Activities for class the Week of April 15 - 19: Interviews

This week we will be working on our interviewing skills as we act as expert journalists. I've been listening to a lot of interviews in podcasts from National Public Radio. One of my favorite shows is called Fresh Air. Maybe this is where I got the idea to do activities based on conducting interviews. If you want to hear some really interesting and thoughtful interviews, I recommend listening to the Fresh Air podcast. Many of their interviews are available online at the link I provided above.

Anyway, I think interviews provide great practice in speaking and listening. This is what we will do in class this week:

1. As a class we will create a list of as many interview questions as possible. We will start by working in small groups to think of questions then we will come back together as a large group to make a list of the questions we came up with. After we get past the common questions we'll have to use our creativity and really reach beyond standard interview questions. 
2. Next, we will practice interviewing each other. Half of the class will be journalists and the other half will pretend to be a tourist visiting Cuenca from the United States. I have a bunch of cards with information about the 50 US states. Each "tourist" will be given a state information card. The tourist will use this information along with any other details they choose to make up about themselves. Maybe the state you choose is California and you decide you're an organic vegetable farmer who also breeds miniature horses for the circus. Whatever you want, it can only make the interviews more interesting! Journalists will be paired with tourists to conduct a short five minute interview then we will switch up. We will conduct as many interviews as possible.
3. The final part of this interview process will happen out of class! 
1. Your assignment is to interview an English speaking tourist or a foreigner who is now residing in Cuenca. I know you've seen a lot of these people in the Parque Calderon or wandering down Calle Larga with a guide to Ecuador or a map in their hands. If you have difficulty finding a subject to interview, contact me as soon as possible and I can help you!
2. Choose 5 - 10 questions for your interview. We will come up with many more in class but the interview should only take about 10 - 15 minutes. If you think of other questions outside of class that you'd like to ask your subject then that's great, no need to restrict your imagination!
3. Interview your subject. I recommend working in pairs on the interview, but no more than two people should interview the same person. Interviewing tips:
1. Approach a potential subject in a friendly manner. Tell him or her that you're a university student studying English and that you'd like to ask that person a few questions.
2. Take notes or record the interview while it is in process. If you are recording the person's interview, ask permission first.
3. Ask easy questions first (name, where are you from, etc.) and then get into more detailed questions. Feel free to stray from the script if other questions come to mind during the interview.
4. If you are first meeting this person, avoid overly personal or invasive questions.
5. Spend about 10 - 15 minutes doing the interview. Some people will love being interviewed and they'll talk for hours, others are more shy and less talkative. 
6. After the interview is finished, thank the subject for their time. 
4. After you complete the interview, write a short article about the person you interviewed. As I said before, two students may interview the same subject, but I'd like each student to write their own article. The article does not need to be long, maximum one page in length. We will turn in and discuss the articles in the next class.

I hope everyone has fun with this assignment! I used to be very shy (and I still am sometimes) and this would have been a difficult project for me to start when I was younger because of my dislike of approaching strangers. However, I think working with a partner on the interview will help those of you who are shy. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about this assignment!