Teaching Generation Z

I find it goes both ways – I have very tech savvy students then I had a group of school based students that genuinely didn’t know what MS Word was and only wanted to do their assignments from their mobile phones (no laptops!) I struggled to comprehend that.

I do feel that some students have been left with technology on their own for quite some time and they are not able to communicate in the way we were taught from a young age.
They don’t seem to have any limitations with screen time and the challenge is to get them off it for your teaching session without restricting them.
Showing that I care to hear their opinion, that I want to spent ‘time’ with them, seems to be quite a new experience for many.
It is about connection before correction.

I too am a TAFE teacher and found that Covid-19 threw us into online learning at a fast pace. My favourite experience of all is when I am having trouble with technology. My students are very willing to show me short-cuts and easy access options. I now ask my students to assist me from the beginning. They will add extra info in the chat and we add this into our learning program. I love that they are interacting and they feel that they are assisting an “old-school” teacher with technology 🙂

The Gen Z’s ability to multitask makes it really hard to read how engaged they are, they seem to look distracted or dis interested while still ‘concentrating’ (or so they say) I had one Gen z watching a TV series on her phone in class and airpods in, i told her to put it away so she said “Okay, ill just listen to it” and seemed to think that was acceptable. or, another time took a phone call in class, when i told her not to she responded with “but miss, its just my nan” Sometimes i am so shocked… Read more »

Teaching online i found very challenging as i felt i couldn’t gauge their level of interest and understanding. I developed a lot of group work to help as well as Kahoots to engage the students on a more personal level with questions related to their interests as well as points i want to drive home from my teachings.

Working in Tafe during Covid has indeed been challenging…mainly for the teachers though. I found I needed to upskill quite a lot to be able to meet the student’s needs. An interesting side effect of using online delivery was that those students who normally don’t comment in face to face delivery were more vocal using the chat function. There is a level of security or safety using this medium.

I’m in the TAFE system and have mostly Gen Z students. With the recent COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, converting students to an on-line learning environment has been relatively ‘easy’, and it would often be the teachers who needed the additional technology training. Introducing on-line activities such as Kahoots and collaborative Google doc exercises into the virtual classroom have been a great way to keep the student engaged and students appeared to adapt easily and enjoy the technology experience. It is clearly something they are familiar and comfortable with.

Some characteristics of the Gen Z students I have taught include; they are obsessive about their phones, react quite negatively about writing things down (off the board), need support to organise paperwork, don’t necessarily like reading or researching & would rather you…..’give them the answer’. I encourage the students to use their phones for educational purposes only, give them some hints & tips about organising their learning materials, reading text books & researching a topic areas & sometimes, we do the research together in the classroom – that way I can monitor them doing it & support & guide where… Read more »

Depending on the definition used, I am considered to be a part of this generation. In my own schooling I saw teachers experiment with the use of a broad range of technologies in their teaching. I aim to follow this practise in my own teaching, aiming to prepare the children I teach for the 21st century world they live in. Like it or not, technology is a huge part of that world. Generally speaking, I find students to have gaps in the fundamental skills that made up so much of my own technology learning- typing, copy, paste, passwords, etc. However… Read more »

I try to endeavour to use more practical hands on activities as this is what students crave and then support this with theory that is given via a variety of ways and concentrete it usually a variety of technological methods and old school discussion.

I was discussing with a colleague recently the need to change the way we deliver in theory class – less whiteboard/talking from trainer to more activities and use of online platforms. We have started to use quizzes and make the classes shorter with more practical activities.

Keeping the lectures short, lots of activities as long as they pa attention and complete work to the required standards I am happy for the students to listen to music outside lectures.

I like to integrate technology in my lessons to enrich the learning experience and make learning fun for my students. I use smartboards, online quizzes, interactive activities and Kahoot games. The students work really hard to learn the material because they want to win the interactive games.

My biggest challenge so far adapting to younger generations has been to restructure classes into shorter bite-size chunks with more fluidity. More frequent break times, even if short seems to be working well.

Dealing with phones can be very challenging, I chat with the student and work out an agreement together. We havea “no phone” during lectures and I play music during practical and usually allow the students to choose as long as it not too loud. Students can also check their phone during day. It interesting when you give student permission, they will ask if they can check their phone and over time it minimises. Gen Y don’t like sitting for long periods of time so I keep power points and notes short and if need be schedule throughout the day. I… Read more »

Most students in our cohort tend to be Gen Y rather than Gen Z (VET) .. when we get the Gen Z they generally sit up the back of the class so they can use their phones without too much disruption – I tell the students that if they listen to the ”lecture” part of the class, they can put their ear phones in and listen to music as long as they are working through the exercises. Most students are more than happy to do this – the older students tend not to, but some take the opportunity. We do… Read more »

Many of the Gen Z students I teach love listening to background music. They often hide wireless earphones behind mullets which makes it difficult to notice. They literally cannot stay off their phones. Every notification must be attended to with urgency. I find these traits very challenging. While it may be true they like learning while multitasking and having noise in the background, I have found many struggle. They miss basic concepts because of distraction and limited attention spans. They struggle to see the importance of remembering something if they can just google it. I find video’s and Kahoots are… Read more »

My main challenge with Gen Z is getting them to use their mobile phones in a useful way, rather than distracting way. A huge challenge.

My limited experience shows me they approach computer based activities like a game. They go full speed to get to the end but show little interest in learning anything thoroughly which gets poor results with complex software like geographic information systems.

It is certainly easier dealing with students who are open for technology when delivery and online learning is involved.

In 2020 I had a group ranging all the generations. The bby boomer was keen to practise his skill, Gen X were comfortable with the tech, and gen Y & Z really had to be stimulated from a new angle regularly to maintain their attention.

Just when I thought I had the style down, I had to adjust to suit another gen!

When I was asked to switch my face to face class to MS Teams or Adobe connect it was a shock to most of my students as they were in that age group that felt unsure of using a new platform. I reassured them it would be ok and we will all learn together. To my surprise, most of them researched google to read up on MS Teams. In every class, they mentioned that they prefer being on campus connecting with friends and collaborating in a class atmosphere rather than on MS Teams. A few of the students did not… Read more »

As someone else mentioned, I also found it interesting during COVID last year when we had to switch our delivery to online via MS Teams. Although most of the students coped with it, young and old alike, they mostly seemed to prefer the face to face classes. The one positive that I saw was some of the quieter students more willing to participate in the chat pod. I have used Kahoots and MS forms in the classroom successfully to create a blend of these environments and will look for more opportunities to engage learners in the mediums they are most… Read more »

Something that I learned from teaching online in 2020 due to Covid 19 was that most of my students (young adults, both domestic & international students), like technology but really value the face-to-face teaching as well. Some of them really struggled with the technology and didn’t like the assumption that Gen Z and Gen Y are all tech savvy. They struggled and many were embarassed to ask for or accept help. When we returned to face-to-face teaching I found that some “hybrid” techniques worked well. For example I might run an in-class activity by providing a link to a Google… Read more »

As an adult ed language teacher I don’t see many students in the Generation Z category. The few that have attended class are usually very good with technology and are happy to help their classmates. They can get bored especially if they finish work quickly. I then usually have extension work for them or I ask them to help a classmate. We use a SMART board and desktop computers as well as students’ personal mobile phones. I have used Kahoot as a warmer and for revision. I have found WhatsApp and MS Teams to be effective for connected learning. Gen… Read more »

A great way to reach students of Gen Z is via the use of tehir mobile phones. Because they are wired all the time to their phones, to use apps like Kahoot, I find that they become instantly more engaged. Communicating important information like enrolment confirmation and assessment work due and online meeting times, I find responses are much better when sms is used rather than email.

Unique Characteristics about Gen Z is about technology and being connected on line. I find it challenging when their phones are a distraction in a class lesson environment which can be distracting to me a as a teacher. Strategies i have used is asking them how we can create a win win solution so it’s fair to both myself and them which seems to work. I like to use SWAY for presentations and photos of their work and send links to students which they find helpful and easy to access on their phones. Students who require more one on one… Read more »

Another thing I find is that they often lack the concentration is on 1 task for too long whether it is a practical skill or on technology. And when on technology if they don’t find what they are after ASAP there is frustration setting in too quickly and it is someone else fault they can’ t find what they are after.

We need to encourage students to use a range of technology and resources that support their learning. Sometimes i notice that students get hooked on a particular piece of technology or program that is not adaptable, they then get stuck… and need to be encouraged to try new resources.

A characteristic I regularly find when teaching Gen Z students is that they have access to multiple alternative sources of information on the subject that we are learning about.
My key challenge is to point out to them to ensure the credibility of the source as otherwise they may get misguided.
The strategy I use is to constantly ask them to access credible sources only. (For example if they are studying about the economy of Australia the Reserve Bank of Australia website will be a credible source, however most times they will access a non-credible source by web browsing).

I enjoy teaching gen Z since i need to continuously dance on my toes, it keeps me “alive”. They do tend as Chris was saying rely a lot on technology, but if you use that reliance to your advantage and provide students with a lot of engaging platforms you do get a high level of student participation.

One of the main challenges I have noticed with teaching generation Z is their tendency to be dependent on technology. As a teacher who has taught in schools, universities and now in vocational institutions, students ability levels in writing, spelling and using correct grammatical rules has diminished greatly. They are also overly reliant on google. That said, using some of this technology within classes to reach students who, in the past have been unable to participate (think students with disabilities and learning difficulties) has been great, so technology has been a bit of a double edged sword.

Share your experiences teaching Gen Z. Gen Z want to learn when they see the purpose and fun way to work together to produce an item that they can share with the rest of the group. They are eager to use technology in this process. What are their unique characteristics? Most Gen Z students find writing for periods of time tiresome to the point of aguish. They are energetic groupwork/team players unaware of the noise they make. They want to publish and perform what they’ve created/researched/typed. What are some of the challenges? Encouraging students to proof read their projects and… Read more »

Sizable number of VET students where I teach comes from Gen Z. The most noticeable characteristic of this cohort in my opinion is the lack of communication and participation. They are generally quiet and don’t tell if they are having any difficulty. I encourage them to let their teachers know if they need any help. The message does not seem to be getting through as we lose several students halfway through the semester. When we try to contact them via email, normally we don’t hear back. One possible explanation is that they might have enrolled in a “wrong” course. As… Read more »

Technology is a great boon for education, the immediacy of information at your fingertips. However, conceptual learning and retention may be a problem. I used to think it didn’t matter if you could not recall information, because all you had to do is search again, and there it is again–and it may be an updated version.

I do find it hard to teach when students are looking on their phone. If you ask them to put them away its like you are punishing them or even physically hurting them. Its interesting hearing the statistics on this, they really have been raised to be addicted to these devices so we can’t expect any other behaviour.

I think that teaching Gen Z has its positives and negatives. Personally I have an 8yr old son who has Autism and technology has been amazing Ibn helloing him to engage and collaborate with peers. Something that he really has a hard time doing. I feel that as teachers and educators we need to adapt our teaching to meet the students needs and learning abilities;ities, no matter which generation they stem from

As I teach in a trade class to engage students I give a research activity where they have to use YouTube to find a style they connect with then they have to create the style in class and then have a class discussion on the technique used.

Gen Z do see short text like language as the norm. The challenge is to keep them focused and retaining their interest throughout a session. I find variety and mixed modes of delivery the key. There are a wealth of resources around on youtube, TED Talks and games, crosswords, multiple choice on moodle.

Sounds like he was just talking about my kids! I try to interact with my kids through Snap-chat etc but they generally just block me lol. My students however don’t (well most don’t). I set up groups on Whats App or Facebook in my ESL classrooms and i find its the younger students that contribute the most this way whereas in class they are often the quiet ones.

Most of my students are very engaged with technology because they are migrants and refugees who are in contact with family overseas, they love music and enjoy having it on in the background during class and they like a lot of action in the classroom. They come from cultures that have a lot of music and dancing. Some of the challenges for me are using technology in meaningful ways (I am teaching English) and finding/creating technology resources that are interesting but adjusted for their level of English skills. Strategies to use could be noticing what and how they use technology… Read more »

I find with teaching generation Z you need to keep it new and exciting. I often will have one outcome I want them to achieve and practice that skill or idea through various ways. I often will have 3-5 different tasks that achieve one outcome. Generation Z like to learn through practical means and pen to paper just doesn’t really engage them. This generation needs to feel engaged and as soon as they are not they want to focus on something else. Being flexible and keeping things new and exciting helps them to focus more.

The previous video made me rethink my expectations of how students “should” engage in a classroom. Even when I look at my own habits, I find I am getting better with multi tasking and interruptions, noise levels etc so I can see why my students can focus on more than one task or noise at a time.

I teach Beauty Therapy at TAFE and I’m a X Gen teaching Gen Z so yes my School and TAFE experience is very different to what my learners are experiencing now. They are so lucky as they have so many more recourses to engage and use and the learning technology has come such a long way. Most of my learners have phones where you can get them to look up information and you can also have fun with Kahoot games. Plus we use Google classroom plus we have Moodle that engage our learner where ever they are now on campus… Read more »

Listening to the lecture earlier I can see these traits in my win children who are GenZ. The way they learn and how they function is vastly different to mine as I grew up with chalk and talk method of learning (I did not do well there). I, as a learner, did well in the adult learning context where student verbal participation is most common verbalised, I talk and learn, Gen Z I have found in my teaching does not work so well, but they express themselves well using their e language which is a recent development.

I think this is a very important issue for educators, especially those of us who are from a very different generation and have been teaching as long as the age of Gen Z students. I still scratch my head sometimes why we still use very outdated methods (that we used as part of our education) of delivery and assessing to a generation who is used to a very different, modern technological world Personally, from an education perspective, as a responsibility to the next generation, we should be grasping and engaging and looking at both ways to better deliver as well… Read more »

I think once you have an understanding of the ability and actually comfort that students have in multitasking, working with distractions and noise….then it opens up exciting opportunities to assist your students to learn in this new environment.

With COVID19 is challenging for many students to use technology. In many cases people don’t have the resources and money to access online education.

I actually get these students to use their phones in class as tools for research and problem solving.
If they are using this time for social media i simply ask them if it is helping with research and problem solving. If it is helping they will volunteer the info quite happily. If they are using the time to ‘ not engage’ and chat with social media friends, this becomes a friendly reminder to re-join the class.

I think the generations bring a new and exciting challenge. We need to understand and relate to these students as we can, as they need. We need to learn as much as we can and involve each student in their learning. We need to remember they are part of a generation but also individuals.