It is "teaching a man to fish."
Kevin,
great point made here about learning & doing.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Sarah,
Exactly & then we have fed them for a lifetime.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree with the importance of engaging and applying material to a story. I think students do well applying things to their own experiences and learning about others experiences as different from their own. It gives an important emphasis to context and how complex situations are for each of us. Great application tool for challenging more depth in thinking and connecting.
Growing up in an age of audio and visual learning it would make sense that they would most desire to learn by doing as opposed to reading.
I also think it's because they are particularly "self-involved" so when they can express their thoughts, opinions or make it about them they are more engaged.
We are able to share experiences with our students, and vice versa. By demonstrating how the content of the course is relevant through our own experiences we indicate the importance of the content and the need to understand and appreciate it.
They love listening to our experiences story and part of it is very effective, absorbing learning points.
They enjoy it because they can see the outcome and have some control over it. Even if it doesn't come out as intended, they can find value in the process and confidence for a more successful outcome the next time.
Gina,
and this can help them learn to value & appreciate the ideas & opinions of others.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Eurico,
yes, the experiences really help them put the information in real world contexts.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree. I find that the more I apply the information in realistic examples, the better the understanding and retention of the material tends to be.
Gen Yers like experiential learning because it allow for them to hear, see, and do during the learning process. Being active at all times during a learning process helps Gen Yers in my opinion. Solving a real life problem, issue or question that is important to the Gen Yer and important for learning and developing the class competency is also important.
I think getting to apply the knowledge helps to connect the dots. It also helps to retain the knowledge
I believe that Y Generation Learners value experiential learning because it keeps them engaged with the material in a way that is more “entertaining†and that works better for their style of learning. I agree about Prezi being more approachable to them than a PowerPoint and I also like the idea of emailing the PowerPoint to them and allowing them to utilize the information without necessarily showing it in class
I think that it isn't wrong if class and learning is entertaining. As long as it helps them learn the material and keeps them engaged, then it's ok for the class to be entertaining. If it is empty entertainment without teaching the students anything, just to be popular with the students, then I think that is not what we should be doing.
Roxsie,
yes, any application we can help them make is very vital for their education.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Trinidad ,
yes, there's a lot of value for providing more content outside of class & utilizing that time for discussion.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Generation Y learners like to hear of real life experiences when learning so that they can relate to the situation and imagine how they might solve the problem. This also helps them feel more confident that they can handle the situation in a successful manner when discussing it with someone they view as an industry leader or expert.
The Gen-Y learner has always been "entertained" via technology, so they prefer/value the "entertainment" of experiential learning.
