, people are equally rewarded for hard work. In social work, we work with millions of people every day who work hard, yet are systematically blocked from those rewards based on discrimination on the basis of their skin color, gender identity, sexual orientation, legal status, and other identities. This idea came up in an MSW seminar Shimon was teaching. He was facilitating a discussion about the ways that systems presented challenges for individuals and families when a student said, “Well...where there’s a will, there’s a way.” If meritocratic ideology were a bumper sticker, that would be it.

    The traditional approach to addressing this comment in social work education would be to facilitate a class discussion about the myth of meritocracy. Instead, Shimon pulled out a podcast on the spot to bring the issue to life. Shimon used the 1619 Project podcast, episodes Part I and Part II, about how systematic racism blocked Black farmers from getting essential bank loans. Although the Black farmers ultimately won a civil rights lawsuit, what they had lost was never replaced.

    The 1619 Project podcast episodes are scholarly, provide affective learning, and challenge assumptions about meritocracy without providing answers to typical social work situations. The episodes are accessible through audio content and transcripts, the latter being a great resource for students who want to refer to specific phrases or segments during a discussion. Using think-pair-share or any other technique, the podcast episodes served as a foundation for students to address the following questions:

  • Does hard work always equal success?
  • What are some reasons it might not?
  • How does this example apply to work?
  • How does the belief in meritocracy impact social policy?
  • How will you as a social worker know if you are using language and practices with clients that reinforce the myth of meritocracy?

    Shimon was able to assign the podcast on the fly, because he knew the podcast existed and knew how to use them in transformative conversations.

Writing Assignments

    Another standard tool in the social work educator’s tool box is the written assignment. Writing assignments train students on technical writing, evaluate critical thinking, and explore the relationship between person and environment. For years, educators have assigned novels, autobiographies, and novel-like non-fiction to provide shared content and inspire students to think about new concepts. Podcast episodes provide all of these in a relatively short amount of time.

    Reflective essays: Episodes of the Doin’ The Work: Frontline Stories of Social Change podcast focus on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion by featuring social workers talking about their frontline experience. Since these episodes are a window to what “real world” social work looks like from the people doing the work, they are ideal for BSW students and MSW students with no prior social service experience, as well as those with experience and looking to expand their analysis. Educators could assign these episodes and ask students to reflect on what the work entails, how they understand it differently after hearing the episode, and what justice issues are highlighted for them.

    Position papers: The Equity Matters podcast tackles issues of equity and social justice by interviewing people outside of social work. Students can consider the topics addressed in the podcast, such as closing the digital divide, and take a position on how and why it should or should not be a focus of social work. Depending on the class, the position paper could focus more on micro, mezzo, or macro topics.

     Research papers: Scholars know that it is a different experience reading a journal article written by someone you know. Podcast consumers often describe podcasts as intimate because of the direct connection between the listener and the guest. Podcast interviews with researchers can make the researcher and the research more real and less sterile. The Social Work Podcast and InSocialWork have interviewed dozens of researchers. For example, a student might be interested in the topic of suicide and Black Americans. In 2010, Sean Joe was interviewed on the Social Work Podcast about this topic. In addition to the traditional lit review, assigning this episode would provide students with an engaging entree to some of the conceptual issues that they would need to cover in any paper looking at suicide among Black Americans.

Case Example: Reflective Paper on White Supremacy in Social Work

    Let’s say you want students to think about racism within social work, specifically the term “white supremacy” and what it means within social work. You could assign the Doin’ The Work episode “White Supremacy in Social Work - Charla Cannon Yearwood, LSW, and Laura Hoge, LCSW.” You could ask students to write about the following questions: Before listening to the episode, what do you think and feel when you see the title of the podcast episode? What does white supremacy mean? How does white supremacy show up in social work? What are your thoughts and feelings about the title of the episode after listening?

Assessments

    You can have students create podcasts as an assignment! Using podcasts as an assessment tool honors storytelling and provides students with an authentic and creative way to demonstrate their learning. This could be an individual or group project, and it can be about anything that meets your learning objectives for the course. We recommend Anchor (https://anchor.fm/) because it is free and allows recording, editing, and publishing from an app. Students can even collaborate on creating a podcast as a group project, and Anchor allows for multiple people to record together. The podcasts students create can be easily shared with each other and made public to get their message out to more people. Some students may decide to continue their podcasts. See Hitchcock et al. (2019) for examples of podcast assignments for field, persuasive arguments, mock testimony, and so forth.

Tips for Students

    Students are much more likely to know how to find and consume podcasts than instructors. The following tips are about how to get the most out of podcasts in your degree program.

  • If your professors don’t assign podcast episodes, ask them to. They might be unfamiliar with the technology, using a standard syllabus they can’t change, or haven’t had the time to find and assign good episodes. Use your advocacy skills to encourage the use of podcasts.
  • If you listen to an episode that is inspiring or on-point for one of your classes, share it with your professor and your classmates.
  • Listen to assigned podcast episodes before doing the reading.
  • Read the transcript (if available) while listening to the episode, and take notes. These will be useful when you’re referencing the episode in class or in a paper.
  • Cite podcast episodes in your papers. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition acknowledges podcasts as a legitimate source. The Social Work Podcast lists the APA citation for every episode.
  • Looking for social work-related podcasts? Check out Melanie Sage’s (2019) crowdsourced Google Doc with names and URLs for podcasts.
  • Write reviews for the podcast episodes you like. The more positive reviews, the more likely it is for others to find and listen to the podcast.
  • Have something to say that no one else is saying? Start a podcast! See https://www.thepodcasthost.com/planning/how-to-start-a-podcast/ for detailed steps.

Conclusion

    Podcasts are an invaluable resource for educators and students. Educators can use podcasts to challenge deeply embedded and oppressive structures. Students can use podcasts to learn on the go, amplify their understanding of concepts, and create their own to add a new voice to the conversation.

References

Bain, K. (2014). What the best college teachers do. Harvard University Press.

Berzin, S. C., Singer, J. B., & Chan, C. (2015). Practice innovation through technology in the digital age: A grand challenge for social work. (Working Paper No. 12). American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. http://grandchallengesforsocialwork.or g/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/WP12-with-cover.pdf

Cohen, S. (2019, January). Podcasts of interviews with frontline workers who are changing communities. [Online Education Resource]. Educator|Resource of the Month. Center for Diversity and Social & Economic Justice, Council on Social Work Education. https://www.cswe.org/Centers-Initiatives/Centers/Center-for-Diversity/Educator-Resource/February-2019

Franco, D. (2020). Revisiting cultural diversity in social work education through Latino critical race theory testimonio. Social Work Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2020.1740191

Hitchcock, L. I, Sage, M., Sage, T., & Lynch, M. (2019, January 15). Podcast Assignment for the Social Work Classroom. Teaching & Learning in Social Work. https://laureliversonhitchcock.org/2020/01/15/podcast-assignment-for-the-social-work-classroom/

Kishimoto, K. (2018). Anti-racist pedagogy: from faculty’s self-reflection to organizing within and beyond the classroom. Race Ethnicity and Education, 21(4), 540-554. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2016.124882

Sage, M. (2019, January 30). List of podcasts for social work. Teaching & Learning in Social Work. https://laureliversonhitchcock.org/2019/01/30/podcasts4socialwork/

Singer, J. B. (2019). Podcasting as social scholarship: A tool to increase the public impact of scholarship and research. Journal of the Society of Social Work and Research, 10(4), 571-590. https://doi.org/10.1086/706600

Sue, D. W. (2015). Race talk and the conspiracy of silence: Understanding and facilitating

difficult dialogues on race. John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital: A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69-91. https://doi.org/10.1080/1361332052000341006

Resources

Author. (2020, July 14). How to start a podcast: Every single step for 2020. The Podcast Host. https://www.thepodcasthost.com/planning/how-to-start-a-podcast/

Bell, J. (Host/Producer). (2020-present). The Equity Matters Podcast [Audio podcast].

https://equitymatters.podbean.com/

Bell, J. (Host/Producer). (2020, October 27). Closing the digital divide w/TJ McCray (No. 13)  [Audio podcast episode]. In The Equity Matters Podcast. https://equitymatters.podbean.com/e/closing-the-digital-divide-wtj-mccray/

Cohen, S. (Host/Producer). (2018-present). Doin’ The Work: Frontline Stories of Social Change [Audio podcast]. http://www.dointhework.com

Cohen, S. (Host/Producer). (2020, March 2). White supremacy in social work - Charla Cannon Yearwood, LSW and Laura Hoge, LCSW (No. 27) [Audio podcast episode]. In Doin’ The Work: Frontline Stories of Social Change. https://dointhework.podbean.com/e/white-supremacy-in-social-work-charla-cannon-yearwood-lsw-and-laura-hoge-lcsw/

Hannah-Jones, N. (Host), Brown, A., Eghan, A., & Prime, K. (Producers). (2019, October 4). The land of our fathers, part I (No. 5) [Audio podcast episode]. In 1619. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/podcasts/1619-slavery-sugar-farm-land.html

Hannah-Jones, N. (Host), Brown, A., Eghan, A., & Prime, K. (Producers). (2019, October 11). The land of our fathers, part 2 (No. 5) [Audio podcast episode]. In 1619. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/podcasts/1619-slavery-sugar-farm-land.html

Singer, J. B. (Host/Producer). (2007-present). The Social Work Podcast [Audio podcast]. https://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/

Singer, J. B. (Host/Producer). (2010, February 21). Suicide and Black American males:

Interview with Sean Joe, PhD. (No. 56) [Audio podcast]. In The Social Work Podcast.

https://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/2010/02/suicide-and-black-american-males.html

Singer, J. B. (n.d.). Archives/APA. https://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/p/apa-6th-edition-citation.html

University of Buffalo School of Social Work (Producer). (2008-present). inSocialWork [Audio podcast]. https://www.insocialwork.org/

Shimon Cohen, MSW, LCSW, is a social work educator, podcaster, and consultant. He is outspoken and passionate about anti-racist and anti-oppressive social work. He views social work practice, including teaching, as a form of activism focused on a commitment to the radical transformation of society, deeply rooted in social justice. He is the founder, host, and producer of the podcast Doin’ The Work: Frontline Stories of Social Change.

Jonathan B. Singer, PhD, LCSW, is the founder and host of the Social Work Podcast. He is Associate Professor, Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, and President of the American Association of Suicidology.