Quick Guide
- Keywords: Listening, speaking, critical thinking, real-world practice
- Learner English Level: A2+
- Learner Maturity: College freshmen
- Preparation Time: Minimal
- Activity Time: 3 x 60-minute class sessions
- Materials: Sticky notes, student phones, Google Drive, handouts of: Sample Questions, Tips for Writing Interview Questions, and Photo/Video Release & Consent Form (see Appendices)
In this engaging, learner-driven project, students learn how to write and ask engaging questions, and get out of the classroom to interview people around campus. This activity can be done at any time, or as an end-of-unit roundup of topic-based themes and vocabulary.
Preparation
Step 1: Print off one copy per student of the following documents from the Appendices: Sample Questions, Tips for Writing Interview Questions, and Photo/Video Release & Consent Form.
Procedure
Step 1: Explain to the students that they are going to write questions for interviews they will conduct in a future lesson.
Step 2: Pass out the Sample Questions (Appendix A) and have students ask each other the questions in small groups.
Step 3: Discuss the questions with the class. Are they good questions? What kind of responses will they elicit (long, or short answers)? What made them effective/ineffective?
Step 4: Ask, ‘If a question only requires a short answer, what can you do to keep the conversation going?’ Elicit that asking follow-up questions using ‘How…?’ and ‘Why…?’ can be helpful. Ask if students have any more advice for writing effective interview questions.
Step 5: Pass out the Tips for Writing Interview Questions handout (Appendix B) and go through them with the class.
Step 6: Put students into small groups and ask them to choose a new topic or theme for their interview.
Step 7: Pass out three sticky notes to each student and ask them to write an interview question on each note. Give students time to write questions, and circulate to provide support.
Step 8: Ask groups to discuss the questions and choose four that they will use in the interview.
Step 9: Guide the groups in proofreading their chosen questions and improving their open-endedness, using suggestions from the handout as appropriate.
Step 10: Explain that students will be conducting their interviews in the next class.
Step 11: In the next class, tell groups to define each person’s role. Some possible roles may include: Interviewer, Camera Person, Canvasser (potential participant greeter), Waiver Person (signature collector for consent form - see Appendix C).
Step 12: Conduct practice interviews within groups to familiarize students with the questions and roles. Groups can also interview each other if they need more practice.
Step 13: Send students out into the campus to conduct interviews. Advise students to send their canvasser to approach interview subjects, rather than going all together. Give students a time by which they should return.
Step 14: In the third class, create a Google Doc for each group before class. Ask groups to review their recordings, take notes, and summarize the interviews. Have students analyze the responses to identify common themes and present their findings to the class.
Variations and Extensions
This project can also be done with audio rather than video recording, or simply taking notes. If recordings are made, they could be used as listening materials for future practice.
Conclusion
This flexible activity can be adapted to nearly any level or teaching context, and requires little preparation. It also gives students a reason to practice authentically outside the classroom and take ownership in their learning by preparing their own questions, boosting their confidence and motivation.
Appendices
The appendices are available below.
