NCC Millennials Presenation

Reaching & Teaching the Millennials One cynical Gen-Xer’s view… Stewart Brower, MLIS, AHIP University at Buffalo Health Sciences Library

What is a “generation?”
A grouping of people, typically by birth years, that are defined by the historical and sociological experiences they have shared
Howe & Strauss, Millennials Rising

Defining the Generations
Four major generations are currently at play (war?) in the world of learning:
Silent – born 1925-1945
Boomers – born 1946-1963
Gen-Xers – born 1964-1982
Millennials – born post-1982

Who are the Silent Generation?
Described by William Manchester as "withdrawn, cautious, unimaginative, indifferent, unadventurous and silent."
Stuck between the get-it-done G.I.s and the self-absorbed Boomers
David Foot, economist, argues that this is actually the most successful generation
Famous Silents: Colin Powell, Walter Mondale, Woody Allen, Martin Luther King, Jr., Sandra Day O’Connor, Elvis Presley

Who are Boomers?
Defining events include the birth of television, the Civil Rights Movement, and fiscal prosperity
Also deaths of President Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King; the Vietnam war and related protests; and the Watergate scandal
Boomers value health and wellness, personal growth, and involvement

Who are Gen-Xers?
Characterized by an economic and psychological "survivor" mentality
Grew up very quickly amid rising divorce rates, latchkeys, violence and low expectations
The Challenger explosion, AIDS, hostage crises, Desert Storm, Nike (“Just Do It!”)
Independent, skeptical of authority, cautious in their commitments

Who are Millennials? aka…
Millennials
“ Don’t Label Us”
Generation Y (or Gen Why)
Generation Text
Generation Next
Generation.com
Generation 2000
Echo Boom
Boomer Babies
Generation Wired

Who are Millennials?
Result of a backlash against the “hands-off” parenting of the 1970s – a protected ( coddled? ) generation
Raised in the 80s & 90s, Mils have only known economic prosperity and opportunity
College-age Mils mostly children of Boomers; younger Mils mostly children of Gen-Xers
Columbine, Power Rangers, cell phones, DVDs, Olsen Twins and 9-11
“ They’re the most numerous, affluent, and ethnically diverse generation in American history.” - Strauss

Some Mil Statistics
Numbering over 80 million, the Millennials outnumber the Boomer Generation by roughly 20 percent (78 million births 1980 – 99)
One Mil in five (20 %) has an immigrant parent
8 Mils in 10 plan on attending college
Over the next ten years, approximately 300,000 new freshmen will enter college each year
Pew Internet defines a “young tech elite,” averaging 22 years of age, that spends $161 a month on information goods and services

Americans Under 18 Years Old ~32% ~96.4 2005 25.9% 69.8 1998 25.7% 64.2 1990 28.0% 63.7 1980 34.0% 69.8 1970 35.7% 64.5 1960 31.1% 47.3 1950 Percent of Population Millions Year

More Mil statistics
87 percent use e-mail regularly
28 percent of Mils under 12 have their own cell phones (going up)
Mil tweens (up to 13 years old) influence $190 billion in purchases annually
Mil teens (13 and over) influence $50 billion and spend $100 billion of their own money
$100 per teen per week on average

Seven Core Traits As identified by Howe & Straus in Millennials Go to College :
Special
Sheltered
Confident
Team-Oriented
Conventional
Pressured
Achieving

Core Trait: Special
Each parent thinks their child is special
Parents are more directly involved in their children’s college education than ever before (i.e. “Helicopter” Parents)
Mils want to think that their experiences, though shared, are special and unique to themselves

Core Trait: Sheltered
Security, in homes and schools, has been a constant for Mils
Along with physical safety, Mils anticipate personal success in terms of career: high salaries, strong benefits
Technology as protector – trust-based relationships built with tech

Core Trait: Confident
8 out of 10 Mil teens plan on attending college
Ninety percent of teens are “excited and happy about the future”
Eighty percent anticipate making over $50K by the time they turn 30
3 out of 5 Mil children believe they could be President of the United States
Confidence in the classroom: Mils will often strongly contest weak or less-than-perfect grades

Core Trait: Team-Oriented
Unlike previous generations of learners, Mils often do work in small groups and have done so since kindergarten
Mils form political structures quickly and divide work accordingly
Sometimes Mils will cover for each other’s weaknesses by doing each other’s work
This does not, however, indicate that Mils prefer group learning!

Core Trait: Conventional
They “believe in Brand” – i.e. “Old Navy”
However, they will “change brands” easily to find the fit they want, including transferring between schools (“Swirling”)
They want to be “regular” students
Assignments that stress “originality” may be disturbing to them

Core Trait: Pressure
Mils are worried about their grades
Mils recognize that school performance may reflect their future success or failure
The Holy Trinity: Job, Car & School
Mils highly structured and busy lifestyles often add to the pressure and they will often try radical measures to find relief – including cheating on exams or plagiarism

Core Trait: Achieving
High expectations, demanding schedules, and competitive parents
Most Mils (60.2%) expect to earn a B average or better in college
More and more Mils are going for advanced degrees
Mils do not necessarily connect their goals to their efforts – Clear guidance must be given to Mils to help them understand the amount of work required to achieve in higher education
The Myth of Multitasking Millennials

Millennials and Tech
Grew up on videogames, PCs, cell phones
Have been online a “long time,” averaging between five and seven years
Assumption among Boomer and X-er faculty that this generation of students is information-savvy

Tech Change & Fragmentation
Accustomed to rapid technological change in communications, and have come to expect this type of change in all aspects of their lives
Postmodern conditions in which they have been raised, characterized by consumerism, superficiality, and knowledge fragmentation

Mil Learning Style Preferences
Technology
Comfort levels in using technology as a tool of learning are high
Potentials for abuse are likewise high – Plagiarism, for example
Use the web to teach things that are best learned independently and that require some degree of evaluative skill

Visual Learning
Mils grew up with sophisticated multimedia
Average student retains 20 – 30 percent of what they see versus 10 percent of what they read
“ Nonlinear, nonsequential” holistic modes of learning
Give instructions with flowcharts or graphics (especially when the instructions are detailed)

Customization
Think the (ugh) “Microsoft” way: pull-down menu vs. button bars vs. keyboard shortcuts
Give them choices
Consider developing two or three different kinds of assignments for a course module, so students can select the kind of assignment that works best for them

Group Activities
Unlike previous generations of learners…
Peer-to-Peer Learning significantly enhances Active Learning principles in the classroom
Can we take “Think-Pair-Share” to a new level?
Engage the students every ten minutes

The “Nintendo” Factor How do Mils really learn? Trial and Error!

Connectivism: The major points
A new learning theory being developed by George Siemens: Connectivism.ca
Learning has an end goal - namely the increased ability to "do something"
Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
Learning happens in many different ways – Courses are not the primary conduit for learning

Subject-Centered Learning
Significantly different from the “Student-Centered” model
A model supported by connectivism theory
Put the “thing” in the middle
Engaged, interactive, working students who consult with the instructor
Dissect, identify, understand, explain
Let students discover the connections and report them back to you
Expect chaos in the classroom

“Sage on the Stage” is dead…
Use technology to teach “small stuff”
Screencasting, blogging, podcasting
For online tutorials, think “quick & easy”
Reserve classroom time for the “big stuff”
Discussions (not just lecture) on thought-provoking topics and issues
In-class hands-on activities linked to specific learning objectives – Learning by doing/Case study methods
Evaluate and assess constantly
Courseware for quizzes and assignments
“ Turningpoint” audience response systems

“Teaching Naked…”
Use Email to Create More Class Time
Use Online Tests to Create More Class Time
Quizzes before Classes: No More Unprepared Students
The Inverted Classroom
Lectures of Wonder

Motivate, guide, and give them the benefit of your wisdom…
Share in their optimism
Take advantage of their comfort in using technology
Tell them plainly what you expect them to learn and why it will benefit them
Students are still motivated by their grades, but poor grades do not necessarily motivate better behaviors

One other thing about the Mils…

“ They will listen when faculties tell them there is a base of knowledge that [they] should have…” “ They will tend to take more of the long view, which reflects their optimism. They are prepared to lay the foundation for something that comes later.” Q&As from Neil Howe and William Strauss, authors of Millennials Rising http://www.millennialsrising.com/qa.shtml

Thanks for Listening!

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NCC Millennials Presenation

by Stewart Brower

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