The Process

Once you’ve decided on a theme, you will want to consider how the final project for each student will be presented. The options are limited only to your imagination. With the end goal in sight, students will need to prepare for their interviews and have all the equipment required to develop their finished project.

“When I first began my own oral history project revolving around Tamina, I imagined I would create a self-published book that would be given as gifts to the community members I interviewed and photographed, as well as local libraries and schools. While it’s important to have an idea of what your end goal is, be open to possibilities. Those you talk with, those they introduce you to, and the images gathered, may alter or expand your choice of presentation.

“While I was fortunate to attain my goal of publishing a book, the project expanded to include exhibits, guest speaking events at high schools and universities, and workshops taught. While staying focused, be willing to try other avenues that will surely present themselves.”

—    Marti Corn

Preparation

Before an interview takes place, students will need to be well prepared, researching their topic, choosing their narrators, knowing what they want to learn from their narrators, determining how they will document the interviews, and what kind of imagery they’ll want to collect, if any.

“I was interested in learning how this small town came into existence and was curious to learn why the residents chose to make Tamina their home. I went to local libraries, talked with representatives of organizations who offer social services to this community, and explored the web to discover any information that could be found on this town. I also noted any historical events that had occurred in the local region that may have affected this predominantly African-American community.”

—    Marti Corn

• Review with your students the topic on which they will focus. Students will want to freshen their knowledge on this topic so they will have an idea as to what they want to learn from those they interview. Invite your students to read from their textbook, research their topic in the library, or visit any internet sites you may suggest.

• Who will your students interview? If they have difficulty deciding, you can suggest contacting organizations, local community leaders, or those holding public.

• Determine if the project will be developed independently or in groups.

• Ask students to consider what questions might help to gather the desired information. Help them develop open-ended questions. (e.g, “Was basketball important to you?” versus “How did basketball change your life?”)

• In developing the list of questions, keep in mind they are not meant to be asked in any specific order. The narrator’s responses will help determine which questions to ask next. Also, be aware that the narrator’s responses may raise new questions that hadn’t been considered before the interview.

• How will students gather the stories told to them? Note-taking is an option; however, this process is difficult to retain the storyteller’s narrative word for word, their style of speech, cadence, and intonations. Making audio files of each interview is a good option. Most smartphones can be used as a recorder. If not, there are many free apps available. Alternatively, for those interested in video, a camera with video capabilities or a smartphone can be used. Keep in mind that a tripod will be necessary and editing skills will be needed as well.

• Whether using an audio or video recorder, be sure students practice before interviewing anyone. Students will want to be able to focus on their narrator, not on the apparatus recording the interview.

• Your students will need to make a list of those people they wish to interview. When they contact these people, suggest they describe their project and request an appointment to talk about their personal experiences. It’s recommended that the interview take place wherever that subject is most comfortable. However, if your students are young and interviewing someone outside of their family, a parent should be in attendance as well.

• So they can acquire an idea of the kinds of stories that they may hear, share with your students a few of the oral histories in The Ground on Which I Stand.

• Display the photos offered in each of the chapters you choose to share, so they can have a more intimate experience hearing their stories.

Items Needed for the Interview

• Questions

• Pencil and paper

• Release form: for a narrator’s story to be made public (whether in a classroom or an exhibit to be shown to the school or in a publication), it’s important to have each narrator sign a release form. When asking them to sign, students should explain how the interview might be used.

• Recording device

• Camera (e.g., smart phone, snap and shoot, DSLR, etc.)

Interview

• Show up on time and have your questions and paper and pencil or recording apparatus ready.

• Be polite.

• Explain again what you’re hoping to achieve with this project.

• Request the narrator to sign the release form.

• Ask if you may record the conversation.

• Choose a place that is quiet. This is particularly important if the interview is being recorded.

• Be sure to make the person comfortable.

• With the recorder turned on, begin by asking them to say their name and other introductory information regarding the topic chosen, such as where they live and how long they’ve been there.

• Start with general questions to determine their connection to the topic before getting into any potential emotionally charged questions.

• Be present. Pay attention to their answers. Their responses will help you determine what questions to ask next.

• Take your time. Often, if you wait five to ten seconds before asking another question, your narrator may add a more impactful response to your earlier question.

• Remember to ask open-ended questions so they are encouraged to respond with stories, not yes or no answers.  

• The interview should last thirty to sixty minutes.

• Once done, ask them if they have any photos that relate to your conversation they would like to show you. If you feel the images add to the story, request to make a photo of the images.

• You can add to the visual aspect and ask to make their portrait. Consider where you want to make the portrait, inside or out in front of their home or business. Will it help deepen your story by making an environmental shot that includes the area around them, or is it best to take a close-up shot?

• Thank them for their time and ask if you can call if you think of other questions you may not have covered.  

Post Interview

• Students should transcribe and review the stories. If the interview was not recorded and notes were taken instead, students should rewrite their notes, adding information they recall but may have not noted.

• Using a highlighter, students can then mark the elements in the story that are relevant to the topic and those sentences that hold the story together.

• Being careful to keep the integrity of their voice, thread together the elements highlighted.

• If some important information is missing, students can call their subject to get clarification.

• Send a thank-you note.

Presentation

So that your students can embrace and further develop their own personal preference for communicating information, you may want to offer them several options for presenting their completed oral history project.

Here are a few ideas:

• A report could be written with an overview of the topic, the edited versions of interviews made, and a conclusion of their findings and how they compare and/or contrast to those written in history books.

• A slideshow could be created including snippets of the highlighted stories shared along with photographs gathered and/or taken.

• An exhibit could be displayed in the classroom or on of the halls of the school, with each students’ presentation hanging on the walls.

• The oral histories could be published into a book with each of the students’ final written report, along with photographs, as a separate chapter. This book could be printed on letter-sized paper, and the students can collate and staple them so each student can have a copy. Other copies can be donated to their school library and to people interviewed.

• Multimedia presentations using selected video clips of the interviews could be made.

Be sure to invite all those who volunteered their time to be interviewed if an event is to be held. If a public presentation is to be made, whether in the classroom or for others to view, take into consideration privacy issues, particularly if the topic is sensitive.