According to the Center for Generational Kinetics, I am considered in the Millennial generation, which is news to me, as I have always thought I was in the Generation X category. I feel like, as an educator, it is important to understand your generation and your students’ generation because times change. When I first stepped into the classroom, over 20 years ago, I was teaching a group of students who were in my generation, however, I am obviously not teaching within my generation anymore. I have had to learn how to change my approach and make my content more relevant than texts and snapchats to my current students. While technology is in the mix, there will always be a competition when it comes to my students’ attention span in the classroom. Fighting this continuous battle can be a struggle, but it’s so important to understand generational differences and be able to utilize that to your advantage when it comes to obtaining student buy-in. This is also becoming the battle for older Generation X, Millennial teachers to stay current with colleagues in Generation Z as they naturally approach teaching in the manner today’s student learns. The current generation of students in our classrooms, Generation Z, have a higher need for creativity, use of technology and hands-on activities in the classroom (Generation Z: the future of classrooms: acer for education, 2017). Although, I have also noticed since technology has become more of a lifeline for students, work ethic has appeared to decrease. In an article published by Harvard Business Review, there was a study done on the correlation between generations and work ethic.
It showed that the generations aren’t really that different, in fact, it’s the belief of the differences that’s impacting the workforce. We really aren’t all that different, but the stigma surrounding generations is driving a wedge between everyone, in the classroom and in the workplace. The article went on to talk about age stereotypes and how the age of the people being trained directly affects the amount and quality of training. If a person is hosting a training session with an older group of employees, they are more likely to disregard their ambition to learn and more likely to give a poorer training experience because of their personal discrimination against age and generations (King & Finkelstein, 2019). Upon discovering this information, it makes me wonder… are our current generation of students ‘lazy,’ or are they just resourceful?
References
Generation Z: the future of classrooms: acer for education. (2017, February 22). Retrieved August 06, 2020, from https://eu-acerforeducation.acer.com/education-trends/generation-z-what-is-the-future-of-classrooms/
King, E., & Finkelstein, L. (2019, August 02). Just how different are millennials, gen xers, and baby boomers at work? Retrieved August 06, 2020, from https://hbr.org/2019/08/generational-differences-at-work-are-small-thinking-theyre-big-affects-our-behavior
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