TEACHING GEN X
TEACHING GEN X & Y: AN ESSAY PART 2: TEACHING STRATEGIES
Teaching
I would like to suggest that a "way" to teach is by doing as little lecture education as possible. Many of us grew up and old with the classic lecture. It is still used and with some, it is an outstanding success. However, for those who find this generation disengaged with even your most exciting presentations, I would like to suggest the following. In terms of the media, you are another "talking head." Gen X & Y have been exposed to thousands of hours of constantly changing images on cable television and the internent. If they have a remote with their cable, the images can change even faster by "surfing." My observation after teaching for 35 years, is that they have "short attention spans." Thus the following are based upon that assumption.
The Ten Minute Lecture
If the academic hour is 50 or 55 minutes, I would like to suggest that the first ten be spent where you lecture. You can only set the stage for the class. The ten minutes is a very long time in the media and for these generations, it is a long, long time. For what ever the topic, use your most exciting material to catch their attention and segue into material that they will be doing for the rest of the hour with their fellow class mates. The rest of the time will be spent doing something directly with the material or conducting activities that compliment the material.
The Collaborative Lecture
If you have an exciting lecture that is no in the text book. Type it up, refine it, have it printed and distributed to the class for that day. Give the printed lecture to each student. They are then to teach each other and come as a small group to you and tell you about the lecture or ask any questions at that time or during your office hour. Further, they can e-mail you or call you on the phone. Once they have completed their task they are to teach others and then leave. Test frequently. You may want to test often, because you can soon know
Teaching
I would like to suggest that a "way" to teach is by doing as little lecture education as possible. Many of us grew up and old with the classic lecture. It is still used and with some, it is an outstanding success. However, for those who find this generation disengaged with even your most exciting presentations, I would like to suggest the following. In terms of the media, you are another "talking head." Gen X & Y have been exposed to thousands of hours of constantly changing images on cable television and the internent. If they have a remote with their cable, the images can change even faster by "surfing." My observation after teaching for 35 years, is that they have "short attention spans." Thus the following are based upon that assumption.
The Ten Minute Lecture
If the academic hour is 50 or 55 minutes, I would like to suggest that the first ten be spent where you lecture. You can only set the stage for the class. The ten minutes is a very long time in the media and for these generations, it is a long, long time. For what ever the topic, use your most exciting material to catch their attention and segue into material that they will be doing for the rest of the hour with their fellow class mates. The rest of the time will be spent doing something directly with the material or conducting activities that compliment the material.
The Collaborative Lecture
If you have an exciting lecture that is no in the text book. Type it up, refine it, have it printed and distributed to the class for that day. Give the printed lecture to each student. They are then to teach each other and come as a small group to you and tell you about the lecture or ask any questions at that time or during your office hour. Further, they can e-mail you or call you on the phone. Once they have completed their task they are to teach others and then leave. Test frequently. You may want to test often, because you can soon know