You cannot expect your child to learn in the way you learned your lessons back in the day. Your child belongs to a different generation, thus, he has different learning preferences and styles. Here are some techniques that can help you teach and foster successful learning for your millennial students.
One-on-one mentorship - According to a research, millennial learners appreciate and benefit from the direction of a mentor. This includes establishing clear expectations and learning goals in order to focus the learner on the right behaviors. They want authentic, personalized evaluations based on their job performance so that they can achieve their specific learning and development goals. Unlike some past generations, they are not ashamed to ask for help and guidance in the spirit of improving their skills.
Collaboration - Millennials have a big connection with their peers, therefore they prefer learning, working and collaborating in groups. In fact, on average, millennial employees prefer working in a group versus working alone. Create group learning sessions where they can discuss the learning material and learn from each other. Researches suggest that millennials learn best from hands-on experiences, so try to recreate real-world scenarios in your group learning sessions with role-plays or assessments that closely model the actual challenges they face.
Technology - Millennial learners are accustomed to seamlessly integrating technology into their learning experiences. According to one of the studies reviewed by the Mayo Clinic researchers, 80% of millennial learners use online resources as their primary source of educational information.
Millenials also prefer learning through self-direction. Provide them with online resources that they can pursue on their own at a time that works for them. For example, you might want to assign an e-learning module or a conference talk on YouTube for learners to watch and digest on their own in advance of a group learning session. Allow them to access the material on their own and provide follow-up resources for them to continue their self-directed learning.
Feedback - Given their their heavy use of social networks – millennials are used to instant gratification in terms of feedback. Think about likes, retweets, etc. Because they are highly focused on goal achievement, they actively desire feedback to help them accomplish their goals.
One-on-one mentorship - According to a research, millennial learners appreciate and benefit from the direction of a mentor. This includes establishing clear expectations and learning goals in order to focus the learner on the right behaviors. They want authentic, personalized evaluations based on their job performance so that they can achieve their specific learning and development goals. Unlike some past generations, they are not ashamed to ask for help and guidance in the spirit of improving their skills.
Collaboration - Millennials have a big connection with their peers, therefore they prefer learning, working and collaborating in groups. In fact, on average, millennial employees prefer working in a group versus working alone. Create group learning sessions where they can discuss the learning material and learn from each other. Researches suggest that millennials learn best from hands-on experiences, so try to recreate real-world scenarios in your group learning sessions with role-plays or assessments that closely model the actual challenges they face.
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| Source: UNSPLASH |
Millenials also prefer learning through self-direction. Provide them with online resources that they can pursue on their own at a time that works for them. For example, you might want to assign an e-learning module or a conference talk on YouTube for learners to watch and digest on their own in advance of a group learning session. Allow them to access the material on their own and provide follow-up resources for them to continue their self-directed learning.
Feedback - Given their their heavy use of social networks – millennials are used to instant gratification in terms of feedback. Think about likes, retweets, etc. Because they are highly focused on goal achievement, they actively desire feedback to help them accomplish their goals.