Gen X vs. Gen Y
I see pretty great differences between Gen X vs. Gen Y. The Gen Y person seems to be more entitled and not as hard working as Gen X. Gen X'ers seem to be doers. There is most certainly a difference in the classroom environment. I've seen this in almost every class cohort.
This is a great topic! As a Gen X instructor, I had two working parents and the responsibility of "doing" for myself- which transferred into a self sufficient attitude. I see more hand holding required with some of my Gen Y students...makes perfect sense!
Tara ,
I agree with you & I think some of this attitude is seen even in their lack of pursuing all to the end. I have many Gen Y students who ask "what's the minimum" rather than really stretching themselves.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
As a Gen. X'r myself, I do see a substantial difference between the classroom ethics, and overall moral of the Gen X vs. Gen. Y..
My brother is 11 yrs younger than I, and it seems this generation (Y) needs more of a hand hug to self fulfill and to be completely reassured in their selves and their work.
I agree with you completely- I am a Gen X'r and all of the younger students in my classes feel they should get some sort of commendation even if they are not performing as well as others in the class.
Tara, in my classroom I even see the parents of Gen Y students still doing the hand holding and they are in college. I am no longer shocked when I get a call from a parent regarding class work, absences, etc. Much different than the veteran and Gen X students.
Not so much in the career college where I teach now, but in the community college where I taught before, I saw an awful lot of hand-holding of the students. The college was afraid to let them fail because the administration feared retribution from parents, law suits, students dropping out, and/or the college getting a bad rep to being tough.
Many times I have questioned the wisdom of this attitude. I don't really think we do our students any favors when we make school too easy on them. I think we should be preparing them for all aspects of life, not just book knowledge.
I am teaching in a class with a few baby boomers, some generation X'rs and the rest Gen. Y'rs. I am fascinated by the work ethic of each. No doubt, the baby boomers and the X'rs are my hardest workers. They show up early to class, the stay after class, they are in the computer labs working away and they communicate the best. My Y'rs students turn in assignments at the last minute, poorly communicate and when they do, it's poor grammar. With that said, my Y'rs are learning much from their older peers. When doing group work, I like to mix these generational cohorts up and allow for the modeling and communciation behaviors to be shared. There is much learning that occurs with that!
Jonathan,
there really is & I've found the Gen Yers to be willing to learn. I've also found that if I push them & don't tolerate the shoddy work, they generally step it up & deliver.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Wendy, I share your concern. I also work for a for-profit institution where there is a balancing act between academic rigor and retention needs. Coming from the private sector, and relatively new to teaching, I realize the importance of excellent customer service in sustaining an organization. I teach a diversified group, but the majority are gen. Y. I'm kind of on the cusp being born in 1961, but my children are gen. Y and my interactions with them has been a big help. Although they resist rigor, they will work hard provided you show the value of doing so and that they possess some interest in the subject. I was asked today by my supervisor what advice I would give to new instructors and the first thing I thought of was to challenge the students, keep the lesson relative to the real-world, and be flexible.
Wendy, I share your concern. I also work for a for-profit institution where there is a balancing act between academic rigor and retention needs. Coming from the private sector, and relatively new to teaching, I realize the importance of excellent customer service in sustaining an organization. I teach a diversified group, but the majority are gen. Y. I'm kind of on the cusp being born in 1961, but my children are gen. Y and my interactions with them has been a big help. Although they resist rigor, they will work hard provided you show the value of doing so and that they possess some interest in the subject. I was asked today by my supervisor what advice I would give to new instructors and the first thing I thought of was to challenge the students, keep the lesson relative to the real-world, and be flexible.
Wendy, I share your concern. I also work for a for-profit institution where there is a balancing act between academic rigor and retention needs. Coming from the private sector, and relatively new to teaching, I realize the importance of excellent customer service in sustaining an organization. I teach a diversified group, but the majority are gen. Y. I'm kind of on the cusp being born in 1961, but my children are gen. Y and my interactions with them has been a big help. Although they resist rigor, they will work hard provided you show the value of doing so and that they possess some interest in the subject. I was asked today by my supervisor what advice I would give to new instructors and the first thing I thought of was to challenge the students, keep the lesson relative to the real-world, and be flexible.
I agree. I'm a Generation X and I believe we are much more independent compared with Generation Y. Generation Y is used to getting lots of positive feedback for the slightest effort. Many Generation Xers had no one around to give positive feedback, because they were latchkey kids.
Anthony,
this is excellent advice in working with Gen Y learners & I believe by helping them to see the "why" behind the content, we can also help them develop better critical thinking & problem solving skills.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Robert,
this is a challenge. I like to slowly ease the Gen Y students off of this "need" for the immediate, positive feedback & help them grow on their own.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree with Tara, and have hear this "what's the minimum" line as well. Whenever I hear this line I am perplexed. The expectations of this "what's the minimum" mentality (though not seeming to be shared by all the students) are counter-productive to a successful career in an Arts related field.
Being a part of Gen X, I feel that I have lived my life with obstacles that I am happy to climb over, because the satisfaction of accomplishing something on my own is worth it all. I do agree with you in that Gen Y individuals expect things to just be handed to them. They usually ask a question without thinking about the possibilities which may be because of the almost immediate accessibility of information through technology. Because of technology, I believe that Gen Y students have forgotten how to study and it's our job to teach them how to do that so they can succeed later on.
I'm trying to come to grips with how to communicate with students regarding consequences. Almost every session I have a student who feels it is unfair that they failed the class because they didn't turn in the project or because they plagiarized the final exam. I feel like I need to give them a list of things they aren't entitled to. The late policy and plagiarism policies are well written and disseminated, but they don't think the rules apply to them when it comes down to it.
My teaching career started with teaching to primarily adult Gen X's and some Boomers. They were and still are my "doer" students. In the last five years, the primary group I teach now are Gen Y. They expect all instruction to be laid out for them. They need to be coaxed to do anything that is outside of the "technological" box.
Apryl,
Gen Y definitely has more of a "hand it to me" mentality, but I have found that when I push them they are very capable & often willing to learn & grow & think.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
