Identify a senior citizen and schedule an hour to talk with him or her face to face. Be sure to tell the person that you are completing the interview as part of a class assignment and that the content of the interview is completely confidential (no names will be used).

Conduct an informal interview, focusing on the participant's developmental history.

Consider the following:· Family history and background· School environment and educational experience· Employment (paid/unpaid)· Social relationships·

Partnerships and parenthood· Significant life events· Significant life transitions·

Memorable experiencesIn addition to interview data, you may also obtain information from significant others, behavioral observations during the interview, and records (e.g. school reports, family albums, diaries etc).

Part I: Document the questions you asked and the participant's responses.

This is your interview ‘transcript' which will be turned in along with your reflective paper.

Part II: Write a 1,000 word reflective paper based on the interview.

In your paper, include information on the following:

a. Most notable aspects of the interview. What topics did your interviewee respond most strongly to and why?

b. Most surprising aspects of the interview: Did any of the interviewee's responses surprise you? Explain.

c. A commentary about the interviewee's most significant or meaningful life events. What stood out as being most important in his/her life?

d. A commentary about the interviewee's most challenging transitions. What life transitions did your interviewee comment on? Did he/she discuss any specific strategies for coping with difficult life transitions?

e. A discussion of what you learned from this experience.Use the literature in gerontology, wisdom and successful aging to supplement your paper and support your points.