Podcasts for speakers of English as a second or other language

Curated by Brita Zitin, Digital Services Librarian at the Watertown Free Public Library

Brita Zitin helped start the Humanities on Demand podcast in 2008 and has been a podcast listener ever since. Here, Brita presents a collection of podcasts for speakers of English as a second or other language (ESOL).

I’ve been working in public libraries for eight years. Part of my job is to develop and teach workshops on technology that people in my community might find informative, entertaining, and – above all – useful. To my delight, a recent workshop on “Technology for Language Learning” drew English speakers studying foreign languages and ESOL learners in approximately equal measure. However, it wasn’t until I was putting together a “Podcasts 101” workshop that I realized the utility of podcasts for those involved in the ESOL program at my public library.

Almost any podcast has the potential to provide great listening…