On April 12th, Voice of Witness led a full-day workshop at State University of New York (SUNY) Oneonta designed for educators to learn oral history and storytelling methods.
Participants included college faculty, K-12 educators, pre-service teachers, and school counselors from across the country. In the morning session, VOW staff focused on skill-building related to interviewing techniques and ethical storytelling. In the afternoon, participants had the opportunity to practice oral history activities themselves, as well as explore classroom implementation and project planning. We highlighted student work and dove into VOW’s educational resources—sharing tools that teachers can take back to their schools.
Participants learned how to use personal narratives to enhance student engagement and create inclusive classroom environments across all content areas and grade levels. Read more about the impact of oral history-based education.
Hear from the educators:
Allowing our students to explore oral history projects can open them up to many new opportunities and possibilities. Students can gain more empathy for others, find new passions, and experience a level of connection they may have never experienced before.
I love the ideas you gave on how to recognize our students’ stories and incorporate them into the classroom.
The information was exceptional and the pacing excellent.
I hope to include a unit in my classroom where students create a podcast based on their own oral history interview. I would love to see students position themselves in the interviewer role and hear about the reflections they gain from doing this. I know it will be a highly impactful activity.
Oral history being applied to multiple different fields is something I didn’t expect. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to share and hear stories from other participants and the lesson plans that were provided.
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Interested in partnering with VOW’s education team? We have extensive experience working with teachers, school districts, and organizations to provide support, training, and curricula. Don’t hesitate to reach out—we’d love to hear from you.
