Generational Roles
Why is it important to understand the role generations play in communication in the online community?
I was just talking to another instructor about this the other day. We have to make sure we do not make geral sweeping assumptions about how to respond to the whole class when we see an evaluation or two come out of one of the classes. Students submit evaluations at the end of class and sometimes if instructors are new to the teaching field they feel that if they just make a change in general to their whole syllabus ar class they will resolve the proble. However they may have just created a problem for the entire rest of the class. One of the things they quite often forget to do is look at the profile of the student the evaluation is coming from. If it is a Baby Boomer we need to address their concern in their terms. I will never forget one of the teaching I have way back in my Associates Degree. It was called "What you are is what you were when", I believe by Donald Massey (sp?) I had this class maybe 25 years ago and this was just one day so I am reaching to remember the name however the teaching had such a profound impact on me to this day. He spoke of how whatever era you were born into and whatever was going on around you during those first 8 formative years is who you are today at your core. This is what guides me as an instructor to remember not to generalize all students together and to address the generational needs each era has.
Cheryl,
I'm thrilled this is relevant to your current teaching situation. Massey has a lot to say about the topic. And, you are right, assuming and generalizing many times just get us into trouble. Each class is made up of different students and we have to find out who they are to effectively reach them. . .where they are.
Thanks for the "link" to Massey where we can go look up more information on the subject. Nice job.
Hi! I found this learning module to be very informative and eye-opening. In today's online classroom, I typically have students ranging from their late teens to their 60s in almost every class I teach. This is very different from teaching on a ground campus, where my students tended to be in the traditional range of 18-25. I saw myself as more of an authority figure with the younger students. Many of the Boomers I now teach are accomplished people, having raised families and had successful careers. They are often returning to college to prepare for a second career. I have to carefully watch the tone of my messages in order to communicate more as a facilitator and less as an authority. I want to be respectful with students of all ages. I agree that setting aside our communications to review later for tone is a valuable practice. Sometimes when hurried I will dash off a message to a student that later I see could be misinterpreted as condescending. I have learned to slow down and always reread my messages from the viewpoint of the recipient, as well as to always include a friendly greeting, when communicating with students. I am very interested to gather more suggestions for effective online communication with students of all generations if you could please recommend a book or article. Thank you!
Jeanette,
I am glad this module was helpful. It's great to see how you are now thinking differently about communicating with and teaching students of all ages. You are right that it is very different than teaching face-to-face (F2F) with "typical" students.
Nice job.
Are you serious "Baby Boomers" do not have technical skills? Claude Shannon, Richard Bellman, Richard Shockley to name a few modernized the world. Technical knowledge is declining with the "baby boomers".
There are many baby boomers that have technical skills. All generations may have some level of technical skill, it's "what type of technical skill." However, the millennials and the next generation have even more.
I really found this discussion to be eye-opening as well. To be quite honest, I do try very hard not to make assumptions about my students at all. Often, unless they share their age, I have no way of knowing it anyway. I have students from 18-70-ish and some are great when it comes to technology, communication and social skills and others are not...and it often has nothing to do with their age. I did think this was an interesting discussion though and it does provide some perspective on some of the challenges we face working with some students. I definitely feel encouraged to focus a bit more on communication, learning styles, etc. in my own class as this is just as important as the core content stuff.
With that said, I think one of the things that has really allowed students to feel like they can connect with me and feel supported by me is that I don't claim to be an expert. I don't claim to even know more than they do. I really present myself as someone here to facilitate and guide them in being successful. I am careful not to give away all of my authority, but I also want them to know that I see my role as a support. As someone who can help them create a plan for getting from Point A to Point B. I am careful to not be condescending because many of my students have far more life experience than I do.
Shelly,
I am glad this module helped you see things from a different perspective. It is important to let students know that your classroom is a learning environment for everyone. Perfect.
It seems as though you are handling teaching in the online environment very well.
Thank you.
This is easy because I am of the generation of ditto machines.
One always needs to appreciate their audience. Some are quite savy in the computer world. Others are not. To take it one step forward, culture too can play a big role in communication gap.
Gail,
I can relate to those ditto machines. The smill and the purple on my white pants. ;-)
You are correct in that it's the appreciation - appreciation of the audience and that develops a connection between the learner and teacher. Culture, yes, that too plays an important role.
Being aware of all of these is the first step. Thanks for your input.
I enjoyed the generalizations about the generational differences. They correspond to what I have learned in other contexts.
I think one should stay aware that they are generalizations and that individuals in groups have more variance than groups vary from each other.
Virginia,
Thanks for your input. I am glad you enjoyed the information and can relate it to various areas in your life.
Everyone is different and we have to take the time to work with all individuals. Thanks!
Well for one thing generation is a relative term, generation relating to your age or generation relating to your online savy. Our current times exposes most of the work force to online communication in one form or another. However, one can be experienced in online communication but lack exposure or training in almost daily new technical devices that go on the market (twitter, ect.). Technology is daily being updated that the generation (no matter what age) of today needs to be ready and accessable to learn.
It certainly is very challenging to have an online class with 35 students, all coming from different part of the world with different age groups, gender, and culture!! What I have learned from 14 years of online teaching has been not to generalize and try to get to know my student the first week when they post their introduction. From their background and experience, I am able to apply my examples to their industry so they can have a better understanding of the course coverage. I also tell my young text message generation that when they write email or respond to others, they have to use the whole world and not write as if they are texting a friend.
Good point. There is a tendency to become too familiar and type in the first thing that comes into your head. Students and facilitators need to remember their audience.
Gail,
You bring up a good point. Generation is a relative term. There are also people who are "border line" in one generation or another and have characteristics of both.
It's important to think about students' characteristics and learning no matter what their age. And, you are right that students need to be ready to learn.
Nice job.
This module was very informative. I do have a range of ages in my online classes and it is important to understand, for me anyway, the technology differences. I teach an online keyboarding class that has special software. The older students are very intimidated by the software.
I also notice a difference in the discussion board. The younger students' answers are very short and sometimes sloppy. I can tell that the older students spent a great deal of time thinking about their answers and also typing them. They usually have correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
With all of that said, I can hope that with the messages I send and the messages that the older generation sends, that the younger students will start spending more time on their posts.
Diana,
I am glad you enjoyed the module. It's interesting that you have already notices a difference in your students using the discussion board. You are on track to assist all age students in your classes.
Thanks for your input.
With more people returning to school, looking for a change of career, improving on their current education or just continuing their educational path, a classroom can be a diverse group. An instructor should have an awareness of this and not take anything for granted. Understanding the "typical" generational students but also being aware there might be students who don't fit the assumption. There might be a young student who is very well traveled and has gathered worldly experiences. I have a young student who has been homeschooled her entire life, everything is new and wonderful to her. Either way, I believe instructors must find a way to connect with their students and understand the array of possibilities that may exist.
