By Yu Zhang | Program Manager
The theme of Footsteps Project In November and December 2017 was "interview training". Firstly, teachers explained the interview attitude, flow and basic skills, guided students in practicing forming interview outline and analyzing example interviews. Next, demo interviews were done between teachers or a teacher and a student, which were then discussed and evaluated by the students. Finally, each student pair practiced interviews with real topic, and reflected on the interviews.
While evaluating Teacher Xu’s interview with Teacher Tian with the topic "How your parents influenced you", Zengqiang from Tongwei No. 1 High School pointed out that overall the questions allowed the interviewee to recollect and narrate smoothly, also the last question well connected the past and the future plan. However there was room to improve—— the questions were not detailed enough, and one question appeared to be repeated. The Footsteps project helped the class become a learning community.
In a practice interview with the topic "Most impressive teacher", Jie from Danfeng High School shared the memories of her 7th grade teacher who had deeply influenced her, and the story between her class and the teacher. In the short eight minutes of her narration, she provided a lot of details regarding how this teacher affected her, with words simple but rich in emotion. Fan, the interviewer, did also very well. Once she found that the interviewee had a lot to tell, she followed the interviewee’s narration, slightly prompting her now and then to continue to go deep. Through this interview, students learned that it was important to let the interviewee share what s/he wanted to talk the most, also to create an easy chatting atmosphere, so that the interviewee can enter and remain a reminiscent mode.
In January 2018, after students gained basic understanding on oral history and experience in interview, their focus now is to find the interviewees and identify the interview topics, either folk arts/crafts, folk customs or livelihood, for the upcoming interviews and background research during winter break. Teachers, together with EEF Staff, provide guidance and assistance in background research for the students. Once the actual interview begins, students will make connection with the interviewees in ways they have never experienced before——hopefully this connection will be a hidden and genuine drive for students to move forward. Meanwhile, we hope that the Footsteps interviews will bring more understanding, kinship and warmth between generations to the Spring Festival in the atmosphere of reunion, so that the rural families where migrant workers are common can feel the significance of students doing oral history.
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