Maritza,
Pedagogy is the art of teaching and andragogy is particular to adult learners. Thanks for bringing up the idea of adult learners.
Michael ,
We do need to indentify strengths/weaknesses of all students. Thinking about it generationally is just one way, but it's a good place to start. Thanks!
The adult learner has many commonalities in that they are seeking a degree for many similar reasons, many have come back to school, need flexibility, etc. The difference between generations can be simply their comfort expressing themselves in an online environment, and in the use of technology to do so. I see the most apprehension coming from students in their 50's and 60's and not as much with my generation - 30's and 40's. The younger generation tends to have a tough time fully developing their thoughts and giving a solid history of their experiences. I think of it as story telling - I see the older generation doing well with this. Understanding these differences helps me drive the discussions to explore the areas they are not exposing initially.
Hello Dr. Crews,
The three generations mentioned in the lesson have different communication skills and approaches to communicating. Boomers are more formal, and have better writing skills. They have spent many years in the workforce and generally have a clear understanding of standards for effective and polite communications. However, they may not have the same level of proficiency using the technology.
According to the lesson, members of generation X may be less social and less prone to frequent and open communication.
Millenials will have the best technology skills of the three groups, but perhaps they have less developed writing skills. For that reason, they may need more guidance.
Since it's likely that we will have members of all three generations in our classes, it's important that we are able to identify each group's communication style and tailor our communications accordingly.
Best wishes,
Michael Luzius
Francis ,
I agree. Everyone has experiences to bring to the classroom. It's good to use those experiences to enhance the classroom. Nice job.
Annabel,
Everything we can do to get to know the students enhances our ability to communicate and help students learn in their own way.
I think there are a couple of ways to look at the differences that age can play in learning. The first of those has to with the use of technology. We need to make sure that we are very clear about what technology we are using and how it all works. We have to be sure to explain what everything means and how they can be successful.
The other part has to with their experience and how that relates to their current environment. They have a very difference way of looking at things and that can be something that is very helpful in an online classroom.
Hello Martha,
Yes, that it very true. It is important that an instructor understands the student in order to provide them feedback that is helpful. In addition, we can provide feedback with terms and examples that the student will understand.
Samantha,
You, as others, are seeing differences. We can't "pigeon hole" every student in a certain generation but there are, like learning styles, generalities. Thanks.
Annabel,
Yes, it doesn't matter if we assess the generations, learning styles, or personalities, it all points to understanding our (and others') strengths and weaknesses. Thanks for your input.
There are certainly different learning styles of students who come from different generations. Each have their pros and cons. Understand what generation your students are part of is imperative to effective communication with that student. In my experience, my "older" students prefer communicating over the telephone. My "younger" students have a need to instant responses. Both are easy to manage in my opinion.
Alfred,
It's not really stereotyping, it generalizations. It's like personality traits, there are generalities, but not stereotyping.
Hello,
It is important to understand the role generations play in communication in the online community, since each generation brings to the course various strengths, weaknesses and expectations. The instructor will have a better idea of how to help the students succeed and areas that may need improvement. For example, the instructor may need to provide more encouragement to the Generation X students on participating in the classroom discussions. The instructor can, also, create better teams based on the strengths and weaknesses of each person.
I feel that generational roles are relatively irrelevant. They lend themselves to stereotyping, to stereotype-based expectations of how the student will interact, and are wrong for a significant percentage of students. Besides, unless the student states her/his age, often we have no idea who fits which generation. Personally, I would delete this information from the course or greatly downplay it.
I feel it is more important to read the tendencies of each student, individually, one transaction at a time, but cumulatively, so that the instructor builds mental models of the student's motivational processes, thought processes, learning processes, and performance processes.
MeriAnn,
True - as students feel more comfortable/secure in an environment, they tend to open up/share more. Building that comfort zone/relationship takes time.
MeriAnn,
Open discussions to allow students to bring their previous knowledge, personality, thoughts, beliefs, etc. to the table. This is where we really see differences in people. Thanks!
MeriAnn,
We do all teach and learn in different ways. Maybe it's because of how were were taught, maybe it's our personality, maybe it's because we are trying to reach all students. Thanks!
Erica,
Yes, the key work you mentioned was "awareness." We need to be aware of our surroundings - our students. Thanks!
MaryCatherine,
We are all different and not every person can be classified as this or that, but a general idea is always a good thing. I know when I have an idea of how someone may react before I approach them, it helps me know how to provide information to that individual. Thanks for your input.
I like that you discuss building a culture where students are comfortable sharing-I think this will lend to the student also feeling more comfortable learning, as sometimes that too is a very scary thing for the student.
