The ESOL Podcast is space for ESOL students’ voices to be heard – sharing stories, discussing issues of the day, raising the concerns of the ESOL Community. ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other languages. UK Migrants participate in ESOL classes all over the country.

Production of the ESOL Podcast has been paused since June 2023. We hope to return for series 4 in the future but for that we need more contributors from ESOL classes in the UK. If you are an ESOL teacher or student and would like to make an episode please email [email protected]

The ESOL Podcast began as a collaboration between English For Action and Amy Jowett. We started producing episodes in May 2020, in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, when ESOL classes moved online and the ESOL community embraced digital resources in a new way. We produced 3 series between May 2020 and June 2023, featuring the voices of ESOL students and teachers from all over the UK. There are 54 episodes available here and on Spotify and they demonstrate the value of having a space for people learning ESOL to speak on a broad range of subjects that matter to them.

Both teachers and students have told us how much they have enjoyed making episodes. This is a message from an ESOL teacher in the East Riding of Yorkshire;

“Every ESOL teacher and their groups should have a chance to record a podcast! Our learners absolutely loved it although at first they felt a bit uncertain and tense.  It was a brand new experience and most learners had never heard their recorded voice before! It was an absolute joy to see the transformation from the initial tension to  ultimate satisfaction, pride and confidence! After the recording they were simply beaming with pride and achievement, overcoming the barriers to learning. I must admit I was a bit unsure myself at the start as I had no idea what it would entail to get a podcast with my learners. However, I wanted my learners to experience something new and different so I talked to them first and we decided to have a go. It’s been a truly rewarding, enriching and motivational experience and we loved every minute. The best part was to see the learners enjoying it, developing confidence and feeling proud of their language progress.”

All 54 episodes are available from our podcast stream tab. You can search episodes by keyword. There are some teaching resources attached to some episodes. Search “resources” to bring up those episodes.

There is also a worksheet that can be used with any episode available here.

Worksheet-to-use-with-any-episodeDownload

If your students are new to podcasts, series 1, episode 24 – “What is The ESOL Podcast?” also has materials for comparing podcast and radio, as well as lesson plans to introduce classes to podcasts and get them thinking about making an episode.

Listen to the most recent episode:

TEP s3 e11 – Landmarks in London – The ESOL Podcast

The final episode of series 3 of the ESOL Podcast was made by an ESOL students at Idea Store Learning in Tower Hamlets. ESOL students have been researching landmarks in London in preparation for a class trip at the end of the school year. Moksura talks about Big Ben, Maksim tells us about London Bridge, Tanni speaks about the Millenium Bridge, Lidiia tells us about the narrowest house in London and Johura speaks about the Tower of London. Series 4 of the ESOL Podcast will start in the new school year 2023-2024. If you are an ESOL teacher or ESOL student in the UK and would like to make an episode, please complete this form – https://forms.gle/jpZe4dRanHmYfqmn7