Many teachers tend to assume that whatever methods were used to teach them will work for their students. Teaching gen x ers and gen-y involves rethinking traditional teaching methods and integrating technology in what use to be primarily lecture and not taking.
Many instructors at my institution are alarmed if students bring their lap top to class, however in my opinion, they SHOULD bring their lap top to class- they are used to using their phone and computer for keeping track of things- it only makes sense that they would want to take notes on their computer.
many older teachers seem to view the internet as a bad thing, however never before in history have students had the access to so much complex information accesible within seconds. Embracing the possiblities would benefit all teachers and students.
It is important to know the different learning styles of the different generations so that we can adjust our teaching styles to the learners. It is important to realize the method of learning of your own generation may be different than the other generations represented in your classroom.
The value is we as instructors can apply different teaching styles for different generations in order to get the best comprehension and results/grades from our students
We are able to reach each student in a better way and diversify the class environment with various teaching methods. The best classes i've had are when students from different generations engage in healty argumentation.
I think that knowing how everyone in a career classroom is likely to learn helps me prepare a lesson plan that touches on as many styles as possible. And I have found that the older folks- the Boomers and early Xers- are way more comfortable with technology than they often give themselves credit for and find it very rewarding "keeping up" with the younger students. Also, I have experienced my younger students really getting into books and more "old school" methodologies. They think retro is cool. ^_~
My student population is so varied, I must be able to teach to all styles or learning.
Just like its important to accommodate various learning styles into a lesson, knowing generational differences will also strengthen our delivery.
Having a better understanding of the different learning styles helps me to be able to convey the material in a way that the different generations can grasp.
Knowing the different characteristics of each generation will help you prepare your instruction in the most effective way. You can reach all students by incorporating multiple learning styles. The more interactive the learning styles, the more material te student wil retain.
As our classrooms become more diverse, we must fully understand our diffferent learners, their learning style, and their set of values and life experiences to be successful.
