Student interviewing guest

Overview

“First and foremost, oral histories can serve as content resources for students. Oral history interviews can provide richer and fuller accounts of important historical events than textbooks and other traditional sources can offer because of the interviews’ personal nature. Not only do oral history interviews give voice to perspectives that are often underrepresented in traditional curricula, but they expose students to valuable firsthand accounts that expand upon and complicate the typical third-person “objective” narrative found in conventional curricula.” (Ford & Holman, 2016)

Strategies

Invite Students to Choose Local, Personally Relevant Topics

Oral history projects and assignments give students the opportunity to engage with valuable and unique primary sources. Using these resources affords students the opportunity to apply analytical and critical thinking skills to the oral histories they study, as well as their own communities and personal experiences.

References

Related Resource Library Topics