Strategies for teaching Gen Yers.
What are strategies that have worked for you with Gen Y learners?
hands-on lab activities, small group activities, how certain lessons can be incorporated into "real life" situations
I have them do worksheet assignments in small groups of 5. I also have one person work out a math problem up on the board and the rest of the class helping the student if he/she needs it.
As and Instructor I've learned to ingregated while educating the generation y these young are extremeely computer knowledgeable there are times they think you the student and they are the instructor
Portioning longer tasks into smaller chunks that they can "conquer". This allows them to "win" and "accumulate points" as if they were playing a video game. Small victories upon which to build.
Hands on activities and relevance seem to be very important to my Generation Y students. For the most part, they are receptive to lecture, but I don't see the light bulbs click on until we get to the practical examples. Also, I can tell my Audio Recording students that a particular microphone or technique is good for an application or show them the specifications, but they usually discount it unless I tell them that "so and so" artist uses this. Once they hear that someone popular that they respect uses it, it seems to be their new favorite thing.
At the end of a short lecture I put my students into small groups making sure that at least one advanced student is in the group. The advanced student usually takes the lead which helps reinforce the knowledge they have while helping the other students. I find that the students are more receptive to taking in the subject matter this way. I have also seen study groups grow out of this practice and now frequently see my studying together outside of class.
As much hands-on, small group exercises as possible.
I prefer putting students in small groups and allowing them to problem solve as a group. Sometimes their tasks involve finding answers for a worksheet but generally I have them work together to discuss a topic using each other to test their theories. I try to give them an opportunity as frequently as possible to work together to discuss their ideas and work out a solution to problems we encounter in the learning.
I give my students questions in class and ask them to browse the internet to find the answer. Once a few answers have been found we discuss the most logical one for each scenario.
Explaining why we are learning a particular subject, what the benefits are (career oriented), and then applying this knowledge through hands on experience.
Making sure that they understand the relevance of the topic and how it will relate to there career. I also incoporate a list structure so they can see how much they are getting done in class. We also use teams going to the board and answering problems. IT helps the accompplishment process.
Chunked lectures with break out activities in between rather than long lecture and lab time for remainder of class.
For paralegal instruction, the CALI library of computer-based lessons is very useful.
Since my students are running a restaurant kitchen for the majority of the class time, I am sure to have a wrap up session at the end of service where we can talk about the day, I can give specific feedback, and students can strategize for the next day of service.
Utilizing interactive programs on the internet to teach lessons.
I try to keep the information I present on a topic deliverable in small chunks to keep them focused on the learning goals and relate it to things that they understand i.e. current technology, social networking, etc...
Stephanie ,
great practice. Gen Y learners value community & social interaction so the more we can encourage it the better.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Jeffrey,
explaining the why & the real world application of concepts is a key component for teaching Gen Y learners.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I have found that by using various media outlets in the classroom that I have had a better reaction from my gen y students rather than using the traditional powerpoints and lecture approach. This in turn has proven to be pretty fun for me as an instructor because in preparation for the class, I discover a whole lot more new and applicable information to bring to the classroom.
