How Generation Z learns

How Generation Z Learns: To Victory In Three Clicks

Modern schoolchildren need to achieve here and now, not "listen and remember".

Those who lived through the twentieth century understand that the rigid framework of traditional educational approaches is no longer applicable to those who were born with gadgets. Obedience does not work at all, the game works effectively. Of course, according to clear rules.

Signs of Generation Z: in short!

Children of any time differ in temperaments, inclinations, preferences. But psychologists and sociologists identify several features that are characteristic of pupils and students of the 2020s.

"Digit steers." The child absorbs the ability to use smartphone applications, instant messengers, social networks – without exaggeration, with mother's milk. Compared to the childhood experiences of parents and grandparents who learned about the world on the street and from books, their "digital childhood" is both easier and more complex. Information and impressions are always at hand: all historical events and theorems can be googled, and you can find out how to make a robot, hot ice, or anything else on YouTube. The horizons are widening, the amount of memorized information is narrowing.

Life online. Communication with the world and people has also undergone changes. The reaction is developed by games, but there are fewer sensory impressions alone with the tablet. It's not hard to figure out how the app works, but the feeling is harder to understand. 

Virtual communication gives quick decisions: if you don't like it, you can get banned. From live activities and relationships, you often want to hide behind the screen. Hyperactivity is combined with immersion in oneself, a lot of social connections – with the difficulty of building stable relationships, maximum openness – with the inability to clearly express one's emotions and thoughts.

Impatience. In a world where you can press a button and immediately get results, it is difficult to achieve something for a long time and persistently, despite obstacles, keeping a distant goal in mind. What seems too hard or doesn't work in the here and now, the Zetas often just toss. Their goals are usually short-term, their thinking is fragmentary ("clip"). It is not easy for them to concentrate.

Presumption and uncertainty. A young person is ambitious and success-oriented, but failure can quickly disappoint them. Moods change, and with them the desire to do something, and self-esteem: "I deserve much more!" – switches to: "I'm completely confused about myself, I'm a loser"...

Communicating with Generation Z: Catching the Flow

How do teachers establish a dialogue with students so that knowledge is better assimilated and the personality spreads its wings? At NSS International School, we search for fresh answers every day.

An integrated approach. Of course, it is more logical for a first-grader in 2020 to learn English vocabulary from a game application rather than from a rough dictionary. A sixth-grader should listen to a podcast, not take notes on a lecture. Videos, cartoons, virtual and augmented reality – all of them can be both friends and assistants to a student. 

But it is not necessary to completely "technicalize" learning, rejecting all the charms of the "warm lamp". For example, writing on paper helps to turn on memory better and adds kinesthetic pleasure. And lively, cordial contact with the teacher will never be replaced by any programs! After all, a large part of learning is inspiration, and it is not taken from digital, it is transmitted from person to person.

Respect, partnership, cooperation. The school, where training and obedience reigned, is gradually fading into oblivion. The modern pedagogue teaches not to "complete the task" (non-negotiable order) and not to "obey" (indisputable authority) – it is good to learn to think with him. The child himself has access to oceans of information. The teacher helps to filter these arrays, to distinguish the valuable, to recognize the false. 

This process takes place in comfortable conditions, in a joint search for answers, without "it is necessary" and "because it is right". Every student wants and has the right to be heard and heard, not to be afraid to make mistakes, to receive support and encouragement. (It is also worth remembering their desire for success and operational results – celebrating the child's small victories at each stage of work). Then the results are higher.

Constant search. Any principle or method that is successful here and now can be replaced by a more effective one tomorrow. Therefore, modern educational programs are flexible and dynamic, they should set the direction rather than give rigid templates.  A modern teacher has to tirelessly learn new trends. Because in today's world, including in education, variability is the new constancy.

Lessons from Generation Z: A Vibrant Show

How to present the material to students so that it does not fly into the "other ear"? NSS School advises a dynamic and attentive approach at the same time.

Clarity and comprehensibility. The long path to knowledge should be clearly organized so as not to stress the inquisitive zeta. He is more comfortable when small milestones are visible. At each, the results are summed up and the next level is announced. 

And it is important for the child to know exactly what should be done and in what time frame. She will appreciate it if she is given a choice and free rein for creativity ("You can present a story in a format that suits you best – for example, shoot an explainer"). But it also requires certain algorithms of decisions and an understanding of the framework: what exactly we do, when the deadline is, how the evaluation system works. Transparency and structure help her learn how to manage herself.

Clarity and specificity. Generation Zetas are mostly visuals. They will better understand the material presented in diagrams, pictures, but if it is a text, then it should certainly be divided into small pieces. Everything can be used if it helps to assimilate it more naturally – to comics about dinosaurs, memes about Kyiv princes, or stickers with Hrushevsky. Distant events and abstract truths will be learned when a child is made to understand how they can relate to his or her daily lives. Why not feel like Leonardo da Vinci?

Maintaining focus. A modern schoolboy will no longer focus on one thing for forty-five minutes: his attention slots are much smaller. Therefore, it is worth dividing the process into fragments of a maximum of 15 minutes, switching to different forms of interaction. Concentration exercises, mini-meditations, short games to establish contact and restore energy will help restore concentration.

Three Important Skills for Generation Z

Knowledge and skills (hard skills) in professional activity cease to weigh on their own. The ability to understand oneself and others, to communicate with people – soft skills related to emotional intelligence – is becoming more and more valuable. In the school team, it is the same as in the work team, and in any social group. Therefore, modern teachers pay more attention to...

… To what extent the student is able to express his own opinion, defend his position – at the same time, it is important to secure personal boundaries and do without aggression.
… Do students know how to work in a team, taking the initiative, but also not pulling the blanket over themselves: it is important to distribute roles and delegate tasks, hear each other and find win-win solutions.

… how leadership abilities are manifested in students. The distribution of social roles in mini-teams (including such as groups created to solve a particular problem) does not necessarily imply that there is one "chief" – he leads everyone. Children learn that everyone can be a leader in their own business. Someone is the best at charging and invigorating everyone, someone is able to collect information, and someone is able to present the results in the most understandable way.

Three Important Principles for Generation Z

Search incentivization. Since it is now much more important not to accumulate as much data in their heads as possible, but to be able to cope with it, students are encouraged as much as possible to look for (but also critically evaluate) any additional sources. They also need more time to consolidate and comprehend the material after class. After all, it's fun to play – with friends or on the computer!
Feedback. The best teacher for the Zetas is an accessible, understandable and interesting conversationalist. His authority rests on his ability to persuade, interpret, support the mood and organize the space. He encourages conversations on current topics (building and facilitating discussions), directs work in groups, and does not skimp on explanations, encouragement, and rewards during debriefing. 
A positive approach. An optimistic attitude is better for overcoming difficulties than harshness and threat. However, a challenge is also an incentive if it is presented in an exciting way!