Over five weeks, students stepped into the role of multimedia storytellers, transforming their ideas into professional quality news segments and digital media projects. Through hands-on experiences in reporting, interviewing, filming, editing, and production, participants developed communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and media literacy skills while exploring topics that mattered to their school and community. By taking ownership of the storytelling process, students gained confidence in sharing their perspectives, amplifying their voices, and creating meaningful content with real world impact.
Interested in empowering students through authentic storytelling and digital media experiences? We would love to partner with your school or organization to create an engaging after-school program that builds communication skills, creativity, confidence, and youth voice. Contact us to learn how this program can be customized for your students.
Explore the individual episodes of this ongoing series. You can also find this podcast on your favorite platform of choice as well as Pennon Education’s YouTube Channel.
Episode 1: Policies & Regulations that Govern EL Education in PA
This episode outlines the Basic Education Circular as the regulatory foundation, explains Language Instruction Educational Programs (LIEPs) and details procedures for identification, placement, and reclassification of English learners (ELs) as well as parent communication.
Episode 2: Collaborative Practices for Teaching English Learners
This episode highlights collaborative practices as essential for teaching English learners (ELs). It reviews research on co-teaching models, professional learning communities, and cross-disciplinary teams that integrate language and content supports.
Episode 3: Podcast Creation to Facilitate English Language Development
This episode explores how podcast creation supports English learners (ELs) by combining inquiry, multimodal composing, and authentic oral practice. Research shows that producing podcasts enhances vocabulary, fluency, and confidence while fostering collaboration, identity expression, and translanguaging.
Episode 4: Supporting Newcomer English Learners in Elementary School
This episode examines how elementary schools can effectively support newcomer English learners (ELs). It highlights research on structured literacy instruction, oral language development, and scaffolds that make grade-level content accessible.
