It is our duty as educators to provide for the needs of each and every one of our kids. Dealing with millennial students, who frequently think differently than their predecessors, can make this particularly difficult. We must first comprehend this generation’s views to understand better and serve them.
The millennials haven’t seen a world without technology. They’re born with digital DNA, and since they were young children, millennials have been immersed in technology. They interpret information differently than those before them because they are accustomed to instant access to knowledge and resources. They have different expectations and ambitions than earlier generations and are more independent. Since they are well versed with technology and are used to accessing information within a fraction of a second, their perspective on learning is different, which can pose challenges for educators who are accustomed to conventional teaching. Teachers must comprehend this group’s distinctive thinking to communicate with them properly and devise plans & strategies that are aligned with students’ learning goals and preferences.
Since technology is an essential element in education, integrating visual, audio elements and other available tech can benefit greatly.
Multi-modal learning is one method for doing this. Multi-modal learning uses a variety of media, including audio, video, graphics, and animations, to engage students in learning in new ways and advance comprehension. One prime benefit of adding multimedia is addressing students’ different learning needs. For instance, a classroom might have students with visual learning preferences; some may be auditory learners, and some may be visual kinaesthetic learners. Adding videos can address multiple learning styles as they can be customised using various elements like visuals, audios, and texts.
Making educational videos might seem like a task, but edtech providers can solve that for educators. For instance, Boclips provides curated educational videos with copyright clearance that may be utilised in the classroom to make abstract subjects come to life in a way that appeals to millennial students. Teachers can give students a complete educational experience especially suited for millennial learners by combining visual aids with conventional teaching techniques like lectures or dialogues.
Project-based learning (PBL) is another efficient strategy for attracting millennial students. With project-based learning, students collaborate on tasks that have practical implications and call for research and problem-solving abilities. Students can learn valuable skills and deepen their grasp of the content that has been taught by collaborating on meaningful projects involving teamwork. Because it gives students a chance to take control of their education and solve real-world problems, which millennials seek as digital natives who anticipate instantaneous results from their efforts, this learning style particularly appeals to them.
Finally, it would be best to comprehend their desire for immediate gratification to engage millennials successfully. Instead of waiting until the end of the semester or year for grades or evaluations, millennials frequently prefer to receive feedback on their performance immediately. Additionally, they value praise for their efforts, whether from a teacher or their peers, something that traditional teaching techniques frequently fail to give them. Teachers can foster an environment where millennials feel appreciated for their efforts and motivated to keep working towards success by providing timely feedback and recognising individual contributions throughout the learning process.
