Building A Listening Lab in Your Classroom
You may be asking…what in the WOW is a listening lab?? If you’re looking for ways to use podcasts in the classroom, creating a classroom listening lab is one of the easiest and most impactful places to start.
A classroom listening lab is simply a designated space where students can listen to podcasts independently or in small groups. It builds a culture of focused listening, strengthens comprehension skills, and makes learning feel exciting and interactive.
TinkerClass user and K–5 science teacher, Carole Paterson, recommends that every teacher create one:
“It helps to generate this classroom listening culture and builds an area where you can practice your listening skills.”
Ready to build your own? Here’s how.
Keep Your Listening Lab Simple!
It doesn’t take much to get your space ready to WOW! All your listening lab needs is:
- A small space in your classroom, preferably in a corner or against the wall
- Somewhere to sit (chairs, bean bags, or a carpet)
- Headphones and a iPad, laptop, or other podcast playing device
Do you already have a reading center, an audio book station, or a calm corner? These can all also serve as a listening lab!
No space for a listening lab? No worries! Students can bring the listening lab to their desk! Consider making a listening basket filled with some headphones, a podcast playing device, pens and pencils, and a few handouts such as our WOWs and WONDERs and Brainstorming WONDERs worksheets.
Make it Engaging & Student-Centered!
Get creative with your listening lab, and bring your students into the process! Work together to brainstorm ideas and themes.
We love themes like space, jungle, and ocean! Check out a fun example of a listening lab we helped a teacher build for her 5th grade students in Los Angeles!
Use Active Listening Strategies!
Ears Open, Hands On!
To help students get the most out of their listen lab experience, we recommend providing a few materials and resources:
- Drawing materials – Gone are the days when doodling means distraction! Did you know that drawing while listening can help us learn? In one study, participants listened to a 2.5 minute reading of a monotonous email, and participants who were asked to doodle while listening recalled 29% more information! Drawing not only increases knowledge retention, but also keeps students engaged! While listening, encourage your students to draw pictures related to the episode (the setting, characters, etc.).
- Writing materials – This article by E-Student looks at the research and benefits of taking notes while listening, including enhancing memory, promoting active listening, and improving comprehension. One of our favorite writing prompts is to ask students to write down all the things they heard in the episode that make them say WOW! You can find more ideas for writing prompts here! We recommend printing some copies of our WOWs and WONDERs and Brainstorming WONDERs worksheets for students to collect their thoughts and ideas!
How to Build a Classroom Listening Lab on a Budget
When it comes to building a listening lab, all you really need is to listen – the laughter and learning come free! Here are some tips for creating an amazing listening space without BONKERBALLS spending.
- Need some headphones? Try DonorsChoose to request items like headphones and speakers for funding.
- Need decor? No purchase necessary! Host a classroom craft day or create flyers online using a free site such as Canva! We’ve got a few freebies ready for print!
- Sign up for TinkerClass, an interactive, K-5 educational podcast program that provides free tools and resources for teachers!
Ready to Start Your Listening Lab?
Here’s your checklist for getting started:
☐ Choose your space
☐ Gather headphones & device
☐ Print reflection worksheets
☐ Introduce listening expectations
☐ Schedule weekly listening time
Share your Listening Lab!
We can’t wait to see how you WOW with your listening lab! Inspire other teachers to create a listening lab by sharing your pictures to the Teaching With TinkerClass Facebook group or tagging us on Facebook and Instagram @wowintheworld!
For more listening research, tips, and tricks, check out our blog post Listen Up! Cultivating Active Listening Skills in the Classroom!
Learn About TinkerClass
TinkerClass is a curriculum-aligned learning system that combines podcasts for students and project-based learning (podjects) to bring free WOW to every classroom. Students listen, wonder, tinker, and make while working on active listening skills, digging into curriculum-aligned topics, and building confidence as they investigate real-world problems.
To get started, teachers first choose a podcast, and then choose a related podject, before introducing their classroom to the WOW. Join TinkerClass for free to explore countless ad-free podcasts for your classroom and unlock hundreds of podjects.
Explore More TinkerClass Podjects
Wow in the World
Two Whats?! And A Wow!
Who, When, Wow!
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