The Art of the Interview

Interviewing is a complex, real-time communication skill that demands both structure and adaptability. Active learning works here because students must practice designing questions, listening deeply, and reflecting on bias in the moment, not after the fact. These activities move students beyond passive note-taking into authentic, responsive communication that mirrors real-world demands.

• 12th Grade
• English Language Arts
• 3 activities
• 25 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Design a set of open-ended interview questions to elicit detailed narratives on a given topic.
2. Analyze interview transcripts to identify instances of active listening and effective follow-up questions.
3. Evaluate the impact of interviewer bias on the construction of an interview narrative.
4. Critique a recorded interview for its adherence to ethical interviewing practices and effective questioning techniques.

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Open vs. Closed Question Workshop

Students receive ten interview questions on a common topic, five open-ended and five closed. Working individually, they sort them and rewrite each closed question as an open one. Pairs compare rewrites and discuss what makes some rewritten versions more effective, then the debrief identifies the structural features of questions that invite complex responses.

Prepare & details

How do open ended questions elicit more complex and nuanced responses?

Facilitation Tip: During the Think-Pair-Share, circulate with a timer and stop students after 3 minutes to call on pairs to share one rephrased question aloud, ensuring everyone practices verbalizing their thinking.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Simulation Game

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Simulation Game: Live Interview and Observation Protocol

One student interviews a partner for three minutes on a structured topic while a third partner observes using a checklist covering eye contact, follow-up questions, and moments of active versus passive listening. Roles rotate. The debrief focuses on specific moments where the interviewer followed the script versus adapted to what they heard.

Prepare & details

What is the relationship between active listening and effective follow up questioning?

Facilitation Tip: In the Live Interview Simulation, assign observers specific roles: one tracks question types, one notes listening behaviors, and one records interviewer assumptions to guide debrief conversation.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Expert Panel

⏱ 35 min·Small Groups

Collaborative Analysis: Bias Audit of Interview Excerpts

Groups receive two interview transcripts on the same topic, one from a clearly positioned interviewer and one that maintains more open inquiry. Groups identify specific questions or follow-ups that reveal the interviewer's framing assumptions and discuss how those choices affected the narrative produced.

Prepare & details

How does the interviewer's bias affect the narrative produced by the interviewee?

Facilitation Tip: For the Bias Audit, provide a short checklist of bias indicators so students have concrete language to name what they observe in transcripts and interviews.

Setup: Panel table at front, audience seating for class

Materials: Expert research packets, Name placards for panelists, Question preparation worksheet for audience

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teach interviewing by making the invisible visible. Use live simulations so students experience firsthand how their questions and body language shape responses. Avoid over-scripting; instead, build students’ confidence in improvising follow-ups. Research shows that structured reflection after real-time practice cements learning better than pre-teaching alone. Keep activities short and iterative, so students can try, reflect, and adjust quickly.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students who can articulate why an open question elicits richer responses, who adjust their follow-up questions based on a speaker’s answers, and who recognize how their own assumptions shape an interviewee’s replies. Mastery shows in their ability to conduct interviews that feel natural, not scripted, and in their reflections that name specific biases and their effects.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Think-Pair-Share: Open vs. Closed Question Workshop, watch for students who treat their prepared list as a script and do not rephrase or abandon questions based on partner responses.

What to Teach Instead

In the Pair phase, instruct students to cross out or revise two questions from their list after hearing their partner’s first answer, then generate one new question based on what was said. This forces active listening and adaptability.

Common Misconception

During Simulation: Live Interview and Observation Protocol, watch for students who believe neutrality means removing all personality or follow-up from the interview.

What to Teach Instead

In the debrief, have observers share specific moments when the interviewer’s tone or follow-up shaped the interviewee’s response. Ask students to name one assumption they held before the interview and how it may have influenced a question or interpretation.

Common Misconception

During Collaborative Analysis: Bias Audit of Interview Excerpts, watch for students who think asking more questions automatically leads to better interviews.

What to Teach Instead

In the audit, highlight a transcript excerpt where five questions yielded shallow answers, then ask students to rephrase two of those questions to be open-ended and predict how the interviewee’s responses might change.

Assessment Ideas

Peer Assessment

After Think-Pair-Share: Open vs. Closed Question Workshop, have partners exchange their revised question lists and identify one open-ended question that worked well and one closed-ended question that could be revised to be more open-ended. Ask them to explain their reasoning in writing.

Discussion Prompt

During Simulation: Live Interview and Observation Protocol, after each interview, lead a whole-class debrief where students discuss: 'Which interviewer assumption most influenced the interviewee’s response? How might the interviewer have recognized and adjusted this assumption in the moment?'

Quick Check

After Collaborative Analysis: Bias Audit of Interview Excerpts, give students a short transcript segment and ask them to write two follow-up questions they would ask based on the interviewee’s last statement. Collect these to check for responsiveness and openness.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to conduct two 3-minute interviews with the same person, first using only prepared questions, then using only responsive follow-ups. Compare the depth of responses.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: provide sentence stems for open-ended questions and a graphic organizer to track assumptions during the interview simulation.
• Deeper exploration: invite a local journalist or podcast host to class for a Q&A about how they prepare, listen, and adapt during interviews.

Key Vocabulary

Ethnographic Interviewing	A qualitative research method focused on understanding the lived experiences and cultural perspectives of individuals within their natural settings.
Active Listening	A communication technique that involves fully concentrating on, understanding, responding to, and remembering what is being said, often demonstrated through verbal and nonverbal cues.
Open-Ended Questions	Questions that require more than a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer, encouraging detailed responses and exploration of a topic.
Interviewer Bias	The tendency for an interviewer's personal beliefs, opinions, or expectations to unconsciously influence the questions asked or the way responses are interpreted.
Follow-Up Questions	Questions asked in response to an interviewee's previous statement, designed to clarify, expand upon, or probe deeper into the information provided.