I'm podcasting for real now. I need your feedback.

Dear PE teacher,

I have been trying over the last 18 months to become a regular podcaster. I tend to see podcasts as a space where I invite colleagues to join me for a long-form discussion. For example, here’s an episode I did with the brilliant Shrehan Lynch and another with my good friend Phil Mathe.

As much as I love these sessions and I enjoy doing them, the sustainability of formatting podcasts in this way and having those shows as the central feature of my recording is not there. Therefore, I have decided to try something a little different.

Below, you will find a series of shorter podcasts that I have recorded myself. These shows do not replace my interviews with colleagues, which I will continue to do. But, by recording in this new way, I am able to release much more content, much more regularly.

 So, what are the new formats? 

Format 1 is what I currently call the “How to think about…” series. Each recording, in the region of 15 minutes long, begins with one single phrase relating to PE teaching and learning. I take the phrase and, quite literally, talk about it for 15 minutes. The idea of this type of podcast is that I can rapidly record a whole series of “rambles” about a broad range of PE-specific topics. I also really enjoy doing this. I hope that this format might be heard as provoking and raw and honest, rather than as an attempt to produce the perfect version of a resource.

Format 2 is all about the blog. I write every single week for the blog and I am delighted to report that thousands of PE teachers read my writing. But this got me thinking: could I spread this message more if I did a spoken-word version of the blog, perhaps listening as you walk the dog, drive to work or workout in the gym? So, this is why I am trying the blog series. Be reassured that this is not just me reading the blog out. I also discuss why I wrote what I wrote and where the ideas emanate from and proceed to. The series can be thought of as a more personal type of blogging format.

 So, where do we go from here? 

Well, I would be grateful if you could give the new shows a listen and feedback to me your thoughts and observations. Are these shows valuable to you? How and when do you listen? What types of topics do you want me to cover in the future?

Thank you, as always, for engaging with my content. It is greatly appreciated.

James Simms