Generation Y learners value experiential learning because they do not simply take ideas and claims at face value. They are curious to know the "why" and the "how do you know" when teachers make claims and assertions. Generation Y learners do not just want to be told that something is true; they want to experience it for themselves. This is not bad thing, since experiential learning goes hand in hand with the scientific method. As educators, it is up to us to create experiential learning opportunities for our Generation Y students.
The students like to learn that way. It is fun and they can learn so much from it. It is more hands on and the students enjoy that
I believe Gen Y'rs like experential learning because it allows them to become active in the learning experience, and they can deduce the ideas presented in the learning experience.
They can bring and connect their own narratives to a classroom--they value the vast amounts of information they have had access to all their lives as much as they value what the instructor provides--it's all about the "connectedness" of things: their lives, the classroom, the instructor, the class content--they need to see connections among all these things.
I appears that Gen Yers are raised in a generation that values interaction with gadgets and others. To hold their attention, it seems obvious that any classroom activity would maximize any opportunity involving colaborative learning. This generation values more by "learning from doing" verses just being "told" what to do.
I have some "dry" subject material in my classes. I am trying to use different methods to present the information- but sharing mistakes by myself or others is an entertaining & engaging way to show students how knowledge of the content pertains to on the job success- or failure!
I believe that they need to see first hand what the expected outcome is going to be. Just words on paper are not good enough. They live in a world were everything is verified with posting and opictures on instagram to prove there posts.
It gives them the answer to "why?". They are trying, essentially, to connect the dots. They don't want to just know z, they want to know how/why you get from a to z.
They need to make that connection of relevancy. If they are going to actually use the subject matter it becomes for important to them. It does not seem the like to learn for learning sake, to gather as much information that they are capable of. Just the facts, just the facts.
The Gen Yers are the information generation. This is the generation that find everything on the internet. This gereration values the why of everything and need to be shown because they have lost the ability to reason out problems.
Jacqueline,
yes & this also gives them the chance to see how things work & why this information is important.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
They tend to want to be on the cutting edge of all learning and they want to be involoved in everything. They tend to do better and seem more motivated in learning when allowed to be them selve.
I think Gen Y learners value experience because they are young and do not have much experience of their own, especially in the workforce. They also value an instructor who can give them real life scenarios on what to expect on the job as compared to just theory. They really want to know what happens in the world from a person instead of learning it on a computer.
Christina,
yes and Gen Y learners also love to get into the practical aspects of things & really focus on the "how to."
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Marco,
and ultimately we want to pull these discussions back to the practical applications so they walk out with the necessary skills.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Absolutley, they are engaged and they are very in tuned with the conversation as we can develop a conversation that could almost be never ending, as we can find plenty of justification and examples to add any singular subject, if approached properly and with value to them.
I believe they like it because they enjoy seeing what they can do, and how far they can go. They like to push the envelope.
Student's have an opportunity to interact with their peers. Also, they have an opportunity to utilize various research methods.
I try to get the students input & have discussions around the topic so the group comes up with the answers together
Experiential learning is relevant to what they
have experienced in eal life and it allows them more opportunities tio participate.
J. E. wright
