Move over Millennials, make way for Generation Z (Gen Z)! The newest generation to hit the educational world, and they are not holding back on how education should fit their needs. Generation Z is classified as being born around 1995 and the oldest members of the generation are now hitting college.
Every generation of learners comes with unique strengths and poses its own set of challenges; Gen Z is no exception. They are uniquely different because they have never lived in a world where technology has not existed. They are used to getting instant answers, feedback, and gratification, whether it is from Google or others on social media. They believe that technology holds every answer to learning and therefore want technology to be used effectively and efficiently in their learning experiences.
While technology has brought great benefits to Gen Z’s lives, it also has its drawbacks. The biggest drawback being their attention span. The typical attention span for Gen Z-ers is only 8 seconds compared to 12 seconds for Millennials (Boger, 2020). Since their attention span is much shorter, they lose focus quite easily and need constant stimulation. The shortened attention span also creates areas of need in the classroom. As we have seen in the past few generations, the art of lecturing and fact recalling is not the best form of learning for these groups of students. They do not have the attention spans required to absorb information via lecturing or note-taking. Therefore, learning has to be tailored to their needs and learning styles.
The learning process has been revolutionized by technology and Gen Z-ers are further revolutionizing it. As Kozinsky points out in his article, “[Gen Z-ers] expect to be fully engaged and to be a part of the learning process themselves” (2017). They are done with reading textbooks and regurgitating facts for a test; they want to see and understand how and why learning matters. A study conducted by Barnes & Noble College found that 51% of Gen Z students learn by doing. Now, this is not a revolutionary idea in itself. Educators have known this for a while due to the Learning Pyramid, learners retain more when they learn by doing or teach others. Gen Z-ers want social learning environments where they can be directly involved in the learning process (Kozinsky, 2017). They want to see direct connections between their own lives, their academics, and technology.
Gen Z learners want engaging, interactive lessons that count on technology to lead the way. Unlike the previous generations, Gen Z learners want challenges, but they want to be able to explore their own answers and make their own decisions. Due to the fact that the self-motivated, social learners who are seeking answers, the learning environment can incorporate these skills. They want problem based learning, they want to work in small groups and learn from one another, they want active learning activities, and they want to schools to reflect the now of the digital world. But, what does this mean for educators? It doesn’t quite mean out with the old and in with the new, but rather revamping best practices to reflect these needs.
For example:
make connections to their lives, the world around them and the content
have them create, evaluate, and analyze rather than recall
make learning social
make learning learner-centered
teach skills that can be transferred to the work place.
Gen Z has shown us the importance of reimagining learner to fit their needs instead of ours. Are you up for the challenge?
For more information about Gen Z read the full Barnes & Noble study.
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