Our year-end teacher and student surveys provide us with lots of useful data, and for that, a big thanks to the more than 500 teachers and over 4,800 students who responded to them this year! You are among our most valuable resources!
From the survey results, we find out how all of our adopters are enjoying The Walking Classroom, and we gain critical updates to contact information. We get fresh ideas for resources, practical tips from new and seasoned adopters, and even the occasional referral. In addition, from students, we get to learn which podcasts are among the most popular! I took some time to tally those responses and am using this post to share that information with you.
But First, a Few Words . . .
To provide you a better sense of their popularity, the podcasts (top ten for Programs 4 and 5, and the top five for the STEM Program) are listed in ascending order, so the most popular of the favorites in each program is listed last. Note: In some cases, the same podcast appears on more than one of the programs, and thus, on more than one list.
From Program 4 . . .
- Rosa Parks (4-#65, Combined-#124)
- Suns, Stars, and Galaxies (4-#78, Combined-#144)
- President Barack Obama (4-#12, Combined-#125)
- Hurricanes (4-#28, Combined-#150)
- Tornadoes (4-#31, Combined-#149)
- Human Body’s Slimy Shields (4-#4, Combined-#127)
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (4-#64, Combined-#123)
- Similes and Metaphors (4-#11, Combined-#4)
- Volcanoes (4-#76, Combined-#138)
and, the top vote-getter (at nearly twice the votes as the one before it!) - Idioms (4-#7, Combined-#3)
From Program 5 . . .
- Meteorology (5-#11, Combined-#147)
- Negro Baseball League (5-#4, Combined-#121)
- “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (5-#6, Combined-#30)
- Trail of Tears (5-#40, Combined-#105)
- “Who’s on First?” (5-#19, Combined-#122)
- “Casey at the Bat” (5-#5, Combined-#29)
- Abraham Lincoln (5-#54, Combined-#83)
- Harriet Tubman (5-#50, Combined-#79)
- Similes and Metaphors (5-#72, Combined-#4)
and, the top vote-getter (at nearly twice the votes as the one before it!) - Idioms (5-#3, Combined-#3)
From the STEM Program . . .
- Suns, Stars, and Galaxies (STEM-#26, Combined-#144)
- Hurricanes (STEM-#13, Combined-#150)
- Tornadoes (STEM-#14, Combined-#149)
- Human Body’s Slimy Shields (STEM-#29, Combined-#127)
and, the top vote-getter (at nearly twice the votes as the one before it!) - Volcanoes (STEM-#19, Combined-#138)
Do I Detect a Theme?
Just as significant figures, natural disasters, and baseball made up a visible presence among the respondents’ choices, there was significant representation among podcasts which could easily group into a unit. In Program 4, the poetry-themed podcasts numbered heavily among the favorites, as did those focusing on the Civil War in Program 5. Also consistently showing among the students’ answers were those podcasts in the Science Careers series, which comprise the last sixteen (!!) podcasts in each program.
Other Nuggets of Note . . .
Those early podcasts in each program (Welcome to The Walking Classroom and Introduction to TWC), while not making the top ten (or five) were still rather popular among the students—clearly memorable and absolutely worth a listen as they provide valuable information that helps ensure a positive experience for all!
Finally, one Final Point!
If you are changing positions or schools and did not know (or let us know) at survey time, be sure to update us as soon as possible. We don’t want to lose touch with you!
Happy Trails!
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