William,
this is true & we can also help to slowly wean them off of this reliance but challenging their thinking even more.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Alexander,
this is true & I personally think it's because entertainment does not demand them to imagine & pretend any more. We do have to take this into consideration when we're teaching this generation.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I saw another instructor demo Prezi and was engaged and impressed myself with the information and interaction.
They have grown up having their brains seized by a nearly constant bombardment of stimuli competing for their attention. It's a little humbling but we teachers have to realize that we raised this generation to look around and respond to entertainment and that we'd better provide an experience that often accommodates that expectation.
I feel like these students aren't encouraged to use their imagination as much and visualizing is more dificult for them than in previous generations. Visual/experiential learning helps them to understand the lesson in a way they struggle to on their own.
Shawn,
this is true & so we want to make sure that we are maximizing the experiential learning as much as possible.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Gen Yer's value experiential learning in large part because most technology encourages the user to actively engage in the process.
It helps create a more exciting form of learning. Students get a chance to learn from the instructor's experiences both good and bad in some cases. Most students want to know that their instructor has experienced what they are teaching them and not just delivering information they read in a book, after all the student probably feel they can read and learn that information themselves.
Absolutely! I find that if I tie an actual story from my experience to my lecture learning points, it helps my students truly connect the dots on the subject as well as connect to me both as a person and a mentor! I posted in regards to one of the points mentioned here on the subject on FB and a few of my former students responded, "Soooooooo true... I will take lessons from someone with experience. I never could take anyone lacking experience seriously." Another former student said, "I totally agree with that... especially the part about wanting to learn from instructors with real world experience." It was interesting to read about it, and receive instant confirmation from actual students.
I've found that using Prezi instead of PowerPoint seems to help keep them engaged.
Gen Y learners value experiential learning because they want constant access to others and informaiton and how that information is relevant to what they are learning.
Shaghayegh,
this is so true & helps illustrate why the stories can be so powerful.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
And a lot of times students feel like they learn more from the story than from the lecture itself.
Daniela,
yes, it really does hit on all of the aspects that Gen Y learners value in a class.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Gen Y leaners like to know the value of their learning, or how they will be able to translate their classroom learning experience to what they will be doing for work outside of the classroom. Experiential learning provides them with this experience.
Experiential learning is interactive, collaborative, and engages technology.
Gertrude,
yes, one of the best ways to keep the Gen Y learners engaged with the course is to truly make them a part of the material/instruction.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
They enjoy it in order to keep themselves entertained and involved in the learning process. We have to do whaever it takes for them to get involved & learn.
yes indeed they must be kept involved, & a part of the lecture & lesson plan. If not, it is a done deal & they will move on to something else. It is important for prof/teachers to help the students to maintain their focus & take part.
Gen Y students are "learn by doing" and having them experience the information while they are learning it will further reinforce the relevance of why they are learning it.
