Engage Gen Y with discussions and conversations. Make things fun and have them work as a team or in a group. Make things competitive and social!!
Desiree,
yes, I too have found whenver I can share the real life experiences with this generation, the more engaged they are.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I also work full-time in the field and part-time as an instructor in the field. My students love hearing about what's going on in their soon-to-be field. They love asking questions and it encourages them at the same time.
Most of my classes have been open to discussion. It keeps them interested in the subject. I have also applied the use of the CD in the back of their text books. They have to do the program and take the quiz. The grades are printed out so I know there is no cheating. Cell phones are not much of a problem as their Homeroom Instructor has confiscated most of them during her class. (Which I am grateful for).
Mary Cornelius
Tracey,
yes, turning these small group discussions to the large group are a great way to share the learning with the whole group.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I try to engage my students by having small group discussions and then 1 large class discussion. It seems to keep everyone involved especially if someone does not feel comfortable talking in front of a large group.
I also ask my students to share their personal work experiences. They seem to enjoy hearing others work experiences and feed off of that.
Courtney,
I like this idea, especially the aspect of challenging them to back up their answers.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Alan,
these discussions are a great way to engage the Gen Y learner.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Have always used the "please ask question approach" as so many "quiet ones" have the same questions. Technology not always so important as knowing "why", then the application of technology they find as their curiosity expands
One way to engage Gen Y is to ask for opinions or found facts and then challenge them to back them up. Form them into groups to come up with answers.
Any subject we are dealing with I ask the students about their or their family experiences. I like to open this to discussion as a group. I also break the class into small groups to allow for strategy sessions to help answer problems
Christian,
yes, the more variety we can incorporate into our lessons the greater chance we have of keeping them excited & engaged.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Group discussion, critical thinking activities, open-ended questions, and team-building strategies. These are all beneficial to Gen Y learners
In one word - variety. Gen Y students tend to "tune out" rather quickly if not actively stimulated and actively engaged. Therefore, I ask questions to make them discuss, analyze and problem solve; show relevant video clips (e.g. You Tube), conduct mini-lessons, share relevant personal experiences, etc - at the same time giving meaningful structure to the learning and frequent feedback.
Lisa,
this is a great way to encourage them to learn the concepts.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I show them the relevance- I teach English Composition and I show them how they can use English skills in all of their fields. Lisa
Mokii,
yes the real life experiences are very powerful.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I like to use life expierence. I always try to relate a past expierence to the lesson for the day. The funnier the story the more envolvment i get.
Having discussions, asking questions, and putting them in groups.
Although most of my students are older than Gen Yers, I do have some students in that era. I encourage my students to work either in small groups or with a buddy as well as on their own. I also have them look up information or reference things on their laptops or Smart Phones. Anything that engages them, I feel, peeks their interest. I find that I use a different teaching technique each day which keeps them interested and on their toes. I also explain everything that I do so that they understand from the get-go what the objective is. I am very honest with my students and use my life experiences as a learning tool, which they love to hear. They feel this is very motivating. I also take my classes outdoors for a different atmosphere.
