My older students versus my younger students
I find that my older students come to class eager to learn what's needed to advance to the next level wheras the younger students come to class to complain about how much they have to learn and they want to be spoon fed on everthing instead of using their brains and applying critical thinking
“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and TYRANNIZE THEIR TEACHERS."(my capitalization)
-Socrates
Ostenstensibly, Socrates was talking about young students like Plato and Aristotle.
Teachers and older adults have long complained about the effectiveness and studiousness of young people, and yet somehow knowledge is still transmitted over the ages, and societies don't fall any more frequently than they used to.
Whereas I do believe that plenty of older, nontraditional students come prepared to learn, and are aware of the value of their education dollars, I believe a similar number of younger students come ready to learn despite not knowing the value of their education dollar, but nobly—even if accidentally—valuing education in and of itself.
Younger students are comparable to professional consumers of education, as they have received it for "free" for 13 years or so. They know what they're used to getting, and they may be aware of what works and what doesn't. They also seem to know strongly what "good classes" look like, as they have been exposed/subjected to a great number of good, fair, and bad classes recently.
Often, older students are just happy to be back in a class something vaguely similar to what they can recall from high school, and they are ready, and willing to learn, but lack the skills or ability to do so.
Just my defense for the young and prepared, as I was one of the many of them in the—now more distant—past.
Hi Barbara,
Older students have accepted that computers are they way of the world, and they are finally willing to jump in.
Patricia Scales
I have been noticing that some of the more mature students are using a lot more technology than they use too. THis impresses me. The younger students have the technology nailed down leaving some of the older students in the dust but they are trying since they are so willing to learn new things.
Hi Heather,
You need to include technology as much as you can for the younger learner. The younger learner is very technological driven. The younger learner is also willing to happy the baby boomer with technology.
Patricia Scales
Hi Albert,
Older students do not have time to waste, and they are very serious learners.
Patricia Scales
Hi Sharline,
I too have seen these changes often in my older vs younger students. I think that the key thing is to excite the younger students about what is to come if they continue their education. Often times, those younger students do not have the work/life experiences that the older students do, and may come in with a "high school" mentality. The key is to make them passionate about whatever the subject is, which involves a variety of teaching methods.
I agree my older students seem more eager to learn, they are more prepared to take the time and effort to learn. Balancing that can be their other time commitments and life issues.
Hi Sharline,
Yes, I have seen this trend as well. The younger students are certainly cut from a different thread so to speak. Most of the do not want to due their due diligence to succeed.
Patricia Scales
