Generational differences in learners and the impact on teaching

1. Generational differences in learners and the impact on teaching Dorothy Knoll, PhD, Dean of Student Services Alice Carrott, MA, Director, Educational Support Services

2. Assessing prior knowledge. . . • Multiple choice questions • Turn on your clickers!

3. What Age Range Do You Fall Into? • A) Older than 63 • B) 63 to 45 • C) 44 to 32 • D) 31 to 19

4. Theresa is part of which generation? • A. Traditionalist Generation • B. Baby Boomer Generation • C. Gen X • D. Millenial Generation

5. Jack is most likely part of which generation? • A. Traditionalist Generation • B. Baby Boomer Generation • C. Gen X • D. Millenial Generation

6. In orientation, Sara would most likely enjoy finding out about: • A. Innovation at the Med Center in a straight forward, factual way. • B. How access the various duties of her job on the interactive web site. • C. The history, culture, and mission of KUMC. • D. Information on how clinical practices have evolved at the med center in order to strategize in the clinical marketplace for future growth.

7. To me, the relationship between teaching and learning in a professional school is: • A. Primarily the “sage on the stage” in large classes. • B. Defined by the number of hours a student puts into learning content. • C. A dynamic partnership between teacher and student which evolves over time. • D. ready to go once the teacher has his/her lectures up on Angel.

8. Questions. . . . • On a piece of paper, please take a minute to write down a couple of questions which you hope will be answered in the next hour.

9. Students at KUMC

10. Number of People in Cohort

11. Career Goals

12. What Balance means to Generations

13. Orientation Programs

14. Feedback by Generation

15. Training the Generations

16. Students at KUMC

17. Technology Savvy • The net powered generation has internalized the internet and uses it instinctively.

18. Goal Orientated • Millennials are ambitious in their career aspirations yet frequently have unrealistic expectations about what it takes to achieve these goals.

19. Multi-Tasker • Shortened attention span. Lack of introspective ability.

20. Connection to Others • Millennials feel more of an urge to homogenize, to celebrate ties that bind rather than differences that splinter.

21. Team Orientated • Less individualistic and more inclined to value “team over self, duties over rights, honor over feeling, action over words.”

22. Expect Diversity • The more tolerant attitudes of younger generations will result in an insistence that a company’s products, services and staff reflect the diversity of their world.

23. Teaching and Learning • It’s a partnership between teacher and learner. • Both have certain duties in that partnership. • The generational membership will color that partnership, but not define it. • Both must commit to learning goals.

24. Responsibilities of the Teacher. . . • Competent content expert • Meet the learner where they are • Be willing to model how you think about the content • Engage in and promote active learning

25. Teacher as Content Expert • This is the obvious expectation. • As the expert, you have developed your mental model of how you think about the content. • Must be able to translate your knowledge into the goal or job.

26. Meet the Student where they are. . . • Pryor knowledge of content. • What is their learning style? • What is the learner’s history? • How do the generational characteristics color this?

27. Model How to Think about the Content • You have made the transition from a student of health sciences to a professional in health sciences. • You know the job description or desired outcome. • You know the rigor involved to get there. • You know the important scaffolding. • You know the necessary connections to make.

28. Engage and Promote Active Learning Active Learning promotes: • long term memory. • the connections between the content areas and the clinical experience. • asking questions which in turn fuels critical thinking.

29. Responsibilities of the Learner • Be a partner in the learning process. • Know your learning style: http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html • Be open to developing and trying new strategies and skills to help you form your mental model. • Engage in active learning for long term memory

30. What happens when the partnership goes amuck and disconnects? • How to use active learning and generational preferences to your best advantage to get things back on track? • Focus on the learning and shared goals. • Flex to make it fit for you.

31. Using Technology to your advantage • The Millennials know how to use it! • Important to remember to start w/ content to be mastered, then figure out how technology can best be used to enable the mastery. • Downsides?

32. Keeping the Career Goal at the Center of Learning • As teachers/ healthcare providers, you know the job description they are preparing for – mold their thinking for best practices and gold standard of care. • Feedback: Deliberate, specific and timely. • Coaching for reaching the goal – be realistic! • Takes practice of skills. Patience. No instant gratification.

33. Multi tasking • Is this an asset or a liability?? • Time management is the heart of multitasking. • Where does prioritization come in? • With shortened attention span, comes lack of introspective ability

34. Connections to others at KUMC • On the Net and Cyber Space • Volunteerism • Experiential learning • Preceptors/ Practicums • Clinical skills labs • PBL’s and Seminars

35. Team oriented • Have grown up in the team culture. • The norm now in health careers. • Must be deliberate training for positive outcomes.

36. Clickers back on!

37. Which characteristic is least likely to be a descriptor of a millennial student? • A. Team oriented • B. Close to their parents • C. Entrepreneurial impulses • D. Wired • E. Expect diversity

38. A way I can incorporate new techniques to reach my learners would be: • A. Help them to find out what learning style they primarily use. • B. Incorporate learning opportunities using various forms of technology. • C. Incorporate more active learning opportunities in my presentation of content material. • D. Develop a protocol which would help me give more specific and deliberate feedback to my learners. • E. Work on areas to link team work learning to career goals.

39. References • Borges, Nicole J., et al (2006). Comparing Millennial and Generation X Medical Students at One Medical School. Academic Medicine. Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. • Elam, C., & Borges, N. (2002). Millennials in Medicine: A New Generation Comes to Medical School. (pp. 1-24). University of Kentucky College of Medicine. • Hagans, C. (2005). Understanding our Multigenerational Interactions. NPC Housing Forum (pp. 1-43). Butler University. • Hundrieser, D. J. (2008). Learning Theory and Millennials: Competencies and Accountability., The Millenial Generation (pp. 219-231). Florida. • Johnson, Susan A. & Romanello, Mary L. (2005) Generational Diversity: Teaching and Learning Approaches. Nurse Educator (pp.212-216). College of Mount St. Joseph, Cincinnati, Ohio.

40. References • Lancaster, L. C., & Stillman, D. (2002). When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc. • Larson, J. (2008, May). Exploring the Generation Gap in the Nursing Workforce. Retrieved March 2009, from NurseZone.com: www.nursezone.com • McLeod, P. A. Generational Differences: Implications for Teachers and Learners. (pp.1-40) Pensacola: Florida State University. • Piper, L. E. (2008). The Generation-Y Workforce in Health Care, The New Challenge for Leadership. The Health Care Manager, (pp.98-103). • Riddle, Janet (2009). Social Networking: What are the Ramifications for Medical Education? Discussion at AAMC CGEA conference, March 26-28, Mayo Clinic. • Skiba, Diane J. & Barton, Amy J. (2009) Adapting your Teaching to Accommodate the Net Generation of Learners. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing.