KATERYNA AMOSOVA: “WHO ARE “MILLENIALS”, AND HOW TO TEACH SUCH STUDENTS

16.01.2018

The teaching environment likes speaking about advantages of “old school” very much.

And they do not take into consideration one simple truth – a model, according to which they taught the successful representatives of our generation, “works” badly on present students as a result from essential differences between generations.

This is confirmed by some scientific researches (1234567), relying on which results, for a long time, they form the academic practices at Topedo and Washington Universities, Harvard Medical School.

Unfortunately, Ukraine at least in the sphere of medical education remains aside.

Our team acknowledged the strategic goal to harmonize the educational process with the best international practices.

For its achievement, it is necessary to do not much: the aspiration to be changed and the access to English speaking segment of the internet.

Recently, the subject of discussion within faculty development, launched by us, due to international samples was namely the belonging of students to the “generation” and its importance for educational process.

According to definition by representative from Harvard Medical School (USA) D. Roberts the generations are formed by group of persons, who as a consequence from similarity of age, experience and environment, have the common values, ideas, positions, lifestyle and challenges.

The continuum of generations due to year of birth is formed by:

  • “traditionalists” or “veterans” – 1922-1945;
  • “baby boomers” – 1946-1964;
  • “generation X” – 1965-1980;
  • “millenials” or “generation Y”– 1981-1999;
  • “generation Z” – since

The events and challenges of time, where they grew up, made the significant influence of formation of common features, being characteristic for representatives of different generation, including attitude to study and work.

For “veterans” – it is the Second World War, and for “boomers” – the post-war economical growth, struggle for civil rights, research of space.

For “generation X” – disquietude about problems ecology, globalization, disarmament, spread of narcotics and AIDS, as well as deficit of paternal attention. That’s why this generation is called “the generation of children with the keys from apartment on the string on the neck”.

Unlike them, “millenials” grew up under attentive custody of parents and since childhood could use the internet and various devices.

The millenials grew up under attentive custody of parents and since childhood could use the internet and various devices. Photo Melpomene/Depositphotos

“Veterans” are characterized by prevalence of realization of own duties, loyalty, authoritarianism, respect to executives, aspiration to perform the work well.

“Boomers” are the ambitious individualists, idealists and conservers, who lack of optimism. Similar to the previous generation, they are characterized by respect to leaders; they are inclined to become “workaholics”.

“Generation X” strives for good quality classical education and independence, is distinguished with creativity, negatively treats the strict requirements at work, chooses the family between the family and work..

The largest value for “millenials” is the control over own life, time and work. They think that it is better to work in team, are good communicators, express the assurance in themselves and naturally combine the optimism with realism.

As a result, the key cultural messages of our present students and masters that significantly form their style of study are:

  • “I cannot do anything bad;
  • “I am special”
  • “Be yourself”;
  • “Be happy, glad for life”;
  • “Be nice”;
  • “Believe in yourself”

The striking difference with life credo of ”boomers”, who includes most today’s administrations and higher schools and teachers”:

  • “Be there, where you should be and do your best”;
  • “Respect the leaders and elder people”
  • “Keep for work places and raise along job ladder”
  • “Hard work will bring the remuneration”
  • “Time is money”.

At the same time the successors of “millenials” – “generation Z” already come to the first course of higher schools.

The study of its characteristics is absent now but it is clear that the representatives of this generation, who perform the significant part of their life in virtual world much more, differ from their teachers.

Will we continue teach them as our teachers taught us?

Will we finally realize that for receipt of result we shall be informed with tastes of “millenials” as to style of study and start taking them into consideration?

I am interested namely in medical students but probably their tastes as to educational environment do not much differ from students “millenials” from other specialties.

This is the orientation to practical aspects, interactive with the use of modern technologies, study due to trial and error method, involvement of gaming elements into educational process.

Instead of thick textbooks and long lectures – a short key information – as the attention to the book and lecture is quickly lost.

The communication at work in group and close contact and “warranted sympathy” of teachers, like parental one, is of great importance.

The recommendations as to more efficient work with “millenials” students of medical specialties include clearly formulated and practice-oriented educational goals and tasks for independent work, including independent search for information in the internet instead of reading only one textbook.

The class room study, lectures inclusive shall be used not for retelling the facts from Google but for acquisition of the competence for their application in order to solve concrete tasks.

All our study in medicine is concentrated on establishment of right diagnosis, prescription of optimal treatment and actions of prevention.

It is necessary to involve modern didactic approaches, such as “problem-based learning”, “team-based learning”, to apply the simulation classes on phantoms and trainers.

The educational environment and materials shall be changed.

All that is possible shall be available online so that the students would be free in choice of time for study, the educational content (textbooks and other “methodic materials”) shall clearly be structured, “without extra details”, and contain a great number of schemes and tables.

Let be honest: this significantly distinguishes English speaking textbooks from the most ours.

The lectures underwent to striking changes. According to the request from modern students, the significant part of them migrates from class rooms to online courses with restrictions of time up to 45-30-15 minutes per topic and sometimes less.

This section causes to the real shock at Ukrainian educators, who are firmly assure in inestimable value of 90 minutes lecture.

It is very hard for many teachers – “boomers”, not speaking about “veterans”, to put up with the change of their role in modern educational environment.

A teacher has long ago stopped to be “the spreader of information” as for this there Google! (and professional search systems). He is a facilitator, who shall create the “unique educational experience”.

The students-millenials expect the “parental” interest from a teacher, respect to their opinion and personality including with availability during extracurricular time.

The desire to have the communication, for example by e-mail, using messengers or social networks – shall not be considered as the impudence.

The systematic provision of those ones, who study, with “feedback” is essential. Hereby it is important to start from teaching the positive and to control the content and form of criticism, to which “millenials” are sensitive.

The criticism shall concern exclusively the sphere of study and not the personality of a student and be ended with discussion of plan for corrections of gaps.

At the beginning of classes it is reasonable to agree the clear “rules” – so-called “contract”, for example, on the part of a teacher – the criteria for assessment, and on the part of a student- a certain professional behavior with the restriction to use a smart phone and choice of clothes).

Let’s demonstrate the example of professionalism on our own!

The routine practice shall also be the constant “feedback” from students in the form of anonymous questionnaire survey as to perception of lecture, practical class, and academic course in general.

To stand “on protective pose” is non-productive, thus, it is better to initiate this practice, generally accepted in western universities.

Starting from the life-changing “revolution on the asphalt”, the best Ukrainian students demonstrated the reality in achievement of radical changes in the country to the society.

Due to burden of age and negative experience it is hard to change for teaching community. But we do not have any other way to reconstruct the modern competitive education.

Kateryna Amosova, professor, rector of O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University, especially for UP Zhyttia

UP “Zhyttia”