Meeting Generation NeXt

The generation of people that were typical college students when this book was published is called Generation NeXt. (I think the latest generation are called the Millenials.) So; we started with "The Greatest Generation." Well, we didn't start there obviously, but I think that's when we started naming them. Oh, before that was the Silent Generation. I forgot about them; they were just being so docile and quiet. And then the Greatest Generation went and had a whole mess of Baby Boomers (maybe their Greatest Mistake, judging by the author's attitude.) So the Greatest Generation were structured and religious and frugal and the Boomers were self-centered and distrustful of authority and then they went and had 1.2 kids, who are called Generation X; still self-centered and distrustful of authority but less idealistic and more neurotic than the Boomers. Then the Boomers had this really fertile spurt right before it was too late and produced the Generation NeXt. The author feels like this may be the next Greatest Generation, but kind of a postmoderny version of it. The Greatest Generation and their silent forbearers were Modern. The Boomers were kind of a transition into Postmodern and their kids are just straight-up Postmodern.

Taylor puts out some ideas on how to relate to this new generation of students, since they have a different educational style from their Boomer parents. Some of them are:

1.Establishing clear expectations; communicate expectations early and often.

2. Stressing the role of the scientific method in understanding, while also pointing out the potential abuses of science and data.

3. Avoiding unnecessary displays of power and pomposity.

4. Maintaining technological sophistication.

5. Teaching higher up on Bloom's taxonomy.

6. Providing real life application.

7. Providing increased flexibility in course schedules, etc.

8. Working from a customer-service based model.

9. Appreciating diverse viewpoints.

Sometimes I think I was born into the wrong generation; there was some mix-up and I was supposed to have been born into the world of Jane Austen or something, but when I read this article, it was clear to me that I actually fit into this postmodern world. I read all of Taylor's suggestions about relating to postmodern students and my instinct was- duh, who wouldn't demand diverse viewpoints and a customer service based model. The fact that it seemed so obvious to me is further proof that I'm living in the right century. Sometimes I feel old fashioned because I am a "digital immigrant", rather than a "digital native," but according to Taylor's characteristics of the postmodern student, I definitely fit into that mold. Yay! I am just where I am supposed to be.