Regardless of the generation, the instructor must be well-versed in the subject they are teaching and able to recognize when they are losing their students. Creating and maintaining interaction between the material and the students is critical.
As an instructor I have found that the heavily technology laden Y generation are able to quickly discover the needed information for most situations.
The characteristics of this group really do impact the planning process because we have to catch their interests and keep their attention in a way to keep them interested and engaged.
Technology needs to be included in the classroom with this generation or we will lose their focus. If I notice them starting to get "glassy eyed" while I am lecturing, I will shift gears and include some form of interactive learning experience to get them more involved in the topic. If not, they will start texting and get on the internet with their I-pads or phones.
Christal,
I would agree that teaching Gen Y is definitely a very active effort & we do need to work to keep them engaged.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
As an instructor myself and being a part of Gen. Y it is very hard to accomodate Gen. Y learners. In the teaching atmosphere I am in I have all generations but Gen. Y is the most prominent. I have to constantly have an activity going or have the students moving or I have to be moving and interacting with the students. It makes for a very interactive learning environment, but the courses of Dental Hygiene are sometimes hard to accomodate this type of learning due to the Dental Hygiene exams have not changed over time it is still the memorization, and application still.
I, also, use corporate sector information and challenges in my classes. In addition to my 20 years of teaching, I've worked 38 years, 20 years of which is in the private/corporate sector. My work experience spans from entry level to management. In my classes, I incorporate relevant examples of my real life experiences to help explain theory and show the importance of soft skills/people skills and good emotional intelligence. This seems to bring the theory to life and demonstrates what the "real world" is really like.
It is incumbant upon the instructor to appeal to a variety of the learning styles of the students in class. I believe that it is important for the teacher to understand each person in that class and their basic learning style and plan teaching approach and activities with those styles in mind.
Also, recent teaching experiences have made me aware of the apparent dislike of Gen Y's distaste for reading to get information and/or lack of skills in reading ability. I think that as more instruction goes online this skill will be more important to teaching and learning. This is probably an area that "chunking" may be helpful for instruction.
S.Golightly
Janet,
this is definitely a challenge. One thing I use is the current information from the corporate sector. People skills or soft skills are still dominating as a top skill sought by potential employers.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I believe frequent change is a great method to use in your class now-a-days. I think it is hard for a student to listen, stay focused and keep interest in the lecture for a long period of time. I like changing my class schedule from Lecture, to group discussions then power point, group activity and then do a summary of the lecture. Interaction by the students and the instructor is essential to which you are able to reach out to the different types of student generations learning abilities. We can all learn from each other when there are these different types of generations involved.
Most of my students see the light, as well, but for some it a struggle. It appears that the pendulum has swung too far to the technology side and that "people skills" are being neglected by parents, elementary and secondary school. I believe that a more balance approach needs to be taken, where technology and "people skills" are stressed as being equally important. How can we get this message across to parents, elementary and secondary educations?
Janet,
I too teach in the communication field & I have experienced similar reactions. I have found that many of my students eventually see the value in these courses. But you are correct that there is a lack of the general "people skills" that all of the research is telling us is so vital for success in careers today.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have taught communication for 20 years. The classes I teach include interpersonal communication, public speaking, and small group communication. I am very concerned about the deficiencies many of the Generation Y learners have in the areas of critical thinking, respect for others and authority, interpersonal communication, and self-discipline. Recently, I have experienced more resistance to communication courses, because the consensus seems to be,"we know all we need to know about communication-we've been doing it all our lives." Some students have openly said to me that learning effective communication skills is not important, because technology has replaced the need to effectively communicate on a personal level. Also, I notice many students spend a great deal of time playing video games and on social media, but very little time on academics. Because of the deficiencies and attitudes, I find it takes me longer to "break through" their negative attitudes about the communication class and I am having to teach concepts and behaviors that should have been taught before reaching college.
christopher,
I agree that we need to consider how we can incorporate technology into the classroom, while at the same time always keep good instructional methodology in mind.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Gen Y members are more technology driven. Their classes should use more technology, since they are comfortable with and respond to this. Also, making the class more entertaining will keep their attention better since they are used to constant entertainment from their gadgets and immediate information.
I like the idea of frequent changes. Even as a boomer, I find it hard to listen to one person for a long period of time. When I came back to teaching, I consciously copied techniques I'd observed in those I considered the best teachers I'd ever seen. One was frequent shifts in approach. Since I often have classes that meet in four-hour blocks, frequent change is essential. If students have already put in a full day at work or with family, we need not so much to be "teachertainers" as to be conscious of our techniques. People learn differently. That means that a mixture of lecture, hand-ons, team or small group discussions, writing and problem solving gives a wide enough framework to help all students, no matter their learning styles, abilities or generation. Interestingly, while I can see that at school, I still get frustrated by my own daughter, whose cell phone demands her attention constantly. At least in class, students will put their phones in their pockets on "vibrate."
David,
I would agree that it seems like many parents too quickly reach for this "solution." We need to work hard to help these students will all of the skills you have mentioned.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
From a Veteran and Babyboomer perspective, I have difficulty accepting that ADHD is the issue with Gen Y students. Have the parents genuinely attempted to instill responsibility, accountability and truly listening and focusing on topics discussed or homework assigned.
Ritaline seems to be an intervention/treatment rather than instilling concentration, importance of learning and focus on subject at hand/assigned.
Kathryn,
yes & make sure that the technology is meaningfully & appropriately incorporated.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
As an instructor, you have to incorporate technology that is meaningful to the Gen Y students and that they can relate to.
