Teaching Different Generations in the Same Classroom

7/28/2019 Teaching Different Generations in the Same Classroom

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Boston University School of Public Health

Meeting the Challenges of

Teaching Multiple Generations in

the Same Classroom: Boomers,Gen X, Millennials and more....

Lisa Sullivan, PhD

Vanessa Boland Edouard, MPHBoston University School of Public Health


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Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here


Presenter Disclosures

(1)The following personal financial relationships

with commercial interests relevant to thispresentation existed during the past 12 months:

Lisa M SullivanVanessa Boland Edouard

No relationships to disclose


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Trends

Applications and enrollments in Schools ofPublic Health continue to grow (76% and 55%increase from 1998 to 2008)

More minority students (34% in 2008)

Percent female (70%) relatively constant

Approximately 60% full-time

ASPH Annual Data Report 2008


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Students

SOPHAS 2008-2009

mean age of 26 years (median=24 years);range 17-63 years

Age of students decreasing (slowly)


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BUSPH Past 10 Years

Mean age decreased by 3 years (29 to 26)

Classrooms more varied by age

28%

37%

24%

11% 40%

41%

12%

7%

20-2425-29

30-39

40+1999 2009

Aging faculty..


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Definitions

Generation Years Born Age Today

GI Generation 1900-1924 85-109

Silent generation 1925-1945 64-84

Baby Boomers 1946-1964 45-63

Generation X 1965-1979 30-44

Millennials or Generation Y 1980-2000 9-29


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Our Schools

Faculty Students

Boomers

Gen X

Gen Y


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Backdrop

Life experiences impact theway people learn

As students are getting

younger, faculty are aging

Challenge for faculty to beeffective in teaching and to

make teaching and learningrelevant


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How Many Can You Identify?


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Understand This?

*$ HTH

AISB IDST

AITR IMS

BFN KWIM

BITD M4C

CT Cant talk NP

DEGT Dont even go there NYC

GAS SEP

Starbucks

As I said before

Adult in the room

Bye for now

Back in the day

Cant talk

Dont even go there

Got a second?

Hope this helps

I didnt say that

I am sorry

Know what I mean?

Meet for coffee?

No problem / Nosy parent

Not your concern

Somebody elses problem


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How About You?

Are you constantly on-line? In the office, at home,..

Is your cell phone/PDA always with you?

Do you attend meetings with your laptop?

Are you always multitasking (e.g., conference call &answering e-mail)?

Do you use the computer to help you remember

dates and tasks?


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Mixed Classrooms

Older Students Younger Students

Benefits Experienced Technologically Savvy

Challenges Anxious Lack Identity

Mixed classroom closer to work environment


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Generation X

Latchkey kids both parents working

Many from single parent homes

Technologically savvy

Grew up with corporate downsizing andlayoffs, fewer career opportunities


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Generation X

Independent, problem solvers

Ambitious, self-starters

Want support but do not want to be told what todo or how to do it

Expect instant gratification, immediate feedback

Know they must keep learning to be marketable


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Generation Y

Largest generation since baby boomers

Many from divorced, single parent homes butparents are extremely hands-on (decade of thechild)

Overindulged, overprotected, self-absorbed

Technologically savvy


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Generation Y

Self-confident, entitled

Ambitious with high expectations

Want to know process, rules, how to get ahead Expect to start at the top

Want constant and immediate feedback

Move quickly from one thing to another Not as independent as Gen X (parental back-up)


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Helicopter Parents


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Our Students

Surfers and scanners not readers and digesters

Expect constant and immediate feedback

Want directness over subtlety

Technologically savvy but crave personal contact

Always hurried know what they want

Want to learn


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Our Faculty

Healthiest and wealthiest of generations todate

Redefine traditional values

Hard-working

Passionate (can change the world)

Believe in hierarchy may find it difficult toadapt to more flexible arrangements


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Some Comparisons

Boomers Gen X Gen Y

TV Video games Web

Memorandum E-mail Text Message

Competitive Skeptical Realistic

Solid Career Portable Career Parallel Careers

FeedbackOnce a year How am I doing? When I want it!

Boomers Gen X Gen Y

TV Video Games Web

Memorandum Email Text MessageCompetitive Skeptical Realistic

Solid Career Portable Career Parallel Careers

Feedback

Once a Year How am I doing? When I want it!


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Survey of BUSPH Faculty and Students

Faculty(n=42) Students(n=241)

% Male 38% 13%

Age

Gen Y 78%

Gen X 31% 18%

Boomers 69% 4%

Estimate of Mean Ageof MPH Students

26.4 (2.3) 26.0 (1.9)

(Actual=26)


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How Faculty Spend In-Class Time

Student

Group Work

15%

Student

Independent

Work 7%

Lecturing

59%

Other

19%


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Effective Strategies

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

%Responses

FacutlyTeachingStrategies

StudentLearningStrategies


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Communicating with Faculty

E-mail Mean # per week per course= 1.1

(TA: Mean # per week per course=0.9)

Face-to-face

Before & after class

Scheduled meetings0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%


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Faculty Responses to E-Mail

Mean # hours per week responding to students E-mail : 5.5

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Longer than 1week

Within 1 week

Within 1 day

2 - 5 hours

Within 2 hours

Studentexpectation:how quicklyshould facultyrespond tostudent emails

Faculty report:how quicklyrespond tostudent emails


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Students Expectations

Want solid knowledge base and real-worldapplications

Want clear and organized presentation of material

Want to be stimulated, active and participatory Expect customer service

Want to know why (how does this activity, readingconnect to my future career?)

Want faculty to be enthusiastic, helpful and engaged Want FTF contact but OK to set boundaries


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Facultys Challenges

Time

Keeping up with my field

Dealing with students with varied backgroundsand skill levels


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Strategies

We must understand learners

Accept differences among students and betweenstudents and faculty

Engage students in setting goals and expectations Be flexible, creative and try not to be surprised by

anything that happens in the classroom!


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Strategies

Problem-based learning

Student-centered instruction

Adult learning/Adult education


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Student-Centered Learning

Substitute active learning projects andexperiences for lectures

Hold students responsible for material not yetcovered

Assign open-ended questions and problems

Use simulations, role-playing

Use self-paced or cooperative (team) learning


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Student Challenges

Students feel that teachers have changed therules

Teachers not teaching

Paying tuition for what?

Some do not want to work in groups

Do all members contribute equally?

Too difficult to schedule, coordinate Some dominate, others hide


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Faculty Challenges

Fear stop lecturing & lose control

Wont cover all of the material

Will students do the work? Fair assessment of group and team work

Repercussions of student dissatisfaction(lower ratings, etc)


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Suggestions

Cant satisfy everyone so mix it up!

Teach to the top

Use student-centered approaches

Use effective technology (audience response, realexamples)

Consider team work, peer-to-peer exchange

Focus content relevance

Stay connected


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Strategies

Use different methods

In-class

Outside of class (must link to

course objectives)

Encourage critical thinking and synthesis

Create opportunities for reflection Pre-class assignments


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Strategies

Inductive versus deductive teaching

Inductive let student observe, raise questions, explore

before learning concepts

Deductive more structured teacher first presentsideas and concepts and uses examples to illustrate

* Difficult for faculty

* May take more time

* May not be best for all students (esp. students with disabilities)


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Curricular Implications

Focus on skill building, real-world application Use of technology with purpose

Simulations

Laboratories

Collaboration and interaction are important

Most learning is outside of the classroom

Implications for teaching spaces

Implications for part-time students

Implications for students who dont own computers


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Next Generation

More older students as undergraduates

More younger students in articulated degreeprograms and public health majors/minors

More variability in our classrooms to come

Make changes now!


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References

Brown BL. New Learning Strategies for Generation X, ERIC Clearinghouse onAdult Career and Vocational Education; 1997.

Carlson E. Population Bulletin 20th-Century U.S. Generations, PopulationReference Bureau, 2009; 64(1).

Felder RM, Brent R. Navigating the Bumpy Road to Student-CenteredInstruction, College Teaching, 1996; 44: 43-47.

Goldman S. The Educational Kanban: Promoting Effective Self-Directed AdultLearning in Medical Education,Academic Medicine, 2009; 84(7): 927-934.

Hoover E. The Millennial Muddle, The Chronicle of Higher Education, October11, 2009.

Howard JR, Short LB, Clark SM. Students Participation in the Mixed-AgeClassroom, Teaching Sociology, 1996; 24(1): 8-24.

Oblinger D. Boomers, Gen-Xers Millennials. Understanding the new students,EDUCAUSE Review(July/August 2003); 37-47.

Oblinger D. Educating the Net Generation, EDUCAUSE Review(2005).

Trunk P. What Gen Y Really Wants, Time, July 5,2007.

Teaching Different Generations in the Same Classroom

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