diferent styles of teaching
It is very important to know your audience, so we can adapt our teaching techniques
Eduardo,
well put. Regardless of the generation or group we are discussing, we must know & meet our audience.
Dr. Ryan Meers
My students are from all generations. & usually split by generation when study groups form. After the groups form naturally sometimes after watching I suggest a Gen-Y change groups to see how the study method would help them. Most of the time once the change is made the group adopts both study methods instead on continuing to use only one or the other. Example placing a Gen-Y student with the older group improves data skills of the group and placing a Gen-X into a Gen-Y brings the discussions more in depth. Having a Boomer or Vetern in with Gen-X & Gen-Y often allows the group to question the why or discuss the how before just looking up the answer to get a grade.
Cleo,
yes often if we help the students to get out of their generational comfort zones, they find they learn much from another generation.
Dr. Ryan Meers
It's very important to know your audience because each class has different needs and interest. There may be external factors that are out of your control that may be affecting the students ability to learn. Example (homeless, unemployment, spouse abuse, lack of child care, mental illness, health issues, transportation, various social economical issues, just to name a few). Also having a blended class with baby boomers and Y generation students. I can go on and on but you have to adjust your teaching style according to your audience and adjust accordingly.
very important to take the time to get to know there personality
Having raised 3 daughters also helps me--as a "Baby Boomer" to understand both the Gen X and Y *audience* in my classrooms.
Yes, know the audience to better set the stage and hone the performance. Well put!
Of course it is very important to know and understand our audience can be a 20 year old girl and a 65 year old woman sitting next to each other in any one of the classes we teach. That scenario will force us to adapt our teaching techniques to reach those two generations at the same time, it is not easy on us, but understanding their way of learning could give us better ideas and tools to do a better job.
Kessle,
this is a great point & the more we understand the different needs of the different generations the better chance we have of teaching all of them.
Dr. Ryan Meers
In some ways we've reverted to the "One Room Schoolhouse" lots of people who respond to different styles. You need to stay on point while at the same time, be willing to change on a dime when you see one thing working over another.
toni,
this is a great analogy & I think very accurate. It is more important than ever that we understand how to reach a variety of types of learners.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I agree, knowing your audience helps to keep them all engaged.
Jessica,
it really is the key to any kind of successful presentation or class.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I believe this is important. I try and touch base with every student I have. Our courses change every three weeks. We only have them for a short time but we have to reach and teach each one. If you make a point to find a common point of interest then you can see what makes them tick. When you find that you can adapt.
Keith,
this is a great point & a good reminder to all of us. Especially those of us who have students even longer than you do that if you can do it in three weeks, we can do it in 8, 10, etc.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I don't know that we need to "adapt" our teaching to suit each generation, if that were the case we would really struggle to teach, as each student has different learning traits. I do think that understanding the generational differences helps instructors set up the boundaries in the classroom. For example, I like to let the students know that I try to incorporate different methods of learing, auditory, tactile, visual etc. I tell them when they can expect test and homework results and I explain the structure and expectations of the class. This typically addresses the majority of the generational curves.
It is a necessity to have different teaching styles in the classroom so that all generations will be able to understand the material. If you only teach one style in one way you will lose the majority of your classes attention.
Jessie,
yes, the broader the range of styles we can use, the more likely we are to reach all learners.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
