pcc_jan_2_2008
DESCRIPTION
A presentation for faculty on teaching millenial learnersTRANSCRIPT
Mill
enni
al Learners
Today’s Plan
Activity
• Which Generations are in this Workshop?– Silent (1925-1942) Ages 66-84– Baby Boomer (1943-1960) Ages 48-65– Gen – X (1961-1980) Ages 28-47– Millennial (1980 – 2000) Ages 8-27
Silent Boomer Gen-X Millennial
Activity
• List 3 Defining Events of Your GenerationSilent Boomer Gen-X Millennial
“The expectation for involvement with faculty and
other students overrides a desire to use technology.”
Education the Net GenerationDiana G. Oblinger and James L. Oblinger, Editors
By the numbers
• 2008 – 80 Million 18-29 year olds• 36% of the U.S. Population
http://www.newvotersproject.org/research/demographics
The NCCCS System
Numbers by Generation 2005-2006
Millennials
PCC Student Enrollment – FA07Curriculum Only
Millennials
PCC Faculty by Generation – FA07
BOOMERS
A Closer Look at Millennials
• Born in 1980-82 ish• First high school graduating class – 2000• Cultural icons
Major Events – Millennials
• From the PBS Documentary – Generation Next which aired in 2007
• http://www.pbs.org/newshour/generation-next/demographic/timeline_majorevents.html
• The Technology Timeline• http://www.pbs.org/newshour/generation-next/de
mographic/timeline_technology.html
Major Events
Tech Timeline
60 Minutes on the Millennial Workforce
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4126233n
The Millennial is…
• Comfortable with technology – never lived without computers
• Connected 24/7• Confident• Optimistic• Hopeful• Independent (often despite
helicopter parents)• Determined
• Goal Oriented• Success driven• Aware of the lifestyle they
desire• Diverse – most diverse
generation EVER• Service oriented• Inclusive• Team Oriented
Core CharacteristicsSPECI
AL
CONFIDENT
STRESSED
eXPERIENtial
Close to Parents
Team Oriented
SERVICE oriented
Special
•Helicopter parents•High self-esteem•Treated as individuals•Media targets directly to them (think reality shows, tech toys)•Sheltered•Most “wanted” generation ever
STRESSED• High achievers• Sleep deprived• Grade-driven• MUST meet goals and think the means
justifies the ends to succeed at meeting goals (i.e. – cheating o.k.)
• Constantly in motion• Live in a 24/7 world
Close to Parents
•Like to hang out with parents
•Comfortable with their parents’ values
•Feel a sense of duty to family
• Learn by doing• Learn through
discovery• Interactive• Collaborative• Engaged• Multitasking• Strong leadership• Well defined goals
D I V E R S E• Value racial diversity• Value ethnic diversity• Least Caucasian generation in history• Largest Asian and Latino population in U.S.
history
Service Minded
•Most agree everyone should commit to at least 1 year of service to the country•Community service is a priority for most Millennials •Part of work/life balance
CONFIDENT• Expect CONSTANT
affirmation• Girls outpacing boys as
leaders• Goal – setters: short
and long term• Plan + Action = Success
Team Oriented
• Learn collaboratively• Strong communicators
• Demand to stay connected• Focus on “We” rather than “I”
What We Know About Millennial Learners
• Visual communicators• Integrate the virtual and the physical worlds• Learn better through discovery than by being
“told”• Shift attention quickly• Pay attention only to what interests them• Respond quickly and expect quick responses
in return
What We Know About Millennial Learners
• Digitally Literate BUT have a poor understanding of information quality – not Information Literate
• Less text literate than other generations – they do not read
• Very goal oriented• Multitaskers• CRAVE interactivity
What We Know About Millennial Learners
• Must be “forced” to reflect• Expect to participate in the learning process –
not passive learners • First person learning is the expectation –
simulations, visualization, experiential activities
• View graphics first, then might check out text
93%
7%
66 students
5 students
WEB 110 – Fall 2008Student Pre-Course Survey
69%49
students
20% 1%
Which types of computers do you use?
39students
14students
1student
WEB 110 – Fall 2008Student Pre-Course Survey
34%37
students
52%
7%
What type of Internet connectivity do you have?
24 students
5 students
WEB 110 – Fall 2008Student Pre-Course Survey
7%5 students
86%High speed
23%5 or more hours/day
13%
How much time do you spend on the Internet each day?
1-5 hours/day
WEB 110 – Fall 2008Student Pre-Course Survey
65%
1 or less hours/day
Why do you use the Internet?
WEB 110 – Fall 2008Student Pre-Course Survey
Entertainment
Other
Communication
Personal Research
Find Info
Academics
Have you ever posted to a blog?
WEB 110 – Fall 2008Student Pre-Course Survey
NO
BEST PRACTICESTeaching the Millennial Learner
• Provide structure for students– Clear expectations, detailed instructions– Allow students to help determine the structure of the
course (syllabus, goals, assignments)• Be specific about acceptable behavior – offering visual examples if possible
• Provide both leadership and guidance• Use positive and frequent affirmation of
achievement (like video games)– Actions/consequences– Effort = reward
BEST PRACTICESTeaching the Millennial Learner
• Allow students to connect with each other and the content through collaborative and peer-to-peer assignments– Clear instructions on how to manage problems
• Challenge the students• Hold students accountable– Flexible assignment schedule with “choices”
• Provide active, engaged, fun, and student-centered learning activities
BEST PRACTICESTeaching the Millennial Learner
• Teach “delayed gratification” by building reflection into the curriculum
• Encourage learning for “learning’s sake” not just a grade
• Provide service learning opportunities• Build a sense of community within the course
and/or major
BEST PRACTICESTeaching the Millennial Learner
• Incorporate time management skills into the curriculum– Paced schedule for assignments– Short modules of study
• Proven pedagogical success strategies– Provide study guides– Provide extra credit opportunities– Provide model examples of assignments and projects– CLEARLY and EXPLICITILY explain rules of behavior and
link the consequences to grades
Action Plan• What do I want to teach?–Objectives–Specific skills–Specific concepts
Action Plan• How do I teach it now?–Lecture–Activities–Assignments–Assessment
• How can I teach it using…– A more structured approach
content modules, more frequent feedback
– More visual contentuse games, slide shows, role-playing
– Incorporating collaboration among studentssmall groups
– Personalization peer coaching, case studies, choices
– Digital communication tools wikis, blogs, Google Docs
Action Plan
Action Plan
• How do I know students are learning?– Use journaling – blogs, wikis– Create small groups with role assignments– Hold synchronous chats
• What assessment strategies will I use?– Objective– Subjective– Project based– Group activities– A combination
Action Plan• How do I add more structure to the course?– Create a “paced schedule” for the Unit of Study – Email reminders for assignments even if you’ve
told the students the due date and posted it online
– ALWAYS have an online supplement for your courses – the online presence gives students 24/7 access to content and other students
– Give students very detailed step-by-step instructions with visual content whenever possible
Step – by – Step with Visuals
Action Plan• How do I add more personalization to the course?
– Assign students with similar interests to small groups for some projects/assignmentsexample: nursing majors complete a writing/reflection project in a Business 110 course on the “Business of Nursing”
– ASK students what they want to learn in the course and why – survey them – share the findingsuse a survey tool like Zoomerang to ask the students questions the very first week of class, share the results week 2 and let the students know what you incorporated in the course from the survey
– Allow students more input in how the content and assessments will be delivered – give them choicesgive students a choice of an objective test, a take-home test, an online test; let them choose to take 3 of 4 assessments in the course, give them choices within the test
– Be sure students know some of your human story and encourage them to share theirstake advantage of the technology and have students set up profiles, share yours, setup a Facebook account, a blog, a wiki and invite students to join you there; I recommend edublogs and pbwiki www.edublogs.org http://pbwiki.com/academic.wiki
Action Plan• A list of collaboration options…– Assign students to small groups; assign roles to
each member of the groupFacilitator – initiates and keep sthe communication going; Recorder – makes sure the information being shared is condensed and presented appropriately; Contributor – participates in the conversation, project, etc.; – change groups and roles throughout the semester for other assignments
– Assign students projects which might be turned in individually or as a group, but allow them to work together on the projects. Require that students “journal” or report on the project status directly to the instructor
What We Know For Sure
• Millennials expect an Academic Experience• Millennials expect instructors to use
Technology• Millennials use a lot of Technology • Millennials want to build Relationships• There are more of “them” than there are of
“us” so we had better migrate toward their planet – at least a little
What We Know For Sure
• Tools – both high tech and low tech - are available to instructors to help us create– Visual learning– Collaborative learning– 24/7 access to learning– Student/Student, Student/Instructor,
Student/Content interaction