Interviewing someone who remembers
History · Key Stage 1 · The School
Why a vague question fails
Ask someone "what was it like?" and you often get a short, vague answer. "It was fine." "Different." That is not much use. A good history question needs to be much more specific than that, right from the start.
Preparing specific questions
Before an interview, write down specific questions. "What did you eat for breakfast as a child?" "How did you get to school?" "What toy did you love most?" Specific questions about specific things get real, detailed, useful answers. Write them down first.
Listening and recording properly
During the interview, listen carefully and let them finish talking. Write down what they actually say, or ask if you can record it. Do not just remember it afterwards, in your head. A written or recorded record stays accurate, long after the memory of it fades.
A real interview, vague versus specific
Vague question: "What was your childhood like?" Likely answer: "It was fine, I suppose." Specific question instead: "What was the first thing you did every morning before school?" Likely answer: "I fed the chickens, then washed in cold water, then had bread and dripping." The second answer is full of real, usable detail: chickens, cold water, a specific breakfast. The first tells you almost nothing at all. The only thing that changed was the question.
Turning it into real history
After the interview, write up what you learned as a short, proper account. Say who you spoke to, and roughly when they are describing. That written account is now a genuine piece of oral history, made by you, and worth keeping.