In general it is to help develop teaching strategies that might apply to everyone in your class. The difficulty would be when you have a class that has members of all the different generations and still trying to connect with them while not 'turning off' some of the other students.
sheldon,
this is true & they can be used for a variety of purposes, to introduce info as well as to review.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
playing educational games in class can be a tremendous benefit in learning
Jonathan,
yes, an excellent point regarding teaching to all of the learners in our classes & also the value of small groups.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Knowing the characteristics of generational learners is an invaluable asset. Once you understand the characteristics, you can better understand their learning styles. If you don't, it could lead to ineffective teaching. You cannot use the same methods to teach Generation Y learners as you would to teach the Baby-Boomer generation. It wouldn't make sense.
For the same reason a presenter needs to know his/her audience. It is vital to know some basic characteristics of the different types of learners in the class for effective presentations. However, with that said, an instructor cannot just teach to the Gen X'ers only, but vary the instruction to best meet the needs of all the students. I have found in my experience that doing some in class small group work is very effective for all types of generations. The interaction and sharing of information from each individual seems to work really well with the different types of learners.
Sean,
yes, we should consider our classes as a whole & as individual learners & determine how best to reach each one.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
The value is extremely high, not every generation prefers ( or can?) learn the exact same way. If we aren't aware of this during our delivery we will not be able to convey our information in an understandable fasion. Simply put, they won't get it!
Thomas,
this is a great approach & learning about the different generations really does help us as we seek to relate to a wide variety of learners.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
It allows you to interact with those individuals more easily and to understand why some might struggle more with technologies not as readily available in their generation. I'm a Boomer, but frequently consult our son and daughter (in their 20s) for ideas on how to better relate to Gen Yers in my classroom.
As an instructor, I want to continue developing and learning new skills. As the learning needs and methods change with each generation, it is essential that I look at how I am teaching and see where I can make my instruction more engaging and meaningful. It is very interesting to work with adult learners. If you are not meeting their needs, they seem to have no problem telling you exactly what you are doing wrong. I welcome these comments and try to adapt my activities each term to make them a little better.
It gives us the ability to adapt our methods to suit all generations and learning styles. It also gives us an indication of where their desires and comforts come from.
When dealing with multiple generations of learners, they will learn in different ways. Knowing how to bridge the different styles would make for a positive learning environment with excellent results.
This is so true. We need to connect with all generations so our instruction can be meaningful and useful to all. Without understanding the differences, we will not achieve this.
Kathryn,
thank you for this post, this is a great story. Using powerpoint, even with bells & whistles, is still basically the lecture format of teaching. This has it's place, but the greater variety we can use the more effective we will be.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I am a baby boomer also. When I started teaching I was fascinated with powerpoint. I went crazy with all the fancy stuff I could add to my slides. Eventually I realized that my lectures became more about that particular technology and less about learning the subject. The classes were not interactive enough. Not only did it not interest my students, I myself got bored with all the gee whiz. Now I do very little powerpoint. I try to involve the students with hands-on demonstrations, group discussions, questions and answer periods and anything else I can think of to keep things varied and interesting. Not only does it keep the students on their toes it is more fun for me and I think that shows!
Knowing the different learning styles is a big help so when present the material everyone can be comfortable with the way it was presented.
Rose,
this is very true & if you have a diverse class it allows for some great sharing & discussions across the generations.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Depending on the demographics of your class, it assists in coursework planning. In other words, if the class is primarily Boomers, gear the class to traditional and innovative techniques that challenge them.
Nicholas ,
and also when we understand the different generations we can pull in experiences or illustrations that resonate more with the particular generations.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
