Generation Y.

Not long ago, I wrote about technology and Digital Natives (See post 2). This last concept can easily be associated with Generation Y and even more with Generation Z. What am I talking about?

Comparison among different generations from Baby Boomers to Generation Alpha
(link to article with full size picture)

Even though there is no agreement on the exact dates, Generation Y – also called Millennials –  is said to encompass those who were born between 1981 and 2000, and generation Z to those born after the beginning of the XXI century. Both generations share a lot of characteristics and bring some challenges to the classroom. As part of the Gen Y – I was born in 1993 –, I find its features very familiar, but in case you don’t, I will briefly state those traits that may be important for teachers and how can we profit from them.

• Multi-tasking: one of Millennials’ most striking characteristics is their ability to simultaneously talk, listen to music, text, browse the Internet and do homework, among others. This gives us the possibility to introduce technology into the classroom, but we should always try to enhance AND transform teaching without forgetting the pedagogical and content knowledge. (See post 5) Remember that technology is just a tool not the tool.

• Tech-savy: they are comfortable with technology and even see it as an integral part of their lives. They seek immediate information and understanding from the web and videos, not by looking through a textbook. As EFL educators, we should teach them how to critically evaluate online information since not everything we find on the Internet can be considered reliable. (See post 3)
• Flexibility: they value comfort and informality over rules and deadlines. Instead of neglecting this aspect, we should adopt teaching strategies that work with them; otherwise, students will feel bored and learning will be minimized.

• Kinaesthetic and visual learning styles: they are visual and learn by doing. The traditional old way of schooling will not work with Millennials. Our effectiveness will depend on our ability to adapt instruction to our learners’ needs.
• Feedback-dependent: Generation Y craves attention in the forms of feedback and guidance and seek frequent praise and reassurance. We should act as facilitators guiding them and always providing -gentle- error correction.

All this leads us to think –again – about the importance of becoming acquainted with our learners’ characteristics, capitalize from them and try to include such a beneficial tool as technology in our classrooms in order to transform our teaching practices and enhance our students’ learning.

For more information on Generation Y, I suggest you to read this PDF file by PeterReilly which describes Millennials characteristics and provides teaching strategies to profit from them.