Radio and podcasts
Internet radio
These radio programmes are available online. If nothing happens after a few minutes, you may need the appropriate 'plugin' programme installed on your computer. RealPlayer and Windows Media Player are popular and can be downloaded free, but on school computers you may a need an LEA ICT Technician to install them for you.
French
Radio France Inter
Excellent talk and music channel. For pupils, the hourly news can provide a challenging listening task from Intermediate 2 upwards. For teachers with no classes, listen to the entertaining Alter Ego of Stéphane Bern in the mid morning. There are also many Radio France podcasts - see below.
Europe2
Mix of talk, French and Anglophone music for those teachers wishing to play some authentic music in the classroom while pupils work or play.
German
DW - Langsam Gesprochene Nachrichten
It’s the news from Germany’s national news provider, DW, but said slowly and recorded onto their website. This is a superb resource for making the leap from 'school' listening activities to listening for information in the real world.
Spanish
Radio Nacional España
Public radio service with no ads. On the home page, you'll find links to the five main radio stations produced here.
Podcasts
Here is a selection of podcasts which you may find useful for listening exercises, or to brush up your own language skills. Find out about using podcasts in the classroom with our Podcasting guide.
Coffee Break Spanish
Radio Lingua's flagship podcast, Coffee Break Spanish, will help you learn Spanish in a relaxing and encouraging way. Your host Mark Pentleton is an experienced teacher of Spanish and you can join his co-host Kara who is learning alongside the listeners.
Cafe Cortado
Ask questions about the Spanish language, and get answers and useful information from experienced teacher Mark Pentleton, in Radio Lingua's Cafe Cortado podcast.
Coffee Break French
Radio Lingua also brings you Coffee Break French, which will 'help you leearn French in a relaxing and encouraging way'. Mark Pentleton is your host once more.
My Daily Phrase
From Mark Pentleton's Radio Lingua, come two new podcasts for learners looking for a quick daily fix of language.
These 2- or 3-minute podcasts can be an interesting and fun way for kids to learn the basics of a language over three months in addition to work in class.
Academie Rouen podcasts
Academie Rouen podcasts are produced by primary students in France and North America. They covers themes such as the environment, racism, literature, cinema, science and sport.
GerGerman podcast
The GerGerman podcast is suitable for Higher and Advanced Higher, covering such subjects as the relative pronoun, possession and linking verbs.
VerbCast
VerbCast from Partners in Excellence covers all regular and 20 common irregular verbs in the present, perfect, imperfect and future tenses, and uses innovative relaxation and visualisation techniques. It's ideal for Higher students to listen to before their exams.
MFLE podcast
Listen to seminars and discussions about modern languages teaching in Scotland - visit the MFLE podcast page to listen to podcast audio files in the archive.
'French for beginners' from French École
French lessons for beginners in fun and convenient chunks, provided by French École. Find out more by visiting the French École podcast site.
ChinesePod
Learn Mandarin Chinese with free daily podcasts, and a personal learning centre, direct from Shanghai, China.
Business-Russian Podcast
Vlad Vorobev, Intercultural Communication Trainer from Moscow, aims to expand your Business-Russian vocabulary with his 'Career English-Russian' podcast. - spoken Russian for English, German and French speakers.
Radio France podcasts
Download these Radio France podcasts to use as part of your listening exercises.
Teach42
You can listen online and read the Teach 42 blog at the same time from this elementary-school teacher from the United States. He’s got some great ideas on using technology in the primary school and he has an entertaining style.
NECC Apple Educator Podcast
A series of shows from NECC, the biggest educational technology show in the world (a big cousin to the Scottish Learning Festival) where Apple Distinguished Educators talk about innovations and suggest some creative ideas for technology in the classroom.