I take advantage of placing my students is small groups as we work on assignments. This works because my students are Gen Yers. Also, I will use the lecture style as needed.
I have started to utilize online forums for homework, as an alternative to handing in written papers. This way students can use discussion threads to develop their ideas and stimulate collaborative learning.
The main strategy that has worked for me with Gen Y Learners is discovery learning. I present the main concepts/components of the material and then have the students complete an application activity or research to find out more about the concepts or relate it to the material. For example, I am a business instructor. When studying foreign exchange, I present the major policies/concepts and then have each student take a country and discover information about the country, what they import/export, their economic structure, etc. and then share their findings with their classmates. The students thoroughly enjoy this activity and I believe they learn a lot about the various countries and key players in global exchange.
Heather,
these are all great strategies for engaging this generation of learners.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I am always on a mission to find better way to conduct my class and methods that help keeps students engaged. Recently, I read an excerpt from the text Generational Learning Styles, which provided guidelines on teaching Gen Y. The first tip was to be organized because students need a lot of structure. Regardless of how independent student may think they are, structure is key, their brains may operate very fast but without structure speed is chaos. The second tip was to devise learning strategies that incorporate social interaction and collaboration with others. Ultimately, what this came down to was that class and group interaction. Third, be clear and precise, providing students with clear expectations about what they need to do to meet the requirements of the class. Providing lots of feedback was also another key to success. Feedback helps students know when they are headed in the right direction. Furthermore, feedback needs to be presented positively. The theory behind this is that positive reinforcement from teachers and peers improves learning and increases motivation. Lastly, which I think is really the meat and potatoes of this discussion is to use technology to enhance the instruction process. Generation Y uses technology for everything and this technology needs to be extended in the classroom to meet students’ need for variety, stimulation, and access to information.
So with some background provided, I think the real question comes down to real-life examples of how we can engage students. From my experience if I lecture to student, their focus falls off dramatically after 10 to 20 minutes. However if I change the format of lecture to one that is more discussion-based by proving stories, cases, metaphors and ask reflective type questions I find that student attention spans well beyond the 10–20 minute period. As a director of a program, it is incumbent upon faculty, therefore, to break from didactic style lecture and to incorporate some type of active learning exercise at least every 15–20 minutes. Activities that involve and engage students are those that require students to manipulate information physically and mentally
One of my frequently used strategies is “Think-Pair-Shareâ€. I will pose a question to the class and allow students time to independently “think†of a response to the query. After the private reflection period, students “pair†with a partner and compare their ideas. Finally, I will call upon groups to “share†their reflections. Even if all student groups do not voice their thoughts to the whole group, each person wrestles with the question and talks about his or her ideas with a classmate.
Another form of this exercise is the “One Minute Paper†in which I have students compose a response to a prompt. For example, “What is the main idea of today’s class?†or “Patient X is a 59-year-old male with chest discomfort suggestive of a myocardial infarction. Prioritize and outline what should be done during the first 5 minutes of his time in the emergency department.â€
A variation on this technique is the “One Sentence Summary†in which students are asked to summarize the lesson, or one component of the lesson, into one grammatically correct sentence. Composition relies on the students’ ability to identify and assimilate information. This technique is employable at intervals during the class or as a summative question at the end of the class period.
One technique that a number of my college professors use while I was in school was “The Muddiest Pointâ€. This technique was similar to the “one minute paper†in that is also asked students to compose meaningful thoughts at intervals during the class or at the end of the class period. Using the prompt, “What is the muddiest point as it relates to_______?†students either verbalize or write out their reflections about information that has been least clear or most confusing during the lesson.
Short lecture segments with demonstrations illustrating the topic and hands on practice for equipment familiarity & tactile learning enhancements.
Strategies that have worked for me with the Gen Yers is to engage them in a lot of personl experiences... they like to be kept engaged in the conversation and interested. Also, giving them powerpoints ahead of time so they can upload it to their ipads/macs before lecture.
The strategies that have worked for teaching the Gen Y is by allowing them incorporate necessary technologies to capture their attention and to give them different options in learning.
I have also noticed that they can still pick up even when they are multitasking,(texting, online...)
They are eager to learn and want to have feedback at the earliest time so that they can correct their mistakes and move on with their busy schedule.
What strategies for teaching Gen Yers.? I find the learning styles most helpful in teaching Gen Yers. Each individual including the instructor learn by different learning methods. I find that if you could incorporate each methods in your teaching practice your students will produce better results. Sometimes it takes a while for the student to conform and acquire the information
and knowledge. Again this information provided for our continue education is great knowledge and a great benefit for assisting me in my teaching. Thank you.
Having them work in small groups & having a combination of lecture & hands-on activities seems to keep them more engaged. Also,using learning programs on the computers instead of just hand-outs, homework pages, etc.
Being a teacher from the Gen Y era I know how I like to learn and it's not from sitting in a classroom listening to lectures. I engage my students with questions a lot and come up with lab activities to make them think outside the box.
Keith,
I don't think anyone here is endorsing using phones on tests as this would be a cheating situation. One individual allows them to use a computer, but these can be controlled as certain sites can be locked.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
You let students use their phones during tests???
What generation are you???
Of course their scores are better, IT'S CALLED CHEATING!!!
I've learned from my children who are in the Gen Y category that this generation is attracted to the use of technology, which is why I incorporate presentation tools during my lecture part of the class period. Because I am not an expert with technology, I try to keep it at a minimum, but enough to provide some visual aid and appeal to the students.
Additionally, I inform my students that I do not tolerate use of cell phones during my lecture but that the class will have short breaks in which they can check their phones for texts and messages. This is something I have received positive feedback for, since it helps them to concentrate during the lecture while knowing they can stay "connected" during the class period.
I also try to have times during the class period where the students can either have some small group discussions or hands-on activities related to the lesson. I've learned from my son who is in college that he often gets bored during his instructor's lectures. Knowing this, I try to diversify my teaching methods to keep my students as engaged and intrigued as possible. I noticed that my students seem to have more energy by the end of class compared to when I did only lectures.
Having a variety of activites for each class is often helpful, including but not limited to short lecture periods, group activities, group discussion and sharing, short video clips to supplement lecture information, and practice of skills.
Maria Luisa,
yes, this is an excellent point. And I need to remember that my classroom is mine. While another instructor may not uphold the rules, I have to make the right decision for my class.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Following guide lines and policies that has been laid out by the school has helped a lot with respect to this technology. As said, there are pros and cons to it, just be firm and follow the policy that the school has.
Since I am a Generation Y, I try to put myself in their shoes and ask myself "Would I find this boring?"
change the teaching environment every 30 minutes otherwise they are trying to access electronics
Giving them quick feedback particularly with their test or papers, makes them more motivated to in studying & submit on time.
