Monday: We meet in the library. Students conduct research and/or work on a computer there. I conduct five-minute conferences to check in with students -- they have the conference schedule ahead of time and swing by for a chat during class. No, I'm not checking in on my students to see that they're using their time wisely. It seems that most do. And I figure some might be ready for a break -- a bit of relaxation to help them focus (hopefully!) later on.
On Wednesday, they hand in a second Research Log and a piece of writing that explores and establishes a plan to use one of their sources. On Wednesday, we discuss who they plan to interview for their essays. (They were to include someone they've contacted for an interview on their Research Log that'd due.) We discuss interviews they've conducted in the past and things that have gone well and things that resulted in mini-explosions. They then interview a classmate they haven't worked with yet and write brief profiles. (We didn't have time to read the profiles. Sometimes working with computers creates more hassle than they're worth. I'm in a computer lab, and it seems perfect for an in-class assignment like this. But they were having computer issues, and I had to run to get paper so they could print.)
Week 8:
Monday: A local author and journalist named Daniel P. Smith (author of On the Job: Behind the Stars of the Chicago Police Department) visits to conduct an interview workshop. I've had him visit before, and students seem to really appreciate hearing his experiences and insights.
He also shows them some clips of poorly conducted interviews -- a journalist interviews the founder of Facebook, and another where Oprah interviews Elizabeth Taylor -- and shows us his favorite TV interviewer, Tim Russert, with Barack Obama. He outlines for students what these interviewers do poorly and do well.
Wednesday: The second round of students will present their blog postings about Critical Encounters events they've attended. We will connect these events with students' essays and the larger conversation of Fact & Faith.
I love these "poorly" conducted interviews. I feel like I generally rush this section in favor of "writing" and this is making me wish I could go back in time a bit...a lot.
ReplyDeleteBefore I spent more time on interview techniques, I felt a bit like I was sending out students to interview people unprepared, or they'd just find another way to generate a source for their essays.
ReplyDeleteNow I include the interview into their research schedule. By a certain date, they need to have made the first contact with someone they want to interview. They need backup plans if that interview falls through.
I feel comfortable conducting an interview workshop. I've interviewed plenty of people working for my high school yearbook, as a journalism student in college, and doing freelance magazine writing after I graduated, but they really respond to having some fresh blood standing before them. They really see Danny Smith as the real deal. He's a young guy, and that surprises them. He was an athlete at UIC, and that surprises them. They think he's cool, and they pay attention. That works for me!