About the Strategy

Oral history has been described as "history from the bottom up." That is, rather than starting from the biographies, textbooks, essays, and research papers of other people, it is history told from the vantage point of people who lived it. In his essay "The Personal Dimension in Doing Oral History," historian Roger D. Long quotes a San Diego sixth grader on the subject of oral history: "There are two sides to every story. Maybe three. The book's, the TV's, and my grandfather's."

Oral history work engages students in a way that text materials cannot. History comes alive for students when they participate in oral history research. Students whose research topics incorporate first-person stories also learn that there are many sides and viewpoints attached to every historical topic and event. This understanding can stay with the student long after the oral history project is completed, leading the student to approach future research work with a healthy skepticism and a greater willingness to seek out and work with multiple and often conflicting sources. Students who have used oral histories are much less likely to depend on any single source -- textbook, Web site, or lecture -- for their information on a history topic.

Students can engage with oral history in several ways. They may listen to previously recorded interviews on audio and/or video formats. Or, a person may speak with and be interviewed live by students. The advantage of using an actual subject is that students can interact with that subject and ask follow-up questions. If students do carry out live interviews, they should be encouraged to record their sessions so they have "proof" of what was said, so they can clarify and revisit things that were unclear, and so they can share the material with others who may research the same topic in the future.

There are obvious cautions that must be addressed before students participate in oral history work. Chief among these is a discussion of point-of-view and historical interpretation. Students must research their topic using other sources in addition to the oral source, which means they may have to sort through conflicting information. Students must also be coached in respectful interview techniques and gain written permission from the interviewee. Still, even with all of the caution and care that must be exercised when doing this type of work, students will emerge from an oral history project with an enhanced sense of the past, and perhaps a greater interest and attachment to it.