Jessica,
I completely agree with this & have told my students this when they protested. They must learn to work with the group they have in the workplace.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Well,being a Baby boomers myself it helps if I understand the other generations myself and not just look through my own lens. At the beginning of class I ask them to get in groups and look something up on their phones about the topic of the day. It does bring the two generations together in that the Y students get to use technology and the Boomers get to discuss. It helps them both to look at things in a different light.
One of the best strategies I use to bridge the generational tensions in the classrooms is on the first day of class I conduct a workshop on the learning styles and preferences of the various generational groups in the class. I find that giving students this type of general information about their classmates helps them to view their classmates through what I call a generational learning lense. However, it is also important to engage students in providing feedback as many times their are misunderstandings of intent. For example, in a class I am teaching now, we have a mixed class of Baby Boomers through Gen Y's. One Gen Y'er was complaining to me about a Baby Boomer student that always questioned other students and their perspectives. I viewed it as an honest attempt to learn more about that student's perspective, but the student thought the Baby Boomer was being critical. So, it is important to give each other space to bring our own experience and viewpoints into the classroom, but it is also important to learn about others so we can better understand their intentions.
David,
You make an excellent point. I often try to get the Boomers in my class to speak of their life experiences, while also relying on Gen Y's technological expertise to research topics on the internet. I find that if you can successfully get these two generations to engage with each other, you can have the best of both worlds in your classroom.
Alicia,
I too have found that my Gen Y students greatly appreciate the perspectives of the Boomers & vice versa.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
This a great thread! Like many of those who have already posted, I teach at multiple campuses with very different atmospheres but one constant I tend to see if the generational differences. The Gen Y'ers tend to roll their eyes and ignore the boomers while the boomers tend to get very involved and critical of the lessons. One thing I really understand from our lesson is this idea that older generations tend to look at younger generations with distrust while younger generations are discounting the older ones. Sometimes it really boils downs to classroom management and keeping sudent on task and engaged so that the diversity being represented can really benefit the subject matter. I know this is easier said than done, but I work hard to keep this in mind with each new class.
Somer,
you are exactly right & I try to help them see where interests & ideas converge, just maybe with different approaches.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Excellent point! Even with limited amounts of time it is beneficial to introduce the basic information on generational leaning styles and outlooks in an early class. This can be built on with assigning teams that include students from several generations and encouraging dialogue regarding their differing approaches to problem solving.
Many students (people) fail to consider how differently their actions and reactions may be interpretted based on the oberserver's generational perspective. The ability to recognize this and have a productive conversation can make the difference between them keeping and losing a job.
Marsha,
this is an excellent idea & as you said can help prepare our students for the diverse work environments they will encounter.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I teach at a vocational college. There are all types of students in the class and they do need to learn to work together in their different styles because that is how it going to be in the work force. We must prepare them for the real world, not just for the classroom so it is important to mix up the generations and train them to learn from each other.
Dr. Randy ,
I agree completely (assuming we have the different generations present). I would also add that we need to take advantage of the ethnic diversity in our classes whenever possible as well.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
