Gregory,
Right on. I bet that was an interesting training. Glad you continue to learn and can apply what you are learning. Thanks.
Dr. Tena B. Crews
Guillermo,
Understanding our students is essential. We should value our differences. Thanks.
Dr. Tena B. Crews
Brian,
Glad you brought up the idea of learning from others in groups. Diversity can enhance the learning process. Thanks for your input.
Dr. Tena B. Crews
Roberto,
Yes, we all have different strengths and weaknesses and the better we know our students, the better we can provide content in a more appropriate manner. Thanks for your input.
Dr. Tena B. Crews
Trista,
As you model the professionalism, the students will pay attention. Helping them see how they can use such actions on a daily basis is helpful. Thanks for your input.
Dr. Tena B. Crews
Trista,
Right. Even join we can't "pigeon hole" every person in each generation with all of those generation personality traits, the key is to get to know your students. Proving diverse learning experiences will help do that. Thanks.
Dr. Tena B. Crews
Jeffrey,
You are right - we all come with different experiences and it is important to get students to share those with each other. Many times this brings reality to the course. Thanks.
Dr. Tena B. Crews
I make it very clear that texting is not permitted in the online course. I can't tell you how many times I have to remind students that the pronoun "I" must be capitalized!
Dr. Crew. As online instructors it's imperative to understand that a great deal of student success depends on respecting the student and supporting their learning process, whether a baby-boomer, a Gen X or Gen Y. We must be available to the many "styles" of communication.
Creating a community of effective and successful learners in the priority of an online instructor. Understanding the role that each generation plays within the online community helps when addressing any issues or conflicts that may arise. When I first began teaching online nearly a decade ago one of the first in-service workshops was devoted to this specific topic of different generational leaners. The information learned from the presentation has been very beneficial in helping me "draw out" the various learning styles and communication styles of the generations.
Knowing this information also helps me understand that not all students communicate the same way. I want to be most effective in my job as an instructor and knowing how to approach the issues is key to developing successful student participation.
In my own family I can see these generational differences very clearly. During a family "get together" we baby boomers sit together and talk F2F, laughing and sharing experiences and memories very easily and openly. My Gen X nephew wanders in and out of the room joining the conversation only when the topic interests him. My niece, who is a Gen Y'er sits in the corner of the room, glued to her cell phone texting rapid fire to friends. She could care less about what we are saying unless we mention her name. She'll then suddenly look up, a bit confused that she heard her name, and then just as quickly return to texting.
I'm happy to know that we are all connected, just in different ways!
People communicate differently and it is always important to know our audience. The better we know the students the better we can tailor our communication to ensure that the message is being received in the most efficient manner.
Sincerely,
Lewis Lynn
It is wise to be aware of the different generational motivations and communication styles in the classroom to help you with understanding the student response styles and approaches. It is also wise to develop in your students an appreciation and skill in professional writing that should cross generationl differences to an extent that allows for solid discussion, dialogue and engagement in the classroom.
I think it is very important to understand the role generations play in communication in the online community so we do not make incorrect assumptions about our students' abilities and we understand that they may need different instructional methods to gain the most knowledge.
For example, assumptions that students will know how to go do research online or in an online environment may result in stress and students giving up if we do not provide more guidance as I have found many of the "Baby Boomers" find this challenging and some email me that they feel that they should just drop out because they do not feel they have the skills required for their education. Another example is when student of various ages and backgrounds have developed different learning styles. Students who have only experienced on campus education may need more of a variety of instructional methods (i.e. visual, auditory, templates to help with writing, etc) rather than being left to just read an assignment and complete it on their own. I have had many students who explain that 20+ years ago they didn't have to do research and write with a certain format, etc., and so I provide templates with exammples of what the required format should look like. I try to share my screen and walk them through how to work in Microsoft. I know that the students who are more familiar with this may log out of my chat and that's ok as long as I know that I can assist those who still need that extra help!
Thank you, Jennifer H.
Hello,
Dr. Crews this is a great question. I had a great opportunity to take training a few months ago on Generational differences. This training was very beneficial because we were placed in generational groups other than our own. The concept was to try to think and understand like our designated group (sort of think outside the box). By doing this activity, I became more aware of the many differences; however, there are also linkages between the groups. By understanding how each group communicates, it allows for the instructor to effectively engage the students at his/her level of communication (whether email, phone call, face-to-face, etc.).
Gregory Becoat
Since you are going to be teaching students that fall into a number of different generations you must understand the different generations. You need to understand how this person was raised and the values that each of them have.
Everyone has different learning styles, which presents challenges and opportunities. It's the instructor's job to understand these different styles and try to incorporate them into the course.
I think it provides a rich learning environment when you have different age groups work together. I find student learn a lot (and in some cases better) from each other than the instructor or the course material.
Understanding generational roles helps the facilitator to provide the right amount of focus for online learners and avoids identifying their needs. Each generation has specific strengths and needs that the facilitator can tap into.
Baby Boomers have a need to succeed but lacks technology skills. Generation X can use motivation to help them in the classroom by making the subject area interesting. This can be by asking these students their experience in certain areas. Millennials may have knowledge about connecting to technology but need more guidance. Each of these generations may be in the same online classroom at the same time.
Motivation and communication are two main topics of the business management and leadership course that I facilitate. By modeling effective practices in these categories to my students in the classroom, they are then able to translate those practices into their academic and professional performance.
It is important to understand the role generations play in communication so that we as the instructors can understand how best to engage the students of each generation. The Baby Boomer students may require more formal communication and possibly less virtual in that they may require phone conversations to help them understand course concepts and assignment requirements. Baby Boomers should be encouraged to attend live chat sessions in which the instructor speaks and may even also be visible to the students. Generation X students may need to be more personally encouraged to participate in the classroom, both synchronously and asynchronously. Millennials will embrace the technology associated with the online environment, but may need to understand the personal benefit the class and its requirements will offer them.
Life experiences play an important part in the way students learn. The different generation of students come to the online learning environment with different life experiences. Life experiences impact the way people learn so instructors have to be able to make learning relevant to the various generation of students and blend different generational styles in the online courses. Although we may think we know the differences between the generations, I think it is probably not constructive to make too many generalization about the various generations. I believe all students have a desire to learn. We should strive to discover as early in the course as possible what the background of the students are. I find having students introduce themselves as an introductory discussion board assignment a good way to find out about their familiarity with technology. Some have had online courses before. For many it is their first time, and they are somewhat scared of the online environment. Knowing their background as well as trying to get a sense of what generation they are from, helps me decide how best to communicate with each them individually.
