teaching the playstation generation.final.dkblue (1)
TRANSCRIPT
TEACHING the PlayStation Generation
• Anne Dwyer • rincondelospadresymadres.pbwiki.
com
TEACHING the PlayStation Generation
Take a couple of minutes; write down when you were born, three adjectives to describe your peer group, your education, your world, when you were young.
• Why?• Who?• How?• What else?
Why focus on Learners?
• “We can only be effective teachers if we know how our clients learn”
• Supporting successful learning requires understanding of:– Who learners are– What they need– What they expect– What technologies students are using– Which technologies have real teaching and
learning potential– How we can use the technologies to support
successful learning
Generations• What makes a generation?• Grandparents – parents – children: “the gap”• Social, ethical, political, economic, technological
change and influence• Every 20 years (sub-generations are shorter: war,
disaster, recession etc)• From generation to generation… expectations,
attitudes, rights and rules change. Understanding this helps us to understand parents and grandparents too!
Schools change from generation to generation
1910-30 the builders, the lucky generation
Lucky =job for life, pensions, one income
The school days of the lucky generation were days of
• Respect• Rote learning• The three Rs• Rule by the rod• Punishment
Values learnt from a depression childhood
• Loyalty• Saving• The work ethic• Sense of mutual obligation• Patriotism
• - parents of the early Baby Boomers• - grandparents of Generation X
1930s: the silent generation
These were days of• Uncertainty, insecurity• Political unrest and war• Extremisms• Interrupted education• Emmigration to survive• A desire to make the world a
better place for their children
Values learnt from a wartime adolescence
• Strong community spirit• National identity • Pride in the country’s capacity to take its
place in the war• Patriotism• Sacrifice, saving and hard work
• - parents of the later Baby Boomers• - grandparents of millennials
The early baby boomers: the “greedy generation” B 1940 –
50
Parents = lucky generation
Children = Generations X/Y
• A job for life• Opportunities for promotionAnd• This was the first generation to have a
washing machine, a hoover and to be influenced by TV
• Paris 68ers, money makers, pop music: Beatles, Rolling Stones
The Greedy Generation in 1965
Born 1950 – 1965?: the baby boomers in 1975
Post-war Boom Values : children of the lucky and/or silent
generation(thanks in part to the Marshall Plan)• Optimism - hope for a new egalitarian middle-class • Social Welfare and guarantees• Openness to new immigrants based on expected
assimilation• Early marriage, the lucky generation became ‘Doris
Day Mum’, the ‘real Mum’ • Dr Spock• New houses, in the suburbs• Freedom: Sex revolution, hippies, comfort• Live to work - profession and progress
In schools…• More openness• New theories, new ideas: new maths,
audiolingual language teaching• Less authoritarianism• More democracy – parent-teacher
meetings• Promotion of girls• The first years to experience the
‘democratization of the university’
Late Baby Boomers: “we’re not here for a long time;
we’re here for a good time”. • Wild youth - over protective parents• Desire for equality – unclear gender roles• Independent women• ‘Super Mums’ career, few kids, less time for
kids, material compensation• High divorce rates • YUPPIES from ‘Love Generation’, idealists and
revolutionaries to ‘Stress Generation’
Born 1965 – 1980 Gen x
Generation X• Consumers (spoiled as children)• Cynical• Short-term thinkers, • Job and money-oriented • Work to live• Few or no children• DINKIES- parents of the next generation!!!
Interactivity
Personalised teaching
1980 – 1990: Gen Y/ millennials, the ‘kleenex
generation’• Action people• Personalised everything• Super consumers• Give up easily• High job turnover• High partner turnover
– Concentration span of advertisements
Individualism
Teams and groupwork
1995
Born 1990 – 2005? The PlayStation Generation
The PlayStation Generation
• High divorce rate among parents• Busy working mothers, inactive fathers• Message ‘girls/women are better’• Will persevere, they don’t give up• Use of thumb• Use tricks and cheat sheets• Will and want to express opinions• Obtain, file and store info differently
2008
Summary of generations
Matures (before 1946)
- Dedicated to the job- Respectful of authority– Place duty before pleasure
• Baby boomers (1946-64)
– Live to work– Generally optimistic– Influence on policy & products
• Gen X (1965-1980)
– Work to live– Clear & consistent
expectations– Value contributing to
the whole• Millennials (1981-94)
– Live in the moment– Expect immediacy of
technology– Earn money for
immediate consumption
Students who were very satisfied by generation
0
10
20
30
40
50
60 55%
38%
26%
Boomer1946-1964
n=328
Generation X1965-1980
n=815
Millennial1981-1994
n=346
Per
cent
Multitasking
Multitasking means• Never normally fully concentrate
on one sole matter• Focus is diversified
The PlayStation Generation … The
Zappers• The generation inventing games• Without winners or losers, without
start or end, and• changing the rules continuously….• multitaskers• know urls better than irregular verbs• operate in a multi-linear way
Sites for playing with others
Messenger: 24/7, 10 conversations, 150
contacts
Video clips for communication
The PlayStation Generation is into
They take a non linear approach
Non-linear learning strategies demanda redesign of content: learning assets, Objects to be accessed just-in-time
Media use: Holland
The PlayStation Generation
• Will persevere• Use tricks and cheat sheets
• Will and want to express opinions• Projects – people• Obtain, file and store info differently• Over-informed, saturated
Lifestyle• Special, Sheltered, Social• Team oriented• Achievers, Anything is possible• Pressured• “Yeah, right” cynicism amongst early
‘players’• Concerned about future but live for
today (still adolescents!)
Learning Style: difficult to ‘teach’ easy to ‘get to
learn’• Twitch speed• Active learning : Learn by play/fantasy• Tech friendly and savvy• Instant return• Research = surf• Parallel processing• Graphics first• Connected• CHALLENGE: critical thinking skills
So what we need So what we need to do?to do?
So what we need So what we need to do?to do?
Their dominant interaction modes:
• multi-tasking, • social networking • and experiential, trial and error
learning with peers
The PlayStation Generation and other Milennials believe
• Learning is searching for meaning• Knowledge is communication about
meaning• Digital data and information become a
tool for knowledge construction• Learning with ICT goes beyond
understanding of others’ thoughts by generating new ideas of your own
For schools this means • increasing emphasis on social aspects of
classroom learning
• classroom learning : ideas and concepts are actively explored, constructed, applied and critiqued
• students actively engage with learning materials and problem solving, both individually or collaboratively
• the teacher’s role shifting to mentor/facilitator: model processes, challenge students to think more broadly and support students in this new environment.
What do they have that we didn’t have?
• Keyboard skills• Multitasking• Instant info• Connectability
• Over-stressed Mums
What did we have that they don’t have?
• Freedom to play in the street• Freedom to get dirty• Throwing games• Dads who helped us to deconstruct
‘machines and gadgets’• Someone at home after school (usually
Mum)• Brothers and sisters
A ‘motherless generation’
What did Mums use to do (and no longer do)?
• read aloud to them• help with homework• check that everything’s been done• call other Mums to check that
everything’s ok• compare duties and pocket money and
discipline with other Mums• sing to them 5 senses
What do teachers complain about?
• multitasking eg talking, not listening; laptops and mobile phones
• poor reading skills• poor writing skills• plagiarism• cheating• poor study strategies• low parent interest and control
So what kinds of activities do they need?
the Net-Generation and learning:• read off the screen• store from the screen• look for tricks• research and projects• 20 minute interludes
Metacognitive skills of the PlayStation generation
1. Enquiry based approaches2. Networked learning: thinking as part of
networks3. Experiential learning: no punishments4. Collaborative learning: teams and roles5. Active learning: making choices, act6. Self organisation: setting goals7. Problem solving strategies8. Explaining knowledge to others
In brief -The PlayStation Generation
• a creative problem solver• an experienced communicator• a self-directed learner
Activities that work• Cheat sheets• Projects• Team work• Copy if it is true, change if it is not• Find the mistakes• Copy the best model• Cut ‘n paste• Write your own exam (team v team)
1. Cheat Sheets not cheating
2. Projects and Team work
3. Classical Exercises• Copy if it is true, change if it is not• Find the mistakes• Copy the best model• Improve on the original
• Choose the texts to be corrected
4. Cut ‘n pasteand reference
• http://5purposedriven.files.wordpress.com/2006/12/disney-parade.jpg
5. Write your own exam
• Team v team• Selected materials• Specific time frame
• Self evaluation
6. Create a website• A wiki or a blog• Or an open space and publish
homework, exam dates etc:
• You look cool• They learn more (and have no excuses)• You save time
7. Mnemonics• OPTR: Object + Place + Time +
Rest
Making up for the ‘lost’ Mum … we/they need
1. Reading aloud2. VAK3. 5 senses4. School websites with homework, exams calendar etc5. Getting dirty6. Provide guidance7. Provide structure – outcome based8. Encourage ‘can do’ attitude9. Forums like … ‘being built’ elrincondelospadres.com
What does the future hold?
• Just-in-time content• Interdisciplinary approach• Learning in groups of interest• Different timeslots (from 20’ to 4 hrs !)• Personal itinaries, PortfoliosNO MORE curriculums, whole
classroom teaching, school years, standard exams?
Oh yes … there is more• Physical activity• Fearless learning – take risks• Off their butts
• multicultural classrooms: individualist• Collectivist? Low/high risk? High/low context?
Ascribed/achieved status? Masculine/feminine? Etc
• Plus …only children
WHAT a CHANGE!• Comments and Questions