Teaching Oral History

Oral histories can be a valuable teaching tool to introduce students to the voices of “ordinary” people and their role in history and to engage students in the process of “doing” history. The resources on this site are designed to help introduce students to oral history as a primary document and a research methodology and to help students interpret the strengths and limitations of oral testimony as historical evidence. Having students design and carry out oral history research projects can involve students in a larger community and illuminate the roles and responsibilities of public historians.