Following millennials, Generation Z emerged in the mid-90s and is now getting set to make its mark on the world. Many of them are now in high school (depending on when you define the end of Gen Z), meaning they are preparing for their lives and careers. Like other generations, they are facing challenges and staring down some pretty incredible opportunities—if they have the right skill sets to pursue them. To develop these skill sets, Gen Z students need to continue to be given beneficial classroom opportunities before they’re ready to take the next step. Though some of Gen Z is already entering the workforce, more can be done to ensure the generation’s remaining members (and those who follow them) are put in the best position possible.
Gen Z Students and Educational Technology
We know that classroom technologies impact the learning environments of students, but educational leaders don’t often consult with these students before integrating new pieces of EdTech. For Gen Z students, it’s important that their teachers work with them, learn their concerns, and provide technology that will better prepare them for the future. Student-teacher interaction in the classroom is very important for Gen Z students and there is something to be said about the role that technology plays in this relationship. The good news is that many educators are aware of the benefits that various technologies have on their students, including encouraging collaboration, building good study habits, and increasing engagement. Those educators who remain opposed to the integration of more technology tend to hold beliefs that are the exact opposite. But, students should be consulted, too, so how do they feel about it?
Overall, Generation Z students have positive feelings when it comes to using more technology in the classroom—and that’s not because they’re glued to it outside of school. Of course, there are all different types of technology that’s designed to enhance the learning experience, starting with computers and tablets, and including other tools like robotics, virtual reality, and 3D printers, which cover more of the STEAM side of things. According to a survey, over 70 percent of Gen Z students said they believe that using computers and tablets in the classroom help them learn better. Also, 56 percent of them said that they believe these kinds of tools help them learn the key concepts more quickly than they would learn them when using traditional worksheets, books, and lectures. Plus, over 70 percent of them said that learning with technologies like computers and tablets help make learning more fun.
There are also learning apps and online programs that students can use to make learning more relevant and engaging. Again, 70 percent of students approve of learning like this and almost 60 percent said it makes learning more fun. Gen Z students also believe that these kinds of services help them prepare for tests and exams and that they are a good use of their time. In fact, almost 90 percent of the students surveyed said they enjoy using tools like this outside of the classroom to help save them time and complete their assignments. Finally, Gen Z students surveyed indicated they believe that student-teacher interaction when using tech in the classroom continues to be important. In total, over 12,000 students were surveyed as well as over 10,000 teachers. Ultimately, there’s no way of denying that technology is a useful resource for today’s students, but there is more tech that can be used besides computers, tablets, and online services. The STEAM tools can help them out just as much.
The Future of Work and STEM for Everyone
It’s not uncommon for male and female students to hold differing views when it comes to STEM education. One gender may be inclined to believe that a STEM skill set will not be as relevant or believe that STEM in general is not for them. As the state of the economy shows, however, STEM careers can and should be for everybody since there are so many of them to fill. In general, it is the unfortunate truth that female students tend to feel ill prepared when it comes to pursuing any kind of future in STEM and those girls in Generation Z are no exception. One of the reasons they say they feel unprepared has to do with the new technologies shaping future career fields. In a recent survey of 1,000 students between the ages of 13-24, people were asked about their familiarity with the future of work and how what they’re learning in school ties in to that future. While some of the responses were favorable, others indicated that they knew what they were going to be up against, but felt unprepared nonetheless.
Even as we would hope that male and female students alike realize the importance of a STEM education, the responses offered as part of this survey revealed some clear differences. Most of these differences were between what male and female students know and what they wish they could learn. According to the results, one in three female students said that they’d wished they were learning more about technology and its innovative uses during their time in school, while just one in four male students answered in the same way. While this is a bit troubling, another portion of the survey revealed more similarities between male and female Gen Z students. Among them, almost 50 percent said they believed artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, and robots would play a significant role in the future of work, revealing that the gap between what students know is not as large as the gap between genders when it comes to what they wish they knew.
One interesting point of the survey is that 70 percent of male students said they had learned about robotics compared to just 55 percent of female students. The thought of why this discrepancy exists has to do with the different genders having different preferences in afterschool clubs and activities, which, for Gen Z students, are important educational experiences. This information could be important for Gen Z students and subsequent generations based on the way the economy is trending. Although women hold roughly 50 percent of all jobs, they hold just about 25 percent of STEM jobs. This is troubling because 17 of the top-20 paying jobs require a significant amount of STEM skills. In order to reduce this gap, it’s important that all students realize how they feel about STEM education and recognize its importance in their lives. Hopefully, then, they will be able to help blaze a path of STEM success for themselves and all of Generation Z.
How to Revamp Instruction to Reach Gen Z
There’s no telling how different the futures of today’s students will be from the lives graduates 10 years ago are currently experiencing. Not only will today’s high school and middle school students be required to know a lot of things that are different than other students before them, the ways in which they will learn those concepts and develop those skills are going to be different. Students today learn in new and unique ways, compelling educators to alter their instructional methods to better fit the times in which we live. Though it seems like today’s youth are constantly glued to some form of technology, the truth is that they might be using it for good and engaging them doesn’t necessarily require a high-tech approach in the first place. It’s true that Gen Z students prefer to use their devices for constant communication, but is this necessarily a bad thing when it comes to preparing them for a fast-paced future?
Since Gen Z students are so used to using devices to communicate, research, and find answers, wouldn’t it make sense that their educational experiences incorporate a fair amount of mobile technology? Kids today thrive on digital media with much of their time spent perusing the YouTube and Instagram apps. If only these mediums could be used to provide them with engaging, relevant, and educational content! That last sentence was sarcasm—obviously these resources, when used in the right way, can prove to be invaluable, especially for Generation Z students. Kids have gotten used to being just a click away from whatever they want to know—directions, how-to’s, and more—and depriving them of maximizing the resources they grew up with would seem like it could hurt them both now and in the future. With that said, Gen Z students also have short attention spans—increasing the need for educators to deliver their message quickly, efficiently, and at their level—perhaps expanding the viability of apps and other tech.
Knowing what Generation Z students prefer when it comes to how they learn is important and, with that in mind, here are some strategies to help maximize their learning outcomes. Today’s students thrive on detailed feedback and like to achieve solutions immediately (don’t we all?), so any time educators can provide instant feedback to their students, they are more likely to assess and correct a situation while it is still fresh in their minds. Something else that can be done is making the classroom a social environment. We touched on how kids are constantly using their devices to socialize, so maybe they would get more excited about learning with more opportunities to socialize and collaborate throughout the day. Ultimately, students in any grade these days want a few simple things from their education. They want their content delivered in concise bullet points. They want more interaction. They want that continual feedback. And, they want more creativity in how they learn. It’s probably about time teachers give it to them.
Adapting Education to Accommodate Generation Z
Gen Z is the first generation to be considered fully digital as they have never lived in a time without powerful mobile technology and other modern advancements. Since that is the case, the way of life that these students know is clashing with some of the educational norms that teachers have been leading for years or, in some cases, decades.This shift is affecting all industries in the modern world and education is no exception. Some even go as far as saying that Gen Z kids can’t distinguish between the physical world and the digital world. As these students begin graduating from college and entering the workforce, employers are being warned on what to expect and how members of Generation Z are likely going to be a lot different from Millennials. During the time that Gen Z students have been in school, educational leaders have been focusing on adapting instruction to these students rather than encouraging the students to adapt to instruction and this shift is starting to show.
Understanding how Gen Z students think and how they perceive the world is key to educators being able to deliver a beneficial learning experience to them. The first thing teachers at all grade levels must remember is that digital is king. Gen Z students cannot remember a time when they were not able to connect to Wi-Fi and, since they’re always online, they sometimes associate that with always working. In terms of education, this means that teachers should focus on incorporating both digital materials and mobile devices within their instruction on a regular basis. On top of that, they also may need to focus more on individualized learning. This is one of the most important ways in which modern educators are accommodating Generation Z. These students prefer to focus on their own unique interests and talents rather than a uniform curriculum designed for everyone and this is actually something that will help them discover what they’re good at, passionate about, and what they might want to pursue in the future.
Besides those elements, today’s teachers should also always keep in mind that aligning their instruction with real-world relevance is a must. To Gen Z students, the real world is never more than a click away and this has led many of them to want to be able to solve problems right away or pursue roles that allow them to help tackle real-world issues. In the K-12 grades, educators are responding to this by designing learning experiences that allow students to use tech devices and help them develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Other approaches include focusing on a cross-curricular way of teaching and giving students as much choice as possible. Even though education is being adapted to meet the needs and wants of Gen Z students, educational leaders are also finding that they need to be more guided in their learning as well. So, keep these points in mind and hopefully Gen Z students will get the experiences best tailored to them.
School Libraries and Gen Z Students
It’s no secret that school libraries have undergone and continue to undergo extensive transformation as education shifts to maker- and STEAM-focused initiatives. What people might not realize, however, is that the changes taking place in school libraries are not only being done to help usher in these new kinds of educational experiences, but also to make learning more conducive to Gen Z students. As the roles of school librarians have changed, they’re now largely responsible for helping Gen Z students discover the tools for moving from ‘getting it right now’ to ‘getting it right.’ Librarians and library media specialists now have the unique role of introducing students to new technologies and connecting them to meaningful resources they can use for research. It isn’t always glamorous, but, as we discussed, when it comes to how Gen Z students like to learn, this is an important measure to take.
Since Gen Z students are digital natives and never really more than an arm’s length away from their devices, librarians are often tasked with teaching these kids how to navigate the world from those devices in a responsible and efficient way. They also need to find the proper balance and make sure that students know about and take full advantage of the opportunities the tools they have available to them can provide. Even the youngest of Gen Z students know they can instantly find the answer to a question online, something that librarians have come to notice as well, leading them to guide students during their searches and ensure they are finding information from only reputable resources. In a time in which “fake news” is so prevalent, librarians also have to be aware of that and work to make sure their students develop a strong sense of media literacy. It all ties in with digital citizenship and comes full circle when librarians help classroom teachers, parents, and students put these measures into practice.
Part of the current roles of school librarians include remaining on the lookout for new technology. Whether it can be used in the library or in the classroom, finding new ways to pique student interest in learning and excite them is becoming more and more important. What comes with this added responsibility, however, is also the duty of being the one to introduce new tech to teachers. This helps these educators create connections between what students might be doing in the library and what they are doing in their general education classes. Librarians should also be empowering Gen Z students to feel like they can learn anything they can imagine from the second they walk through the door. Whether students are 3D printing their own designs, coding their own worlds, or inventing something even their teachers wouldn’t have expected, their futures are bright and that has a lot to do with the excitement school librarians generate for them as well as the opportunities they help unlock.
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