Brain Development
Millennial Student
The Millennial Generation (also known as Generation
Y) is a large group of individuals born between 1982 and 1991 and is the
newest generation to have come-of-age. The Millennials grew up in a time
of many great technological advancements of the modern world, they are
racially and ethnically diverse, and show great signs of hope and
determination. Unlike the risk-taking baby boomers or the the skeptical
Generation X-ers, the 1980s gave way to an unusual generation which most
educators, at the time, were unlikely prepared for when the first wave
entered elementary school.
Figure 1. A cartoon depicting the
life of a typical Millennial child.
Millennials share a wide range of characteristics
that can be ascribed to almost every member in one way or another. Most
children born in the 1990s began using a computer or some sort of
electronic device between the ages of five and eight. Using a computer
usually helps develop a person's visual and spatial skills; this
suggests that some of these individuals are intuitive visual
communicators. What's more, Millennials are fascinated by technology,
they enjoy using technology - whether it is a camera, a cell phone, a
portable music player, or a laptop - everywhere they go and in almost
everything they do. With the ability to listen, walk, type, and talk all
at the same time, Millennials exhibit excellent multitasking
capabilities and are always looking for ways to do more things in less
time. They are able to shift their attention rapidly from one task to
another and may choose not to pay attention to things that do not
interest them. Millennial students are also impatient and dislike
anything slow, bland or boring. They gravitate towards group work, are
focused on grades and academic performance, they are family orientated,
and are usually busy with extracurricular activities. Above all,
Millennial students are "confident," "team oriented," "achieving,"
"pressured," "sheltered," and "conventional" (Howe & Strauss, 2000) -
attributes that shape their personality and their awareness of societal
problems in which they characteristically show great passion, often
through public activism.
In order to understand the Millennial generation in a
classroom environment, whether it is primary school or secondary school,
an educator must take into account all of the characteristics and
factors associated with individuals of this distinct generation. Since
Millennials are deeply committed to family, community, and teamwork, a
teacher should incorporate more group work activities in their daily
lesson plans. This allows students to be more active and interactive
with their peers. In fact, the move between whole class, small group,
and independent work is critical in maintaining continual student
participation (Auger & Rich, 2007), particularly of this generation. The
use of technology in the classroom may also appeal to most Millennials.
Integrating technology into a classroom will help motivate these
students to learn and remain interested for a longer period of time. For
instance, a high school biology teacher may choose to show a video to
illustrate the ciliated movement cell, rather than have students read a
description from their textbook or being told directly. In addition,
students of this generation may learn better if they work through an
animated step-by-step tutorial using CDs provided in their textbooks,
rather than to having to sit through and listen to a long lecture and
then having to answer questions at the end of the chapter. Technology
can also be used to remind students of any upcoming due dates or tests
by creating a classroom webpage that can be maintained and updated by
the teacher on a regular basis. Millennial high school students can use
their cell phones, laptops or home computers to log-on to this webpage
and constantly keep up-to-date, especially with their busy schedules. A
webpage will highly benefit students who regularly participate in extra
curricular activities, such as sports or social clubs, and have to miss
class due to these circumstances. In case of an illness, students can
also keep up-to-date by submitting assignments directly to their teacher
using this form of technology. Finally, unlike the Generation X-ers,
Millennial students are realistic; they want more structure and
direction, they respond quickly and they expect rapid responses in
return. If teachers do not provide enough guidance in terms of "what is
going to be on the test", for instance, these students will easy get
confused and not know exactly what is expected of them. An educator
should, therefore, be specific and provide feedback on marked
assignments and tests or wherever possible.
