My reflections on the 7 myths of Generation Y

I was given an article to read the other day. Its entitled “The 7 biggest myths about generation Y” by Michael McQueen

Michael is an author, international speaker and social researcher on this very topic and the 7 myths he presents got me thinking.

Michael McQueen

Myth #1  They are self-centred.

There are a couple statistics presented here: 81% of youth aged 13-25 volunteered in the last 12 months and 69% consider a company’s social and environmental commitment when shopping.  If these two are to be believed then there are a lot more engaged youth than I first thought.

Myth#2 They don’t think about the future.

Youths perception of the future is different and preparing for it has to be different. The key here is in the word ‘preparing’ rather than ‘planning’. Theirs is a vague future with ever shifting careers and skills required. Much better they equip themselves with the skills and contacts they need rather than trying to plan for a unpredictable future.

Myth #3 They have moral compass

From over here that may be the perception but McQueen talks about their understanding that there are no moral absolutes. Truth and morality and seen differently by each individual. This had left them being more tolerant and accepting of diversity than any previous generation.

Myth #4 The are disrespectful

I have heard this one time and time again. But reality paints a differnet picture. As far as Gen Y are concerned there is little respect for piverledge or power or authority. Respect is built out of being respected and out of a genuine relationship with the individual.

“being worthy of being respected is similar to being a nice person… If you have to tell them you are, then perhaps you really aren’t.”

Myth #5 They are lazy

This one is tricky. There is totally different mindset towards work with Generation Y. They have seen far too many heart attacks, strokes and failed marriages. They are being their careers with clearer picture about what work/ life balance is. They are committed to their work but not at the expense of family, friends and the relationships that truly matter.

Myth #6 They only communicate online.

It is true with Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, Pinterest and other online communities there has been a huger connection being made around the globe. But with the migration of people and the connecting through the internet Gen Y’s mideset is shifting towards real relationships with real discussion. Making connections with the older generation.

Myth#7 They don’t want to connect with older generations.

They have often been referred to as the Fatherless generation, with divorce on the increase and the blended family becoming the norm its hardly a wonder that so many wonder where their roots are and are crying out to make genuine connections with adults they can trust, look up to and respect.

But Generation Y is getting older. They are no longer filling our Primary schools and they are fast vacating our High Schools too.  Do some of these myths still apply to this next generation? Are they the truly lazy? How are we going to address the students in our care? There is much to consider and reason enough to look for the good in our youth rather than assume the worst. What now? But what next?

Finding the right balance

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by Pinelopi Zaka (pinelopi.zaka@gmail.com, @paz11uc)

It is widely accepted that self-directed learning is one of the most important skills that students need to develop in today’s Knowledge Society. Online teaching and learning approaches (either with fully online or with blended courses) provide plenty of opportunities to the students to develop independent learning skills.

However, in their research on New Zealand students’ experiences learning through virtual conferencing, Bolstad and Lin (2009) argue that independent learning skills are both a requirement but also a result of online education. This means that on one hand online teaching and learning encourages students to become more self-directed, but on the other hand the students need these skills at some level before they begin learning online, in order to succeed. This is something that most of the teachers in New Zealand I’ve talked to also identify as a being a very important pre-requisite for the students, as well as a useful outcome of online learning.

What most research tells us is that although students often enjoy the flexibility and independence that online approaches offer to them, their ability to self-direct their learning is not always enough to enable them to learn autonomously, without support. The students are often struggling to remain engaged in fully online/blended courses and this has further implications for schools and teacher training in supporting the students effectively. For example, by researching students’ flexible learning experiences in New Zealand, Pratt and Trewern (2011) found that although most students identified that they became more independent after learning through video conferencing (or other forms of flexible learning), it was clear that some of the students still needed more support from their schools. In cases where more support was needed but not provided, the students were more likely to drop out their course.

When we talk about student independence we may need to think about learning how to ride a bike. One way is to give a child the bike, let them see how it is like to fall and hope that they will not give up trying. Another way is to hold them while riding, making sure they don’t ever fall, never letting them do it themselves. What is the right balance between these two extremes? The best way depends on the kid. How confident and how persistent they are is maybe one of the things we need to know from the beginning. In any case, the teacher needs to be on the kids’ side, guiding them accordingly, based on their needs and gradually giving them more independence. Trying to find the right balance is not easy, but I think it is important to remember that each child is different and that what worked on us as students, on our children as parents, or on our other students as teachers does not always work for everybody else.

Shifting from ‘a sage on the stage’ to ‘a guide on the side’... Are we ready to give our students more control? Are our students ready to take it? Finding the right balance...

Resources:
Photo by Greg Robbins.
Bolstad, R., & Lin, M. (2009). Students' experiences of learning in virtual classrooms. Wellington, New Zealand: NZCER.
Pratt, K., & Trewern, A. (2011). Students experiences of flexible learning options: What can they tell us about what they need for success? Computers in New Zealand Schools: Learning, leading, technology, 23 (2).

5 tips for staying safe on the web

• Choose strong passwords
• Enable 2-step verification
• Install updates right away
• Be wary of suspicious emails and offers
• Scan regularly for viruses

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1mt, 1mt

Josh Sundquist is a bestselling author, motivational speaker, and Paralympic ski racer. He has spoken across the country to groups ranging from Fortune 500 companies to inner city public schools to the White House. On the end of his ski he wrote 1mt, 1mt. It stands for one more thing, one more time.
So what is the one more thing you're going to do one more time to inspire, motivate, enthuse and support your students?
If you have the time, its well worth listening to Josh at the @GoogleTalk. 



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Positive discrimination in education

Teachers throughout New Zealand are required to complete a ‘class profile’, identifying the learning needs and foci of their charges. The object of the exercise is to make distinctions along gender and ethnic lines in a bid to focus professional knowledge and experise upon the correct groups within your school. The research suggests that Maori and Pacific Islanders are, educationally, at a disadvantage and need positive and purposeful interventions to allow them to succeed.

Even as I write I sense the tone in this last paragraph which smells of racism. Positive discrimination, to be sure. But is that not PC racism.

A teacher should KNOW their learner; as individuals not as collective, discrete groups. The needs of learners are individual. Streaming, differentiation and grouping are all tools which are employed by teachers to support classroom management. These approaches are not to replace of personalized learning but are a means toward that end.

Teaching and Learning are not mutually exclusive. If they are then teachers have failed.
Learning without the teaching is unstructured, disorganized, chaotic, unmanageable and un-measureable. Teaching without Learning fails to meet the needs of students and does little for motivating learners toward independence.

Balance is required and the professional judgment call as to what that balance should be comes from knowing your learners.

Related articles:
Raising achievement rates of Maori and Pacific Islanders
Our kids should be choosing life
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Using Youtube in the classroom

Engaging the class, the parents and the wider community has been the place for websites and blogs for sometime. Youtube, Teachertube or schooltube can be the place for supporting videos.
Youtube has added a number of new annotations and features which allow greater flexibility in the use of video. One teacher below has put these to great effect to have students show their thinking in Maths.

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First Emerging Leaders' Ignite Evening

Albany Senior High School
Auckland 
6th July
6:30pm
Drinks and nibbles provided

What is ignite? Ignite presenters share their personal and professional passions, using 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds for a total of just five minutes. It's fast; it's furious; it's fun.


Three things for you to do:

• Register here to secure your place.
• Tweet, Share or Email this post.
• Visit Ignite to learn more about the talks.

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Teacher Chellenge supported by Edublogs

This is the 1st post in the “30 days to using the best of the web’s free tools for educators” series.
The first for the Challenges involves Wallwisher:

Overview:
Wallwisher is a Web 2.0 free online tool where anyone can build a “wall”.
Discussing a new idea? Taking notes? Giving feedback? Voicing opinion? Wishing a happy birthday?

Your students can then go onto the internet and stick post-it notes electronically onto your wall. The notes can include linked pictures, You Tube videos, PowerPoints, PDF documents, Excel Spreadsheets, or web page links.

In this activity you will:
1. Learn how to create an online noticeboard and check out ideas for using Wallwisher with your students
2. Learn how students can add to your notice board
3. Learn how to embed your notice board in your blog or learning platform
4. Complete one or more of the challenge activities

For further challenges check out the ‘Teacher Challenge’ blog.

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Science week 2-7 May 2011

Research has found that Year 5 students in New Zealand schools receive, on average, just one hour of science education per week. The inaugural National Primary Science Week aims to change that. Breakfast speaks with its organiser Chris Astall.

More...

What’s happening?

• Workshops for teachers in local areas
• The Big Milk Experiment – nationwide for schools
• Competitions for pupils – writing, poster design
• Practical daily experiments – for classroom or home

                                            More...

       

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Breakfast in Wellington with Cathy Wylie

 

Breakfast in Wellington 

with Cathy Wylie

Chief Researcher - NZCER

"Building learning identities: what we've learnt from the Competent Learners' longitudinal project"

Breakfast Seminar
Friday, 20 May at 7.45am

Cathy Wylie is a Chief Researcher at NZCER, and is currently the J.D. Stout fellow at Victoria University. She has led the Competent Learners' project as it has followed a sample of students from the wider Wellington region from their final early childhood education days through to age 20. She is currently co-editing an international handbook on student engagement. She also researches the impact of educational policy on schools and learning opportunities, including the ways in which schools can engage students.

The Competent Learners' project provides a rare opportunity to follow the development of individual students through primary and secondary schooling. In the age-20 phase of the project, we see out how earlier experiences and performance levels on both cognitive and attitudinal measures related to some of the Key Competencies, influence secondary school engagement, achievement, and what happens post-school. We also see the kinds of learning opportunities and support, in and out of school, that can make a positive difference.

This session will discuss key findings from the age-20 phase of the Competent Learners' phase. To find out more information about the Competent Learners' project click here.

This CORE breakfast session will :

• Discuss the factors that allowed students with low levels of performance at age 8 to achieve well at NCEA
• Show the importance of Key Competencies in gaining NCEA Level 2
• Discuss the importance of the period from age 10 to age 14 in terms of forming or maintaining positive learning identities
• Question the reality of 'second chance education' for those with low engagement in secondary school or low qualification success

This session will be particularly useful for school leaders, classroom practitioners, and policy advisors.

Breakfast will be served at 7.45am, with Cathy beginning the discussion at 8am. She will wrap things up around 9am but you are invited to stay and chat with Cathy, CORE staff and one another after the seminar.

Wellington breakfast seminars will be held at Connelly Hall in Guildford Terrace while our usual breakfast venue is undergoing renovations.

Click here to register online.


VENUE
Connelly Hall
Guildford Terrace
Thorndon
Wellington

Click here for more details on the venue

* Please note the change of venue due to renovations at our usual breakfast venue *

COST
$30 including GST

REGISTRATION DUE
By Monday, 16 May
TO REGISTER
Register online
CANCELLATIONS
Click here to view our cancellation policy

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The Reading list you'll want to read

There are a myriad of books and plans and work to be read by the average teacher. The New Zeland Curriculum, Effective Pedagogy, What Literacy/ Numeracy looks like.
These are not the materials I am talking about today. The list of books below is a mere smattering of material that will not only assist you in the way you teach but broaden your understanding of the material presented. What’s more they are an interesting read.
Background and history, insight, personal perspective and personal motivation are the things that enrich the students lives and make teaching and learning much more engaging and fun. The books below are those that have packed out my teaching with fun facts, clever insight and enabled me to inject humour and perspective into my teaching.

• Mother Tongue – Bill Bryson. It compiles the history and origins of the English language and the language's various quirks.
• History of New Zealand – Michael King. It catalogues the history of New Zealand from the various theories of initial settlement right through to the previous government.
• How to talk so kids can learn – AdeleFaber & Elaine Mazlish. With practical ways to help kids to cooperate, self-discipline, commit, and show creativity, this deserves to be on every teacher's bookshelf.
• One Minute Manager - Kenneth Blanchard & Spencer Johnson. It is an easily read story which quickly shows you three very practical management techniques. As the story unfolds, you will discover several studies in medicine and the behavioral sciences which help you to understand why these apparently simple methods work so well with so many people; kids and adults alike.
• Freakonomics  / Superfreakonomics  – Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? How did the legalization of abortion affect the rate of violent crime? 

What would you add? 

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Under-achieving 0-3 year olds

Education for 0-3? Surely if they have learnt to eat, sleep and breathe they’ve made a pretty good start. But it seems according to this article from 'topnews' it just doesn’t cut it. The Office of the Children’s Commissioner states in a report that because the human brain is the most open for change in the first three years of a person’s life it means we need to over stimulate and chivvy those littlies along with their language skills and maths and a little of science and social studies?
Perhaps there is a need for centre staff, qualified or otherwise, to be multi-lingual. I don’t just mean English and Maori which some seem to tick the multi-lingual box for, but rather a language of the Philippines , Chinese, Spanish or Japanese.
But then, if there is no one, mum or dad or grandma, speaking the language on an ongoing basis what would be the point?
...Wait. Perhaps let use this as an opportunity to raise the language learning curriculum in primary and secondary schools too.

Welsh ...anyone? ... anyone?

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Do we need cybersafety agreements?

Tara Taylor-Jorgensen share her thoughts on cyber-safety and poses something interesting questions.

• Why do we force agreements on students and their parents when we don’t do that for any other curriculum area?
• Does it assume that students will do something BAD on the internet even before they are introduced to the media?
• Is it relevant for the students when they sign these agreements on school entry at five years old?
• Are we compromising student empowerment for the sake of wellbeing?
• Is cyber-safety the new ‘stranger danger’? Even if it is, violence against children, more often than not happened within families and communities.
• Is it about the victims? Or should it be about those that are hurting people?
• Is there not more bullying in schools and the community than in the ‘cyber-world’?
• Is web- filtering doing our students a disservice?
• Is it not better to have real conversations with the kids while working with them online?
• Does there need to be a national framework that school implement or will those decisions be left to the individual institutions?

Good questions...

How would you answer?


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