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