Intergenerational Interviews
ALL
ABOUT INTERGENERATIONAL INTERVIEWS
Intergenerational Interviewing and Communication
- Telling our Life Stories: A Basket Full
of Memories
- We Must Rediscover Our Stories
- Interview Hints
- Questions to Get Started
- Preparing the Interview
- Conducting the Interview
- Mutual Interviews
- Resources for Intergenerational Interviews
- Children's Books for Reminiscing
-
Telling our
Life Stories: A Basket Full of Memories
"I must learn more about my family and friends"
How often have you said to yourself, "I must take time to learn
more about my grandparents," or "I have been meaning to talk
to my parents about their lives when they were young. . . .
One of these days I will. . . Fulfill those good intentions
by interviewing someone of another generation--a parent, grandparent,
great grandparent, son, daughter, grandchild, niece, uncle.
Talking to each other and enjoying family stories brings harmony
and richness to the educational experience. The interview can
be as simple as asking a few questions or as comprehensive as
an oral history interview.
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We must rediscover
our stories
by Richard Louv From Childhood's Future: Listening to the American
Family
Our stories, our personal stories, our family stories, are
our real gold. If we're lucky, as we age, we put our stories
in the bank, where they gather interest, in deepening meaning.
As I grew up, I loved listening to my grandparents' stories,:
a friend, Liz, told me recently. "I was drawn to their calm
and intrigued by the scope of their lives." Today Liz's family
members rarely tell stories. "One evening I was baby-sitting
a friend's 9-year-old daughter. This little girl loves to hear
stories about her mother's life. So she asked me to tell her
a story about my childhood, and I was struck with panic. I know
I have stories. But here was a child asking me for something
so simple as a story and I couldn't think of one. I learned
two things that night. One was that I has lost touch with the
stories I grew up with; and two, I'm not making many new stories."
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Interview
Hints
Everyone has memories
Whether you are interviewing a young person or an older person,
remember that everyone has memories, regardless of age. Sharing
the stories is a bountiful educational experience--one that
invigorates classes, enhances speaking and listening skills,
and gives individuals a sense of connection.
Questions to
Get Started
by Larry Wallingford, Chicago Dept. on Aging
tart the interview with something interesting: compare your
"favorites" such as, colors, food, sports, movies, things you
own, subjects in school or a childhood memory. Another activity
for getting started is "Now and Then." Think about differences
when you were both young--for example: popular songs, movie
stars, family activities, boy's hairstyles, skirt length, weekend
activities, household chores, hardest subject in school, worst
problem, favorite grown-up.
More Questions
Storytelling magazine suggests some triggers that get the
memories flowing Ancestry--What do you remember about your grandparents?
Housing--What are your first memories of your house? did you
share a bedroom? Food--Did you help with the cooking? Clothing--What
clothing did you wear as a child? What was your favorite thing
to wear? Recreation--What did you do for fun in the summer?
What did you do for fun in the winter? Religion--What kind of
services did you attend? How did music play a part? Transportation--What
was your grandparent's mode of transportation? What was your
parent's mode of transportation?
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Preparing
for an Interview
List your questions. Ten questions will take about 30 minutes.
You never know how a person will respond. Some people are talkative
and informative; others will answer each question in just a
few words. Help the interviewee to feel at ease and to talk
freely. Create a positive communication climate, keep the questions
simple, non-threatening, and encouraging. Combine questions
so that the easy-to-answer questions come first and questions
that require careful thinking come later.
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Conducting
the Interview
- Be courteous during the interview. You should start by thanking
the person for taking time to talk to you.
- Develop good rapport with he interviewee, and be patient.
- Encourage the person to speak freely.
- Respect what the person says regardless of what you might
think of the answers.
- Listen carefully.
- Paraphrase at key places in the interview (Paraphrase means
stating in your own words what the person has communicated.)
- Keep the interview moving.
- Use positive non-verbal reactions--facial expression and
gestures: --maintain good eye contact, --nod to show understanding,
--smile occasionally to maintain the friendliness of the interview.
- Be prepared to show the person a draft of the interview
report if you write something about it. From Communicate!
by R.F. Verderber
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Mutual Interviews
From Here's How, National Association of Elementary School
Principles, August 1994
A mutual interview provides an opportunity for both generations
to answer and ask questions. The dialogue created lends itself
to mutual sharing. Ground rules should be discussed and questions
selected before beginning the interview:
- Listen carefully. Give one another a chance to talk.
- Avoid judging or pressuring for information if either
party seems uncomfortable about a subject.
- Be alert to, and supportive of, each other's feelings.
- Be aware of barriers to communication such as excessive
noise or difficulties with hearing.
- If you use topics like those below, they should be
discussed by both individuals.
Thoughts about childhood: Ask each other about
childhood neighborhoods--brothers and sisters--best friends--games--treats--chores--songs--school
days.
Thoughts about history: Think about important
changes in your past--major events remembered--technological
advances--when you showed courage.
Thoughts about today: Best times and worst times--what
is difficult--what is fun--interests or hobbies--spending leisure
time--changes you would like to see in your neighborhood--problems
of the world today--your needs.
Thoughts about the future: Exciting experiences--contributions
that would make the world a better place--the major problems
of aging/being a student--how students and older folks can help
one another.
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Resources
for Intergenerational Interviews
Barbara Elleman, Editor of Booklinks, connects books to intergenerational
interviews. Often preceding an interview, a story helps begin
discussion or creates understanding by watching intergenerational
dialogue as pages are turned. She observes, however, that most
of the children's books view older people in limited fashion.
"Rarely in books do children enjoy activities with more
than one grandparent - in fact, rarely do they have more than
one grandparent. Furthermore, though children today most likely
have grandparents in the 55-65 age range who undoubtedly enjoy
careers, travel, and active and productive lives, the vast variety
of grandparents depicted in the books are grey haired, homebound,
stooped, retired and frail. There seems to be a nary a business
person, factory worker, layer, nurse, doctor, or teacher in
the bunch. And, although headlines tell of today's many teen
mothers, the grandparents of their children, who would probably
be only 35 - 40, are not found on the page.
Despite these missing pieces, the articles provide a rich array
of stories. The mythic grandparent is very much alive and well
in children's books and perhaps that is the way it should be.
The loving, the sharing, the memories, the passing on of stories,
the appreciation of the last years of life are good for children
to experience in their lives, - and to find in the pages of
their books. "From the march 1995 issue of Booklinks This
issue gives wonderful book suggestion and is a must for anyone
working with intergenerational audiences. Try your public library
or order the issue from the American Library Association, Book
Links, 434 W. Downer, Aurora, IL 60503, 708-892-7465
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Children's
Books for Reminiscing
From Booklinks
Ackerman, Karen, Song and Dance Man
This ebullient 1989 Caldecott Medal Winner features a vivacious
grandfather reminiscing about his old vaudeville days.
Coats, Laura J., Mr. Jordan in the Park
Using Mr. Jordan's lifelong visits to the same park as the framework,
this book traces his life from infancy through old age, which
can open a discussion of a person's life cycle.
Combs, Ann How Old is Old?
Written in rhyming couplets, this book explores the relativity
of the age. Four-year-old Alister and his grandfather share
the same birthday. When Alister wonders if his Grandfather is
old, grandfather explains using examples from natural world,
explains that Alister is old for a bee, while he is young for
a star.
dePaula, T., Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs
Tommy describes his delightful visits to the house where both
his grandmother and great-grand-mother live, and ultimately
discovers how precious memories are
Dionetti, Michelle, Coal Mine Peaches,
A grand-daughter recounts the many tales her grandfather has
told her, haring the history and traditions of her Italian family.
Fox, M., Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge
Wilfred lives next door to an old people's home, where his favorite
person Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper, has four names, just
like him. When Wilfred hears the Miss Nancy has lost her memory,
he questions all the old people to find out what memory is -
and then helps Miss Nancy to find hers in a most surprising
way.
Stevenson, James, That's Exactly the Way it wasn't
Grandpa and his brother Wainey recount their childhood
adventures, but each remembers them very different.
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