Matsuoka Generations 8-27 2010
GENERATIONS
Cycles in American Life
Cary Matsuoka
Introduction
First heard this topic in January 2007
Superintendents conference
Speaker - William Strauss
Historian, playwright, lawyer
Passed away in December 2007, age 60
Co-writer, Neil Howe
Historian, demographer, economist
Generations &
Millenials Go to College
Millenial Generation
Born 1982 – 2004
Kids born in 1982 became the high school class of 2000
Seven Core Traits of Millenials
Special
Sheltered
Confident
Team-oriented
Conventional
Pressured
Achieving
Accurate Description of Today’s
Students
K-8 schools
High schools
College
Youngest workforce members
The seven traits very accurately describe today’s students
The Generation Gap – A Traditional View
What are some of the challenges which create misunderstandings between generations?
Age
Life experience
Technology (which is moving very fast)
Historical context, for example …
Beloit College Mindset List – Class of 2014 (born in 1992)
Email is just too slow, and they seldom if ever use snail mail.
Al Gore has always been animated.
Clint Eastwood is better known as a sensitive director than as
Dirty Harry.
They’ve never recognized that pointing to their wrists was a request for the time of day.
American companies have always done business in Vietnam.
They have never worried about a Russian missile strike on the
U.S.
Traditional View of Generations –
Roles
Elderhood (age 66-87)
Stewardship – supervising, mentoring, managing endowments, passing on values
Midlife (age 44-65)
Leadership – parenting, teaching, directing institutions, using values
Traditional View - Continued
Rising Adulthood (age 22-43)
Activity – working, starting families and careers, serving institutions, testing values
Youth (age 0-21)
Dependence – growing, learning, accepting protection and nurture, acquiring values
Generational Work of Strauss & Howe
However, there is more to generations than stages of life
Generations move through history in cycles
Each cycle consists of 4 generational types
Idealist, Reactive, Civic, Adaptive
Generations last about 22 years on average
Idealist Type
Stormy in youth
Visionary as elders
Righteous, principled, creative
“Missionary” generation – born 1860-1882
“Boomer” generation – born 1943-1960
Reactive Type
Neglected, alienated
Savvy, pragmatic, practical
Often amoral and uncultured
“Lost Generation” – born 1883-1900
“Gen X” – born 1961-1981
Civic Type
Good youth, confident elders
Grand, powerful
Rational, competent, maybe insensitive
“GI Generation” – born 1901-1924
“Millenials” – born 1982-2004(?)
The GI Generation
“There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected. This generation has a rendezvous with destiny.”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1936
Born 1901 – 1924
Overcame the Great Depression
Won the battles of WW II
A glimpse of the rising Millenial generation
Adaptive Type
Placid as youth, sensitive as elders
Flexible, caring, open-minded
Indecisive, guilt ridden
“Silent Generation” – born 1925-1942
“yet to be named” – born 2005 - future
Why is this stuff so important?
Teachers are on the front lines in working with the next generation
We assume that next year’s students will be like last year’s, only a bit more so.
Most of the time that’s true, but every two decades, the linear progression is dramatically broken
And we find ourselves working with a type of student that is very different than one we have seen most of our career
Missing the Turns – post World War II
GI to Silent Generation
GI generation:
“the best damn kids in the world” – General George
Marshall
Conquered the world, implemented the New Deal
Silent generation:
Not interested in conquering the world
Kept their heads down, sought long careers in big organizations (GM, IBM, GE, etc.)
Withdrawn, cautious, unadventurous – and silent
BTW, this generation did not produce a US President
Next turn – the 60’s
Silent generation to Boomers
Colleges expected a larger version of the Silent generation
Prediction - even more pliable and conformist than before
“Employees are going to love this generation, they are going to be easy to handle, there aren’t going to be any riots.” Clark Kerr – Chancellor of UC
Berkeley, 1959
Next turn – the 80’s
Boomers to Gen X
Demographic prediction for students of the 80’s – even more idealistic, and morality driven
But instead of long-haired idealogues, we saw mohawked punks and gangsta rappers
The question from college students – “is this on the test?”, rather than “is this relevant?”
Next turn – The New Millenium
GenX to Millenials
Today’s youth are different than Gen X youth
First arrived in college in 2000
The Millenials are much more positive than the
GenX’ers
This is a different generation to work with
How do we adjust our teaching and college environments for this generation?
Overview and Implications of Working with Millenials
Seven core generational traits – brief unpacking
Campus and policy implications
Classroom and teaching implications
1. Special
Core trait
Their parents have instilled a sense of destiny in their
Millenial children
These kids want to make a difference in the world, but the other 6 core traits make them different than
Boomers
Campus implications
Over-involved parents, need to help them let go
But you might consider involving parents on the admission and getting started phases, “parent admission night?”
1. Special …
Inform parents about FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) laws for 18 year olds and up
Classroom implications
They have very high expectations for services, their teachers, the organization
They are very demanding students (grades, feedback, etc.)
2. Sheltered
Core trait
They are one of the most protected and cared for generations in history – car seats, Zero tolerance, etc.
Campus implications
Campus security is important, they will study crime statistics of potential schools
Use your setting of Saratoga as a marketing/leverage point
2. Sheltered …
More openness to using mental health services – provide on-campus counseling (they need it!)
Classroom implications
Tend to follow the rules, more rule oriented
Consistency on your part will be constantly evaluated
They will complain about grades and fairness
3. Confident
Core trait
Upbeat, positive, and excited about the future
Campus implications
GenX – we told them the horrible consequences of making wrong choices
Millenials – Be positive, tell them about the great things that will happen if they make the right choice
Opportunity for revival of campus spirit
3. Confident …
Classroom implications
They are “collectively” confident vs. “individually” confident
Their confidence comes from their association with a group
Their credo – follow the rules, work hard, don’t mess up
They are risk averse, create environments to take intellectual risks
4. Team-Oriented
Core trait
They do life in group settings – school, dating, social life, etc.
Campus implications
Peer oriented (different from peer pressure), influenced by group thinking
If you can identify the leaders and move them toward your goals, the group will follow
4. Team-Oriented …
Find those “tipping points” that will attract cohorts of students to WVC
Classroom implications
They love group work (for the most part)
Think about team teaching environments
Integrate teamwork & technology, take advantage of the convergence of the Millenial generation in history and the rise of technology
5. Conventional
Core trait
They follow the rules, are comfortable with their parents’ values.
They believe that social rules and standards will make life easier for them.
More compliant, less willing to stand out or voice their own opinion
5. Conventional …
Campus implications
Should be quieter, less disruption
Example of history of streaking on campus
Big in 80’s, 90’s, disappeared in 2000’s
Classroom implications
Be aware of their tendency towards conformity and group-think
But help them to think for themselves, find their voice, to be creative.
6. Pressured
Core trait
They have been tested and measured since 2 nd grade
Their “job” in high school is to get into college
They have been overscheduled, packaged, and coached into college
Campus implications
They need help with transition from “getting into college” mode to learning how to be a student
6. Pressured …
They need help with weaning themselves away from over-scheduling
Classroom implications
Academic cheating is an issue with Millenials
Be clear about the lines between group work and cheating
You need to teach about academic integrity, the honor code
This is an entire campus issue you need to talk about and work on as a faculty
7. Achieving
Core trait
Smart, high-achieving, well prepared students
Very tech savvy generation
Campus – they want wired, wireless, high tech campuses
Classrooms
Trend towards math and sciences
Demand for high academic standards
Will expect their faculty to be competent with technology
Whew – let’s pause for a moment
Does this align with your professional experience over the last 10 years?
Do you see these characteristics in your students?
How might this generational shift create stress in your work?
Questions? Comments.
Summary Thoughts
We need to understand the cultural setting of our work
Don’t miss the generational turns in our culture, the last one was 10 years ago
Get to know this rising Millenial generation
They are filled with hope and dreams of making a difference, let’s help equip them to lead us out of this mess we’ve made
Follow-up
Slides? I’ll e-mail them to someone on staff.
Book titles from Howe and Strauss
Millenials Go to College
Millenials Rising
Generations
