Millennials—who are these kids and how do we teach them?

Millennials are today's students. Born after 1982, these kids have grown up digital. Their approach to living and learning and the role of technology in their lives contrasts sharply with that of previous generations. Millennials tend to:

• gravitate toward group activity,
• identify with their parents' values and feel close to their parents,
• spend more time doing homework and housework and less time watching television,
• believe "it's cool to be smart",
• be fascinated with new technologies,
• be racially and ethnically diverse, and
• often (one in five) have at least one immigrant parent.

In the classroom, millennials tend to prefer teamwork, experiential activities, structure, and the use of technology. Millennials are very good at multitasking, they are goal oriented and they have positive attitudes and a collaborative style (Oblinger, 2003).

Meeting the needs of today's students requires a new set of instructional strategies. This section of COR offers resources that address this growing challenge.

Reference:
Oblinger, D. (August/September 2003). Boomers, gen-Xers, and millenials: Understanding the new students. Educause. Retrieved online at http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0342.pdf on May 5, 2005.