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Show TEACHING THE MILLENNIAL STUDENT BY CHANEL EARL When asked if students today are different than they were 20 years ago, many professors answer with a quick, "I don't know/' or a thoughtful, "it depends on the student." Others answer with a solid, "Yes." The new millennium is here, and has been for nearly eight years now. With it came new technologies, new astronomical discoveries and new works of literature. Every field of study, from history to botany, has changed since 1999 rolled over into the twenty-first century. And, according to many educational psychologists, students themselves are also changing. The millennial students have arrived. They are making comments during class and visiting your office with questions about the syllabus. They are comfortable with new technology, and according to Neil Howe and Willam Strauss (2003), authors of Millennial Go To College, they are "unlike any other youths in living memory" (pp. 14). Of course, being a member of the high school class of 2000, hearing this makes me blush, but more than that, it makes me question: What makes my generation so different? Howe and Strauss answer that hovering parents, secure school environments and a constant focus on self-esteem have produced a unique generation of students. Understanding the millennial learner Millennial students are used to having teachers adapt to meet their individual needs. In elementary school, teachers were already adapting their assignments to meet students' different learning levels. If children had trouble reading, they were sent to remedial reading classes where they could follow the lessons without trouble. At that young age, students were receiving placement tests that would continue through high school, where they would be presented with a variety of classes in any given subject, to help serve the various skill levels of students. Professors here at the University of Utah have already begun to recognize traits of the millennial generation in their own classes. The biggest thing Daniel Emery, assistant professor of communication and writing, has noticed in his 13 years of teaching is that students have become more "tech savvy," with their IT abilities reaching far beyond that of previous generations. But a close second, he said, is that his students are more in need of personal attention. After recognizing this need in his students, he developed 2 lessons | fall 2007 |
