I've been teaching undergraduates in the Veterinary Nursing Program at Michigan State University for almost three years. Soon after I started, I realized the world of teaching and learning is ever changing. I personally believe that one reason for this constant change is the current student generation's view on education.
Many students from Generation Z, and even Generation Y, exhibit differing educational characteristics from preceding generations. What's important to consider is how educators are recognizing and navigating through this change. A problem arises when educators are not knowledgeable about the students in their classrooms and are not equipped with the proper resources or notion of how to make them successful. Instructors during 21st Century teaching and learning must recognize this change in how students view and prefer learning. I consider myself relatively new at my job, and so this is personally a professional problem. I believe that if I, and other educators, don't begin to fully understand these generational differences and make changes in how we teach, students will be uninterested in their education.
How can I better understand student learning preferences and consequently change my teaching methods to increase their knowledge and understanding of the material? I'm anticipating that these are difficult questions to answer.
An interesting TEDx Talk further explores Gen Z and their thoughts on education. Priyadeep Sinha states, "the point is all kids have the ability, they just don't have the interest to be in a classroom" (TEDx Talk, 2018, 8:16). Educators now must respond to this change in the current student generation by defining student success, adapting our educational methods to allow students to be more successful, and to encourage others to change. I'm in the process of gaining additional knowledge on this confusing topic of educational system redesign and hoping to alter my courses to heighten my students' interest in learning and understanding.
Reference:
TEDx Talk (Producer). (2018). Gen Z is ready to take control of their education [Online video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0QrqyROakM .
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