"As a group, Millennials are unlike any other youth generation in living memory. They are more numerous, more affluent, better educated, and more ethnically diverse. More important, they are beginning to manifest a wide array of positive social habits that older Americans no longer associate with youth, including a new focus on teamwork, achievement, modesty, and good conduct. Only a few years from now, this can-do youth generation revolution will overwhelm the cynics and pessimists. Over the next decade, the Millennial Generation will entirely recast the image of youth from downbeat and alienated to upbeat and engaged-with potentially seismic consequences for America." -Millennials Rising, Howe and Strauss (2000) Who Are You* Who Am I* Understanding and Engaging Four Generations of Learners What's Going On Anyway** * We are seeing unprecedented changes in the composition of our student body * These changes are broad and pervasive * The result is what we often perceive as a "Great Divide" * There are vast differences in beliefs, value systems, and frames of reference * Many of these differences can be "tracked" by birth cohort Change "Not only is the profile of today's student body different, but the life experiences that shaped today's students are quite different from those of previous eras. Each generation is shaped by its life experiences, giving rise to different attitudes, beliefs, and sensitivities." - "Boomers, Gen-Xers, Millennials: Understanding the New Students" (Diana Oblinger, EDUCAUSE 2003) Understanding is Key * An essential component of facilitating learning is understanding learners. One of the most pressing tasks facing practitioners in higher education is understanding the differences and similarities between and among the different generations we serve, with the ultimate goal of promoting student engagement and success The Generations Defined Generation Birth Year Current Age Lost 1883 - 1900 105+ G.I. 1901 - 1924 82 - 104 Silent 1925 - 1942 64 - 81 Boom 1943 - 1960 46 - 63 X 1961 - 1981 25 - 45 Millennial 1982 - present 0 - 24 Generation Famous Man Famous Woman Lost Harry Truman Mae West G.I. Ronald Reagan Ann Landers Silent Martin L. King, Jr. Sandra Day O'Connor Boom George W. Bush Hillary Clinton X Michael Jordan Courtney Love Millennial Zac Hanson Tara Lipinski The Defining Characteristics of the Generations Decades, Events and Values at a Glance 20's: Post-WW1; Wholesome, patriotic, family-oriented; women voted for the first time in a presidential election 30's: Great Depression and Dust Storm; security-oriented, patriotic, sense of despair that led to motivation 40's: WWII; patriotic; women entered the workplace; industry grew tremendously 50's: Postwar economy; affluent society; suburbs grew; television was major influence; emergence of Rock and Roll 60's: Vietnam War; Space program; The Pill and birth control helped Women's Rights Movement; The Sexual Revolution; questioning and protest of government 70's: Watergate; mistrust of government; lack of faith in any establishment; focus on self (self-fulfillment, self- improvement, self-enlightenment, self-help; "The 'Me' Generation) 80's: Iran Hostage Situation; personal computer and other high-tech inventions; AIDS discovered; recreational drug use increased; sense of fear relating to other nations and cultures; fear of nuclear war 90's: Domestic terrorism more widespread; Berlin Wall came down; Cold War ended; Internet emerged; booming economy; tolerance The G.I. Generation (b 1901-1924) * "The Builder Generation" * Returned from WWI and built a new society * Later survived the Great Depression and rebuilt society * Built railroads, cities, highways, the airline system * Architects of the traditional values system (traditional family- oriented) * Value on discipline and hard work The Silent Generation (b 1925 - 1942) * Family and individual values shaped by Great Depression * Developed deep-rooted values related to stability and security, often passed down from parents * Came of age and matured during WWII * Saw tremendous changes in economy (women entering workforce, economic growth and permanent changes after the war) The Baby Boom Generation (b 1943 - 1960) "Nine months after World War II ended, maternity wards filled up and they didn't empty for nineteen years." -Boomers, X-ers, and Other Strangers (2003) * Television was tremendous influence on young Boomers * Antiestablishment attitude arose from increasing dissemination of knowledge about civil rights issues * Awareness of environmental concerns grew * Vietnam War influenced all aspects of life * First major "Generation Gap" between values of Boomers and their parents (G.I.s and Silents) * New, different attitudes on sex, money, religion, drugs, and war * Best-educated generation thus far in history * Grew up in relative affluence Generation X (b 1961 - 1981) * Sandwiched between two "great generations" * Grew up during difficult financial times * "Latchkey children" of "workaholic parents"; often saw parents laid off or facing long-term job insecurity * Grew up during the "information explosion" * Experimental; "reject the rules" * Independent, self-sufficient, comfortable with change * Grew up with The Cold War and threat of nuclear war imminent * Less materialistic than Boomers; have a desire to work cooperatively with others toward a common cause * Pragmatic, flexible, tolerant * Do not find primary identity in their career; comfortable changing jobs/careers; "career lattice", not "career ladder" * Nonconformists The Millennial Generation (b 1982 - present) * Born in an era when Americans began expressing positive attitudes toward children * The "wanted" child * Most influential events: Columbine and September 11th * The most watched-over generation in memory * Highly intelligent * Financially better off than any previous generation of young people * Most racially and ethnically diverse (least Caucasian) generation * Will be the most numerous generation (will be America's first 100 million-person generation) * Millennials believe they are special, unique, and will shape the future Society and Culture Across the Generations Boom X Millennial Child Nurture Relaxing Underprotective Tightening Family Stability High Falling Low, rising School Emphasis Excellence Liberation Standards Crime and Drugs Low Rising High, falling Pop Culture Homogenizing Confrontational Fragmenting Gender Role Gap Wide Narrowing Narrow Racial Goal Integration Assertion Diversity Immigration Low Rising High Income Equality Rising Peaking Falling The College Classroom in 2006: Four Generations of Learners * We must keep in mind the goals of the students * Goals arise from values and priorities * Values and priorities vary dramatically across generations; therefore, an awareness of generational factors is critical to helping promote student engagement and success Motivation Across the Generations * The Silent Generation: motivated by a desire to learn for learning's sake and a desire to share their experiences and knowledge with the younger generations (passing on shared history) * The Boom Generation: motivated by self-improvement, better employment opportunities, desire to make a difference (often through a job after retirement), to fight social ills Motivation Across the Generations (cont.) * Generation X: motivated by a need/desire to establish themselves in a career path; a quest for equality, opportunity, individualism, commitment; a sense of belonging and appreciation * Millennials: motivated by a need to make a difference in the world; a desire for networking; a need to be part of something meaningful with others of all ages and backgrounds Millennial Learners: Revolution in the Making* * Millennial students are changing the way colleges look, feel, and work by creating an even greater need for excellent "customer service" and new, fresh, unexplored opportunities * The increasing presence of Millennials is forcing colleges to be innovative, creative, flexible and willing to change in fundamental ways (from the application process through the instructional process and beyond) Millennials Described * Upbeat, positive, engaging, optimistic * Respect authority * The first generation to think of itself as "global" (with internet, satellite news, porous national borders, and the end of the Cold War) * Numerous (will be the first generation to reach 100 million members) * The center of attention; a generation of children who were the most important thing in their parents' lives * Cooperative, team players * Confident, with high levels of trust and a sense of connection to the future * Vital to their parents', and society's, sense of worth Millennials Described (cont) * Worthy * High-tech, wired, technologically capable * Multitaskers * Born in an era that welcomes and values children * "Celebrated Achievers"; higher school standards will lead them to be the best educated and best prepared adults in the nation's history * Special, sheltered (the most sweeping youth safety movement in history after Columbine and the 80's abuse frenzy) * Team-oriented * Conventional (support the idea that social rules are beneficial) Impacts of the Millennials on Higher Education * Focus on customer service * Elimination of delays (I want it when I want it, and I want it 24/7) * Delays cause dissatisfaction, disengagement * Everything available online (including application, registration, advising, classes, grades, tutoring) * Learning experiences that relate to their lives, goals, shared experiences, and the larger world in which they see themselves as important and influential * Want and demand personalized work and assignments * Are prepared for high expectations and standards * Respond well to mentoring/coaching Impacts of the Millennials on Higher Education (cont.) * Emphasis on opportunities for group learning and collaboration * Dislike for traditional lecture-based teaching methods * Flexibility in scheduling and learning activities * Immediate, frequent feedback * Information when they need/want it * Input in the design of learning activities * Demand for relevance * Teacher as "coach" or "facilitator" rather than dispenser of information * Want and expect relationships with teachers Pulling it all Together * Facilitators of learning in settings with such diverse student populations should capitalize on the variation in experience, values, and perspectives The Future * "When you fit these changes into the broader rhythms of American history, you can get a good idea of what kind of adult generation the Millennials are likely to become. You can foresee their future hopes and fears, strengths and weaknesses, as they rise to adulthood and, in time, to power. You can understand how today's kids are on track to become a powerhouse generation...perhaps destined to dominate the twenty-first century like today's fading and ennobled G.I. Generation dominated the twentieth. Indeed, Millennials have a solid chance to become America's next Great Generation, as celebrated for their collective deeds a hundred years from now as the generation of John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Joe DiMaggio, and Jimmy Stewart is celebrated today." Resources * Howe and Strauss (2000). Millenials Rising. Vintage Books: New York. * Hicks and Hicks (2003). Boomers, Xers, and Other Strangers. Tyndale: Wheaton, Ill. * Oblinger (2003). "Boomers, Gen-Xers & Millennials".EDUCAUSE; obtained from the World Wide Web July 2006 at www..educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0342.pdf * Thielfoldt and Scheef (2004). "Generation X and The Millennials: What You Need to Know About Mentoring the New Generations." Law Practice Today; obtained from the World Wide Web July 2006 at www. Abanet.org/lpm/lpt/articles/mgt08044.html