Get Your Students Hired
Do Gen Yers really struggle with failure because of the special treatment received by parents or the "participation trophies" or is it more simply that the economy is in a far worse state than it was in 1980s. Are they having to work harder to earn less?
My experiences seem to be mirroring yours. When a student fails a test, I ask them "what are some areas that you can improve, such as studying habits, time management, etc." They will look at me like I am crazy to suggest that it is their "fault" that they did poorly and will usually say that they just don't do well on tests. When I suggest some specific ideas on how to improve their test-taking ability, I am met with blank stares. It's like they truly believe that learning something new should be as easy as Googling it. Google may give you information, but if you don't know how to put it into practice, then have you really learned anything?
If this is true (and I'm not disagreeing) then what can we do as teachers to create situations where it's okay to fail? How can we show them that taking risks and failing provides valuable education that they wouldn't get otherwise?
I agree that Gen Yers expect far more reward for less effort. I agree that protecting sensitivities (no one wants to be the kid who doesn't get a trophy)has made sports or academics less traumatic for those who are not athletic or honor roll types. However, I see the the challenge as the latest generation wanting the rewards of adulthood without the responsibility. Teens and tweens expect cell phones without working to earn them. Some of my kids friends earn the equivalent of $20/hour for their chores-so why would they EVER want to work in an entry level fast-food or retail job.
I have only been at LCB for about a year, but multiple times student have sent a rude email in the tone of "How dare you fail me on that assignment." Or, "I did my best, I can't get an F." I don't agree that they worked on it, but they clearly misunderstood the assignment directions and expectations or failed to look at the rubric to see that they did not do enough work to pass.
I completely disagree that they are ACTUALLY working harder for less, but do agree they THINK they are working very hard. Maybe it is part of their experience that they don't think they have to follow the assignment directions to earn an A. At the very least, how do we teach them how wrong it is to whine and pout or verbally assault an instructor about their grade?
Nicole,
glad to hear you are providing this perspective for your students as I believe it is very important for them to hear this regarding the constructive criticism.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I find that most of Gen Yers in my massage therapy program do not respond well to constructive criticism. Even when giving a massage in our student clinic, if a client leaves a comment on their student eval regarding any dislike of the session, it is almost too much for that student to grasp. It is almost as though they simply cannot believe that someone had the gull to say something negative. I have to encourage them over and over again that constructive criticism is a learning tool, not a display of failure.
Dennis,
this is very true & really for this generation, things have been made very easy. In our efforts to help them, sometimes we may have made things too easy & so they have not been able to learn as much from failures & struggles as we would like them to be able to do.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
i feel Gen Yers struggle with failure simply due to being unpracticed at it. From childhood, many of them have been protected by parents, teachers, coaches, to minimize their exposure to situations where they could fail. Or, having failed at something, there were no consequences from which to learn.
Rick,
this is an excellent point & we do need to make sure that we are providing that very quick feedback for them.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Hi Jaye:
The way I see it, Gen Y folks tend to be more extrincally motivated and as their rewards and results are desired quicker, they have a tough time with long-term focus. They lose focus and fail out of dis-interest, rather than having patience towards goals that are harder earned.
Gen Y is more results-oriented, so they need to see the small-time wins (like achievements in video games) as they go to see that, if something is taking longer to complete, they can measure progress.
Do some research on gamification (making games of real life work) to understand this more.
-R
Paula,
I agree that some are able to accomplish this. Yet we also know that many Gen Yers are not landing these types of jobs & some of the key interpersonal skills that many employers are looking for are lacking.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
This is a tough question. I see Gen Y'ers graduating from universities and earning in the six (yes, that's right) figures because they have precisely the skills that are needed in the technology sector. Our education system as a whole needs to continue to make higher levels of learning more accessible and companies need to develop programs to educate their employees for advanced job skills. Life and work experiences will continue to mould Gen Y'ers ability to struggle with failure.
Stephen,
This is a great point & I completely agree; I would add that this even comes out in video games. You can purchase or find "cheat codes" which basically means you won't fail in the game.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Hello Jaye,
I'm not one of those type of people that believes that whole notion of "the younger people today have no idea...in my day...." But I am the type of person that can see that we have indeed failed to teach our children the valuable lesson of how to fail. When we have provided Gen Y students with the ability to cruise and be rewarded for just showing up then they dont have a real perspective of what working hard is. They dont have a real understanding of how valuable of a learning lesson it is to fail and try again. They dont have a real understanding that in order to excell you have to go above and beyond basic expectations. "Can I get extra credit for doing my homework?" NO that is what you are SUPPOSED to do! You dont get extra for doing the basic requirements!
Economically we havent given GEN Y students any less than in any other generation. The big difference is that today children expect to be given phones, and laptops, and cars, etc...whether parents can afford it or not. The expectation is there that the parents will provide these things as basic necessities the way earlier generations were provided a room, a bed, some clothes, and a meal. Economically we are no different, it's the perspective that has changed.