How Today’s Students Are
Different Than Those Who Went
Before - (This Is Not Your Father’s
Classroom)
Terri M. Manning, Ed.D.
Central Piedmont Community College
Veterans - How They Learn
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New is not necessarily better
Not innovative with new ideas
Like structure, schedules and procedures
Brain processes new ideas into old mental
framework
• Some refuse to work with technology (too
overwhelming a learning curve, others jump
in)
• Want clear expectations and guidelines
• Must memorize the basics
School Experiences for Veterans
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Hard work
Respected their elders
Children were to be seen and not heard
Felt an obligation to make the grade
Performance based on individual ability
Little feedback unless negative
More intrinsic reward for good performance
Learned from history (other’s experiences)
Small class size, one curriculum for all
No special ed (students no where in sight)
Virtually never tested with standardized tests – less
comparison to others
College Experiences
• Lucky to be there – few able to attend until the GI Bill then
campuses and centers opened all over the place – more
competition
• Traditional teaching/learning environment
• Associate new learning with previous learning
• Sequencing of knowledge and skills
• Education is a process – must memorize the basics
• Seek to become content experts
• Faculty = “sage on a stage”
• Experience of mentors is relevant
• Take time to really understand material
• Taught by processing through formulas – have to understand
why things work – not that they “just do”
Values of Faculty/Staff in this Age Group
• Loyal to employer (company man) and
expect the same in return
• Believe they should be rewarded for
tenure
• Work ethic = efficiency and hard work
• Stable, thorough and detail oriented
• Don’t buck the system but work within it
• Uncomfortable with conflict and
disagreements
• Not change oriented
Did you ever use one of these???
How Boomers Learn
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Want things to fit into the “big picture”
Want recognition for how well they have done
Team oriented, work well in groups
Like to explore and analyze, look at different
views
• Follow instructions well
• Good with content
Boomer’s Educational Experiences
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Overwhelmed the school system, large class sizes
Ability grouped (red birds and blue birds)
Question authority but respect position
See life as an adventure (and school)
Emphasis on team work (cohort education)
Need silence to concentrate
Were told “you are lucky to be here, others are standing in
line to get in.”
• Want to feel valued
• No special ed students in school but honors courses in a few
subjects
• Rarely tested and not for school performance (PSAT, SAT)
College Experiences
• Attending more common – boom in 60’s and 70’s
• College campuses a reflection of turbulent times – faculty
often rebels – Kent State Massacre, etc.
• Emphasis on self-exploration, mind expansion, lots of
philosophizing in classes - content over-explained and overanalyzed – deep thinkers (not necessarily critical thinkers)
• Aspire to intellectualism
• Some career emphasis but still heavy general education and
classics-based
• Left home and never looked back
• Emphasis on memorization and skill built upon skill
• Taught by process and to be content experts
• No technology – print by mimeograph machines
Boomer Faculty/Staff Values
• Majority of faculty and significant number of students (age
45-66ish)
• Always share personal experience – “what has happened to
me is relevant to you”
• Value stability and respect
• Like to see their successes
• Tend to “workaholism” and have difficulty balancing their
lives, working 40 hours is “slack.”
• Are competitive
• See themselves as the standard of comparison
• Appreciate technology because of how easy it makes their
work – still fear they might “break it” and may have a
“back-up plan”
Finish the lyric
Plop, plop, fizz, fizz…….
Remember these……
Your experiences tell your age…
• What brewery did Lavern and Shirley
work for?
Boomers at Work
• Ethic = long hours show
commitment
• Team oriented and relationship
builders (don’t like conflict –
can’t we all just get along)
• Not budget minded
• Sensitive to feedback
How Gen Xers Learn
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Task oriented – like to learn new skills
Speed is important
Self-paced learning, independent learning
Want to have fun while they learn
Informal learning environments are best
Hate group work
Want feedback from teacher
Educational Experiences
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Learned to rely on self (don’t like group work)
Distrust authority
Seek challenging environment (career education emphasis)
Want feedback on progress
Want to do things their way – like no rules and freedom on
assignments
Had special ed classrooms in school but separated
Had honors programs
Funding cut to education
Testing “mania” began with them
First daycare centers arose with them
Many latch-key kids
College Experiences
• Numbers dropped from 60’s and 70’s
• More emphasis on career education
• Technology began to emerge (Eric Silver Platter,
FAX machines, PCs [Apple and Tandy], calculators)
• More extracurricular activities
• Some self-paced learning
• Costs increased, more financial aid
• More structure and group activity
• Experiential exercises emerged
• Began “learning on my own” due to technology
What was the name of Dudley Do-Right’s
trusted horse?
Gen Xers as Faculty/Staff
• Significant number of faculty and significant number of
students (age 28-44ish)
• Cynical and pessimistic
• Want work-life balance
• Think globally and seek independence
• Like technology and want an informal work environment
• Don’t want the boomers’ work ethic
• Communication is important and talk to adults as
friends/peers (not impressed with authority)
• Believe reward should be based on productivity not hours
worked
• Want control of self, time and future
• Loyalty to people not a company
• Impatient with poorer people skills
Remember these…..
Was this your first video game?
Was this your first calculator and cell
phone?
Millennial School Experiences
• Many private schools, charter schools, magnet schools – all
to meet the needs of the individual child –many, many
choices
• School uniforms, child safety, high performance standards,
character education, cooperative learning and community
service
• Goal oriented – outcome based education (what’s in it for
me)
• School is a means to an end – one must endure until the
next level
• Interactive, participatory and engaging – are consulted by
adults
• Everything 24/7 and available electronically
Millennial School Experiences
• No “grunt work” - must do “meaningful work”, participate in
decisions
• International flavor, celebrate diversity, different is okay
• Motivated by working with bright, motivated and moral
people
• Student makes judgments about truth and believability of
what is taught
• Classroom mainstreamed – multiple levels based on ability
and interest
• Constantly tested and compared to peers (learned to take
tests so now of little use for college admissions)
• Feel pressure for high achievement
How Millennials Learn
• Try it their way – always looking for better, faster
way of doing things
• Prefer graphics before text, reading of excerpts
• Like small and fast processing technology – best
when networked
• Want instant gratification and frequent rewards
(spot)
How Millennials Learn
• Focus on skill development – not memorization of
what they perceive they don’t need to know
• Productivity is key – not attendance – so make
class worthwhile or they won’t come
• Have different critical thinking skills based on their
high tech world not thought processing (need help
here)
• Rely on teacher to facilitate learning
• Group think and interaction
What product was Max Headroom the
spokesperson for?
Millennial College Experiences
• Multiple options – state, private, proprietary schools,
community colleges, dual and concurrently enrolled, middle
college, etc. (Where does one start and another begin?)
make the choice by “what’s best for me.”
• Fast paced learning
• Group activities (learning communities, peer tutoring, service
learning, supplemental instruction)
• More assumed responsibility from colleges for the social
issues of students (before, faculty weren’t concerned)
• Don’t want or need silence to concentrate – freaks out the
librarians
Millennial College Experiences
• All possible content is on the internet – need
process and skills-based
• Get out as fast as you can
• Stay home as long as you can – are protected and
mentored
• Get “do-overs” often
• Lots of technology, no tolerance for delays
• Are not hardy, drop out and quit easily
• Dislike ambiguity – “just tell us what we need to
know”
This is what they grew up with?
Millennials - Not Very Hardy
• Our parents told us “when the going gets
tough, the tough get going” and “if at first
you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
• Their philosophy “when the going gets
tough, it means you should try another
route” and “if at first you don’t succeed,
maybe you shouldn’t be here.”
• They have trouble staying in
classes with rigid teachers
who offer them no flexibility
or encouragement.
Millennials - Not Very Hardy
• Seems like the tougher you are, the quicker
they quit
• Have no preconceived ideas about
expectations
• See a lack of consistency among faculty
• Have to tell them more than the generation
before them and we resent it
5 minute table activity #1
• Have you noticed any differences in
how the various generations learn?
• Discuss what changes you have had to
make to keep students engaged?
Cognitive Psychologists and Learning Styles
• Cognitive psychologists such as Kolb, Honey and
Mumford, Jung, etc. who have done the major work
on learning styles recognize four basic styles:
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Concrete Experience (feeling)
Active Experimentation (doing)
Abstract Conceptualization (thinking)
Reflective Observation (watching)
• Those probably don’t change dramatically with
generations. What may change are the perceptual
modalities such as preferences for print, aural,
interactive, visual, kinesthetic, and olfactory
What We Do Know
• Faculty tend to teach in the same style by
which they prefer to learn.
• We also tend to teach by the methods we
were taught – “if it was good enough for me,
it is good enough for them.”
• Students prefer faculty who teach according
to their learning style.
• The key is to learn to address all styles of
learning.
In the 1985 movie “Back to the Future”
what make of car was used as the time
machine?
5 minute table discussion #2
• What are the biggest issues you deal
with in regard to cheating and
plagiarism?
• What are the differences between
cheating today and the cheating you
observed 10-15 years ago?
Issues for Discussion
• Cheating – vague meaning for students
– Much easier now, we had to work to cheat.
– Electronic toys.
– Online sites (paper mills, etc.).
– Too much focus on the end point (grade in class)
than learning. Have to help refocus them.
Cell phone wrist watch
Issues for Discussion
• Plagiarism
– What is it
– Don’t assume they understand it
– Be careful with sites like “turn it in.com”
– Create materials for them with samples
– Discuss ownership of creative works
– Get the library involved
– An issue for all ages
What was the name
of the detective
agency in the
1980’s ABC hit
Moonlighting?
5 minute table discussion #3
• Do you have parents calling you wanting to
talk to you about their son/daughter?
• Do parents show up for teacher conferences or
to help their son/ daughter enroll?
• What should the college do to “head off”
parents?
Issues for Discussion - Dealing With Parents
• The last group of millennials will begin
college in 2020.
• We need to begin to be proactive now.
– Orientation for parents
– Materials for parents
– Communication with parents via newsletter or
emails
– Help them learn how to help their student
– Help them understand what it takes for a
student to become independent and help
themselves
Dealing With Parents
• FERPA only limits us from talking to parents
about student progress, attendance, grades,
etc. but nothing else.
• We feel we shouldn’t have to deal with
parents – because our history indicates our
average student age has been about 30.
• Not so today – most rapidly growing group is
under 25 and will continue to be so for a
while (in 07-08, 50% were under 30)
• Parents need to know about FERPA
What Do Universities Do With Parents
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Parents organization – great help with fundraising
Parent orientation
Parents’ weekend (or other events)
Mail to parents to purchase care packages during
finals week, etc.
• Parents pay for services for their children
• Could be a great group of volunteers for us
• But it takes staff to coordinate them
5 minute table discussion #4
• How many emails do you
receive a day?
• Can you keep up with
them?
• What policies should your
department or the college
have about
communication?
• What would help you
communicate effectively
with students?
Issues for Discussion
• Communication policies
– How soon can they expect a
response from you
– When are you available for
email
– What will you accept emails
about
– Email is official communication between the student and
the teacher – should look like official communication
– Other casual communication devices
– Connectivity and communication are two of their
strengths and areas they abuse
– You are your own worst enemy
Issues for Discussion
• Cell phone policies
– Faculty are divided down the
middle on this
– Don’t make such a big deal out
of it
– Be fair but don’t let them disrupt
class
– Connectivity is very important to
them
– They will not turn them off but
will silence them
According to the label where does
Carnation Milk come from?
5 minute table discussion #5
• Do we have to change our way of
teaching for them or do they have to
adjust to our way of teaching?
Quote….
• “Once being a professor meant (among
other things) possessing, by dint of years
immersed in library mineshafts, refinements
on knowledge that were effectively
inaccessible to the unlearned person. Now,
most of that esoterica is available instantly
on Wikipedia.”
– Louis Menand, Harvard Professor, 2010, The Marketplace of Ideas: Reform
and Resistance in the American University.
Quote….
• “A pressing pedagogical challenge right now
is the problem of adapting a linear model
for transmitting knowledge – the lecture
monologue, in which a single line of thought
leads to an intellectual climax after fifty
minutes – to a generation of students who
are accustomed to dealing with multiple
information streams in short bursts.”
•
Louis Menand, Harvard Professor, 2010, The Marketplace of Ideas: Reform
and Resistance in the American University.
Methods of Teaching
• What world are we preparing them for?
– The one we grew up in???
– A future world unknown to many of us
– Critical topics
• Information literacy
• Language (bilingual a necessity)
• Technology that does work for them
• Critical decision-making
• Dealing with change
• Globalism, world economy
• Rapid disbursement of information around the globe
• Get ahead with process skills, applied knowledge
Top Ten Skills for the Future
• Work ethic, including self-motivation and time management.
• Physical skills, e.g., maintaining one's health and good
appearance.
• Verbal (oral) communication, including one-on-one and in a group
• Written communication, including editing and proofing one's
work.
• Working directly with people, relationship building, and team
work.
• Influencing people, including effective salesmanship and
leadership.
• Gathering information through various media and keeping it
organized.
• Using quantitative tools, e.g., statistics, graphs, or spreadsheets.
• Asking and answering the right questions, evaluating information,
and applying knowledge.
• Solving problems, including identifying problems, developing
possible solutions, and launching solutions.
The Futurist Update (Vol. 5, No. 2), an e-newsletter from the World Future Society, quotes
Bill Coplin on the “ten things employers want [young people] to learn in college”
Learning Outcomes for the 21st Century
Students in the 21st Century will need to be proficient in:
• Reading, writing, speaking and listening
• Applying concepts and reasoning
• Analyzing and using numerical data
• Citizenship, diversity/pluralism
• Local, community, global, environmental awareness
• Analysis, synthesis, evaluation, decision-making, creative thinking
• Collecting, analyzing and organizing information
• Teamwork, relationship management, conflict resolution and workplace
skills
• Learning to learn, understand and manage self, management of
change, personal responsibility, aesthetic responsiveness and wellness
• Computer literacy, internet skills, information retrieval and information
management
(The League for Innovation’s 21st Century Learning Outcomes Project.)
Quote…
• “Sheer information is no
longer a major piece of the
value-added of higher
education.”
• Elizabeth Renker, The Origins of American Literature Studies:
An Institutional History, 2007.
Methods of Teaching
• Teamwork – play to their strengths
• Lifelong learning – critical for them
to survive – must learn to teach
themselves
• Ability to have input into assignments
and grading (they are negotiators)
• Team oriented assistance – learning
communities, supplemental instruction,
peer tutoring, mentoring
• Culture of civic engagement – this is a
civic generation – get them involved
5 minute table discussion #6
• How are the males doing?
• How are minority males doing?
Boys Issues in K-12
For Every 100 Girls Who….
Number of Boys
Enroll in Kindergarten
116
Enroll in Ninth Grade
101
Enroll in Twelfth Grade
98
Are Suspended from K-12
250
Are Expelled from K-12
335
Diagnosed with Learning
Disability
Enroll in the gifted and talented
program
276
94
The Boys Project. http://www.boysproject.net/statistics.html
Boys Issues Beyond K-12
For Every 100 Girls Who….
Number of Boys
Graduate from High School
96
Enroll in College
77
Enroll in 2nd Year of College
71
Earn an Associates Degree
67
Earn a Bachelors Degree
73
Earn a Masters Degree
62
Earn a Doctorate
92
The Boys Project. http://www.boysproject.net/statistics.html
College Graduation Projections (numbers in
thousands) (61% of degrees will go to women)
1050
(62.6%)
950
Assoc. Degree Male
Assoc. Degree Female
Bach. Degree Male
Bach. Degree Female
850
750
650
(37.4%)
550
(60%)
450
350
(40%)
250
6
50
20
7
60
20
8
70
20
9
80
20
0
-1
9
0
20
1
-1
0
1
20
2
-1
1
1
20
3
-1
2
1
20
4
-1
3
1
20
5 minute table discussion #7
• What deficiencies
do they have?
• What great
strengths do they
have?
Issues for Discussion
• Handwriting
– Lost art “cursive”
– They have been typing papers on computers since
they learned to read
– Have horrible handwriting
– May have never turned in a handwritten paper
– How much time does the average person spend
writing things down by hand today
• Outlook, text messaging, email, calculators, iPods, etc.
Methods of Teaching
• Too much reliance on technology (spell
check, Excel formulas, calculators, grammar
check, etc. (is this really a big deal?)
• Poor basic skills in 30-70%
• Less prepared from K-12 (what issues?)
• Poor technology skills in 30-40%
• First generation students (gen 1.5)
• Immigrant families (language issues)
Instead of Complaining – Do Something
• Complaining about their lack of preparedness helps
no one – we have to develop an approach
• Some are gifted students – smarter than we can
believe, others need serious help
• May need to:
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Create special programs
Modularize some courses to work a step at a time
Special labs for skills we used to take for granted
Workshops and tutorials as certain course requirements
Typing help (don’t learn it in high school now)
Focus on Retention
• “Ambitious yet aimless” characterizes this
generation
– They work for a while until they save enough
money to live for a while, then quite – play for
several months and then look for work again.
– They know at the age of 21 that they may have
to work until they are 70 – 75. So why hurry into
a career job now.
– They have the same attitude with school.
– They stop out regularly and see if things work
out. They appear to be in “no hurry.”
– They swirl….
They Want to Experience Life
• 26 years old, college graduate – moved to
Charleston to live at the beach (working in
whatever to live).
• Graduated in pre-med in May 08 (25 years
old) – moved to Hawaii …. surfing.
• Both plan to go back to school in a year.
Suggested Teaching Techniques
• Set up real-world assignments where they use skills from the
course to solve a real problem or sell a real product. Bring
businesses/agencies in as clients. Do work for an actual client
(e.g. write grants for community agencies).
• They do best in groups if you (as the faculty) structure them.
Create questions or guidelines for the group work and they
perform well.
• Keep them constantly informed of their progress including
class means, medians, running point totals, etc.
• Take a personal interest in them and their work.
• Offer a variety of activities and make it fast paced
• Options, options, option.
Things That Work
• They like technology and understand it but don’t
expect everything to be delivered via technology.
• They do like things posted so they can access it
and being able to communicate with their teacher
via technology.
• Remember they are civic and like to do things in
groups – get along well with other generations.
• Use interactive learning technology
• Learning by discovery
• Watch their “attention deployment.” They stop
paying attention to things that don’t interest them.
Things That Work – Teaching Thinking
• Students need the ability to sift, analyze, and
reflect upon large amounts of data in today's
information age.
• Use scenarios where they must reach a conclusion,
determine what flaws and limits might be
embedded in their approach, what they know with
certainty, what do they not know.
• Give students a controversial problem that can and
should be approached from several perspectives.
Help them to come to a reasoned conclusion.
• Put the students in charge, allow them to lead and
don’t butt in too much.
Things That Work
• Mini learning communities in class
– Break up first time and in the same group for the
entire semester
– Exchange phone numbers, emails, etc.
– When one is absent, someone from the group
calls
– Engages them in the group and thus in the class
• Teacher conferences
– Get to know the student and student get to
know the faculty – makes a difference
Teaching How to Be a Student
• We assume students know “how to be here,
how to be a college student.”
• Their K-12 experience was different – more
active learning, changing of activities. Every
thing was done for them.
• They don’t know how things work –
withdraw from classes, when to enroll, how
to apply for financial aid, take notes, study
for tests, etc.
• We need to make sure they have these skills.
Interested in Things That Matter
• Want to have an impact on the world
• Interested in careers that matter
• Show them aspects of a field or career that
has an impact on society
• Will be attracted to the mission of the
community college as faculty – are beginning
to join our faculty ranks (oldest are 26-7).
• But soon they will be the least of our
problems because someone is already
coming behind them… Gen Z
Copy of Presentation:
• http://www.cpcc.edu/millennial
• Click on presentations and workshops
• It is under “keynotes for higher
education”
• Title: “Teaching Strategies for Diverse
Generations”
• terri.manning@cpcc.edu