Bridging the Divide: Teaching in a MultiGenerational World

1
Bridging the DivideTeaching in a
Multi-Generational World

• June 2, 2008
• Claire E. Hughes, Ph.D.
• IFL Conference
• Bellarmine University

2
Differing Perceptions

• Done by students at Kansas State University
• A Vision of Students Today

3
History of Millennial Project

• Anne Bucalos and Claire Hughes
• Culture Circle
• Faculty Forum Topic
• November Presentation
• February Presentation
• Department Presentations
• Class Presentations
• Dinner
• Future- Research? Articles? Change?

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Silent Generation

• Born 1925-1942
• Ages 82-65
• Colin Powell
• Alan Greenspan
• Elvis Presley
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Gloria Steinem
• Sandra Day OConnor

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Silent Generation

• Values and Characteristics
• Discussion, inclusion and process
• James Dean- Rebel without a Cause
• Civil Rights Activists
• First generation to divorce in large numbers
• Have never had a President from this generation
• Last generation to benefit from Social Security?
• Created complex government and legal institutions
  
• Espoused family values- but terrible
  relationships with children
• College as entry into society

• Events, Trends, Technology That Shaped Their
  Lives

• Great Depression
• WWII
• Little Rascals/ Shirley Temple
• Too young for GI, too old for hippies
• Atom Bomb
• McCarthyism
• Little Rock

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Silent Generation in Pop Culture
Some Like It Hot Rebel without a Cause
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Boomers

• Born 1945-1960
• Ages 47-63
• George W. Bush
• Bill Hillary Clinton
• Bill OReilly
• Steven Spielberg
• Al Sharpton
• Bill Gates
• Oprah

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Boomers

• Values and Characteristics

• Events, Trends, Technology That Shaped Their
  Lives

• Three TV channels
• Raised to never follow a dictator- question
  authority
• Viet Nam
• Civil Rights movement
• The Cuban Missile Crisis
• The assassination of President Kennedy
• Man walked on the moon
• Woodstock
• Kent State
• Watergate
• Sexual Revolution
• Crime rates rose, academic achievement fell

• Competition
• Change
• Hard work
• Success
• Personal gratification
• Teamwork
• Inclusion
• Involvement
• Health and wellness
• Optimism
• Independence
• Hippies to Yuppies
• College as experience

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Boomers in Pop Culture
Easy Rider Apocalypse Now
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Generation X

• Born 1961-1981
• Today age 25 to 47
• Michael Dell
• Michael Jordan
• Quentin Tarantino
• Kurt Cobain
• Jeff Bezos
• Jody Foster
• Barak Obama

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Xers

• Values and Characteristics

• Events, Trends, Technology That Shaped Their
  Lives

• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Global thinking
• Independence
• Self-reliance
• Cynical
• Informality
• Creativity
• Fun
• Feedback
• Quality of work life
• Diversity
• Balance of personal professional lives
• Late marriages/ few children
• Largest group of immigrants
• Lowest voting records ever
• College as investment

• Challenger disaster
• Fall of Berlin Wall
• Operation Desert Storm
• LA riots
• Latch-key kids
• Failing Schools
• Sesame Street
• MTV
• Internet
• Hundreds of TV channels
• Computer games AOL
• Silicon Valley
• Energy crisis
• AIDS
• VCRs
• Cell phones/PDAs/TIVO

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Gen X Value as ChildrenEvil Child Movies

• 1963 Evil Baby
• 1964 Children of the Damned
• 1968 Rosemarys Baby
• 1973 The Exorcist
• 1974 Its Alive!
• 1976 Look Whats Happened to Rosemarys Baby
• 1976 The Omen
• 1976 Carrie
• 1977 Exorcist II The Heretic
• 1978 It Lives Again
• 1978 DamienOmen II
• 1978 Halloween
• 1980 The Children
• 1981 The Final Conflict
• 1981 Halloween II
• 1984 Firestarter
• 1984 Children of the Corn

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Gen X in the Work ForceDelano, 2008

• I am either a free agent or a slave.
• Work is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
• Higher productivity means doing more for less
  not doing everything better.
• What counts is my performance, not my attitude.
• No sane person trusts the organization.

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Xers in Pop Culture
Breakfast Club Singles
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Millennials

• Born 1981- 2001
• Age- 7-27 years old
• Frankie Muniz
• Brittany Spears
• Elizabeth Smart
• Jessica Lynch
• Sarah Hughes

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Millennials

• Values and Characteristics

• Events, Trends, Technology That Shaped Their
  Lives

• Cocooning
• Very close to families
• Good teenagers
• Autonomy
• Networks- facilitated by technology
• Communication/ Constant Contact
• Confidence
• Positive outlook
• Immediate feedback/ information
• Optimism
• Money
• Risk-averse
• Socially conscious
• Green
• Spoiled, but hard working groups
• College as job requirement

• Baby on Board- protected
• 9/11
• Oklahoma City bombing
• Gulf War
• Operation Desert Storm
• Israeli/Palestinian conflict
• Columbine
• NCLB
• Downsizing of corporations
• Dot Com crash
• The Internet
• DVDs
• PDAs/IPOD/Mp3s
• Yahoo/Google
• Global warming

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Serious Violent CrimeAmerica's Children Key
National Indicators of Well-Being (2007)
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Sexual ActivityAmerica's Children Key National
Indicators of Well-Being (2007)
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Alcohol UseAmerica's Children Key National
Indicators of Well-Being (2007)
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Crime in SchoolNational Center for Education
Statistics, 2007
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Millennial ChildrenSpecial Child Movies

• Baby Boom- 1987
• Three Men and a Baby- 1987
• Raising Arizona- 1987
• Big- 1988
• Finding Nemo- 1993
• The Lion King- 1994
• The Sixth Sense- 1999
• Cheaper by the Dozen- 2003
• Finding Neverland- 2004
• High School Musical- 2005
• Daddy Day Care- 2006

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Millennials in Pop Culture
High School Musical Princess Diaries
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Interactions

• Determining how these generations work together
• QA time!

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What Generation are you, by YEARS?

• Silent
• Boomer
• Gen X
• Millennial

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What generation do you FEEL MOST LIKE?

• Silent
• Boomer
• Gen X
• Millennial

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What generation are you LEAST LIKE?

• Silent
• Boomer
• Gen X
• Millennial

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Generational Conflict Ballone (2007)
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What is MOST important to you?

• Being respected in my work
• The feeling of personal accomplishment
• Balance in my life between work and home
• Integrating my life with my work Enjoying both

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Needs of Generations Ballone (2007)

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What is your goal for children?

• To have high self-esteem to feel that they can
  accomplish anything
• To be prepared with a set of strong skills they
  can use in numerous situations
• To enjoy their lives be fulfilled and balanced
  human beings
• To actively make the world a better place

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At the end of K-12 education, students should be
able to

• Have a set of skills that they can use in any
  situation
• Have a set of knowledge that will allow them to
  make decisions
• Be able to find information to meet the needs of
  a situation
• Understand themselves and others

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Haves and Have NotsDelano, 2008

• For Boomers- GENDER was the big divide
• For Xers, RACE was the big divide
• For Millennials- MONEY will be the big divide

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Millennial Characteristics and Positive and
Negative Implications
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So where to go now?
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What is your view of technology?

• Its a great tool, but its only a tool- the idea
  is the ultimate outcome
• Its a different way of thinking that integrates
  the process and products the creator is the
  consumer
• Its an ongoing, ever developing process that
  allows rapid change
• Its a way of expressing yourself that links the
  world

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Possible Responses

• Kansas State University Response

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ENGAGE!
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References

• Ballone, C. (2007). Consulting Your Clients to
  Leverage the Multi-Generational Workforce.
  Journal of Practical Counseling, 2(1), Online
  Journal. Downloaded November 28, 2007 from
  http//www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/jpc
  /vol2iss1/ballone/ballone.htm.
• Delano, R. (2008). Generations in the Work Place.
  Presentation in Louisville, KY April 3, 2008
• Gaylor, D. (2002). Generational differences.
  Downloaded November 27, 2007 from
  http//www.agseminary.edu/faculty/faculty_publicat
  ions/articles/creps_generations_chart.pdf
• Goldman K. D. Schmalz K.J. (2006). Health
  Promotion Practices, 7(2). 159-61
• Howe, N. Strauss, W. (2007). The next 20 years
  How customer and workforce attitudes will evolve.
  Harvard Business Review, July-August, 2007,
  41-52.