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US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health monitored the students of medicine that belonged to the Generation Y. their general conclusion was that the students and the teachers that do not belong to the same generation have difficulties understanding each other which further leads to frustration and overall bad results (Jodie Eckleberry-Hunt, PhD, ABPP and Jennifer Tucciarone, MD, Dec 2011). Therefore, in order to improve studying and learning processes, it is important to understand the ways Gen Y prefers to learn.
Seeking Different Types of Input
This is the Internet generation. The availability of content and sources of knowledge changed the way people perceive information. Students are less likely to understand long lectures and they are less likely to have long attention spans. Therefore, it is important to use different kinds of media that shorten the period needed to deliver the message. This means visual, auditory and multimedia types of input. Smartphones, tablets, smart whiteboards and all sorts of gadgets are very welcome in the teaching process.
Demanding Practical Knowledge
Generation Y witnessed the fall of economy. That is one of the reasons why the knowledge they seek is mostly practical. They value it if they can use it. Therefore, in order to appeal to the Gen Y needs, a lecturer needs to make sure that there is a very clear and practical outcome of every lesson they teach.
Trial and Error
In relation to the practicality of the knowledge, learning by trial and error seems to be one of the preferred ways of learning among this demographic group. Exploring, being creative and experiencing success and failure during the learning process is of essential value here.
Different Communication Channels
Learning does not have to be in the classroom all the time. Students of this generation can, quite successfully, learn through the online learning platforms created for them. Digital classrooms are favorite among students. It allows them to study according their own pace and manage time in their own way. Even taking notes is done online. Digitalizing notes and sharing them like HSC English study notes creates an online platform that is appealing to Generation Y students.
Gadget Use
Different gadgets are in every sphere of everyday life. Therefore, using them for education should not be avoided. Smartphones, tablets and other similar gadgets should be available in the classroom. Educative games, apps and other types of software are what Gen Y is used to. They use them to talk to their peers, to discover new things, to check out the news, to buy things they need and to do everything else. It is only logical that they would want to use it to learn, as well. That is why the content and format of all lessons needs to be usable on mobile devices.
In order to have well educated students, you need to make sure that you approach them in a way that is most understandable for them. It is easy to neglect all the differences between the frames of minds of different generations and to mistake your own learning experience with the experience that people from other generations have. Good teachers should definitely keep up with the way their students perceive the world, so that they can deliver the knowledge in the most appealing package possible.
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via Dan Radak
Dan Radak is a web hosting security professional with ten years of experience. He is a coauthor on several websites and regular contributor to BizzMark Blog. Currently, he is working with a number of companies in the field of online security, closely collaborating with a couple of e-commerce companies.
