Maximizing Learning in a MultiGenerational Setting

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Maximizing Learning in a Multi-Generational
Setting
Neil Howe William Strauss, Millennials Rising
48 (Vintage 2000)

• Professor Michael Hunter Schwartz
• Washburn University School of Law

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Overview

• Goals for presentation
• Generational learning differences
• What are generations
• Generational learning differences and their
  implications for design of CLE
• Why adapting to the needs of the younger
  generations will also benefit those in the older
  generations
• Training the trainers
• Praxis (design exercise)

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Goals for Presentation

• You will . . .
• Understand the learning needs and preferences
  among CLE attendees from a generational
  perspective
• Be able to adopt approaches and make design
  decisions that meet the needs of all CLE
  attendees

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Overview

• Goals for presentation
• Generational learning differences
• What are generations
• Generational learning differences and their
  implications for design of CLE
• Why adapting to the needs of the younger
  generations will also benefit those in the older
  generations
• Training the trainers
• Praxis (design exercise)

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What are generations?

• Birth year within a 15-20 year range
• Similar experiences during childhood and young
  adulthood in terms of major public events and
  parenting experiences
• Share common beliefs and behavior
• Self-perceived to be a generation

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Which generations attend CLE?

• Silent Generation (now ages 64-81)
• Boomers (now ages 46-63)
• X Generation (now ages 25-45)
• Millenials (a/k/a Y generation) (now ages 1-24)

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Overview

• Goals for presentation
• Generational learning differences
• What are generations
• Generational learning differences and their
  implications for design of CLE
• Why adapting to the needs of the younger
  generations will also benefit those in the older
  generations
• Training the trainers
• Praxis (design exercise)

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What differences have you observed?
??
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Differences per Experts and Their Design
Implications

• Meaningful activities
• Differences
• Knowing why
• Just in case learning vs. Just in time
  learning
• Implications
• Attendee Attention and the Role of High Tech and
  Visuals
• Group Work
• Feedback
• Expect Multi-Modal Instruction

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Importance of Meaningful Activities

• New generation learners want to know why they
  are learning what they are learning
• New generation learners prefer to learn just in
  time instead of just in case

I do have a test today . . .Its on European
Socialism. I mean, really, whats the point? Im
not European. I dont plan on being European.
So who gives a crap if theyre socialists? They
could be fascist anarchists. --Ferris Bueller
in Ferris Buellers Day Off
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Implications of the Need for Meaningful Activities

• Disclose objectives (define what they will know
  and be able to do)
• Schedule CLE based on existing projects
• Redesign CLE programming away from the show and
  go model

Goals
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Differences per Experts and Their Design
Implications

• Meaningful activities
• Attendee Attention and the Role of High Tech and
  Visuals
• Differences
• Attention differences
• View of technology differences
• Implications
• Group Work
• Feedback and Instructor Contact
• Expect Multi-Modal Instruction

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Focused Attention Differences Introduction
Response Generator
The Senses See, hear, feel, etc.
Start
End
The Environment
Selective Attention
Encoding
Long-Term Memory
Working Memory
Retrieval
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Focused Attention Differences

• More easily distracted

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Focused Attention Differences

• Used to higher levels of stimulation (e.g.,
  edutainment)
• Used to quickly decoding visual metaphors (music
  videos)
• Possible Myth New generation learners can more
  effectively multi-task

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High Tech Expectations

• What have you bought for me lately?

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Implication Use Note-Taking Guides to Increase
Focus

• See handout for this presentation
• Increases focus because attendees are gathering
  the information
• Also (incidentally) increases retention

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Implication Use Imagery to Create Visual
Metaphors for Concepts

• Damages inadequate if
• Uncertain OR
• Irreplaceable contract subject OR
• Uncollectible

Intervening Causes
Duress
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Implication Use PowerPoint
D1 negligently treats Ps heart condition, such
that P, while resting his arms on a railing as he
was viewing the Grand Canyon, suffers a severe
heart attack. At that same moment, D2
negligently bumps into P such that P falls over
into the canyon and dies when he hits the ground.
An autopsy reveals P died from crashing to the
canyon floor but would have died anyway from the
heart attack. Discuss Ps claims against D1 and
D2.

• Millennials trained to use it
• Xers and Millenials expect it
• Maximizes instructional time by speeding
  communication of key ideas and problems

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Implication Integrate Music and Video

• Learned Hands BltPL Formula

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Implication Use The Clickers

• W and S entered into the Widgetwerks contract.
  For each of the first two months of the contract,
  S submitted a Statement of Charges for S
  expenses, many of which had not received prior
  approval. W paid both in full. In the third
  month, S again submitted a statement that
  included expenses which had not received prior
  approval. Ws CFO refused to pay the invoice,
  truthfully stating the prior payments had been
  the result of a secretarial error. S best
  argument that W must pay the third statement
  is
• a. Course of performance
• b. Estoppel
• c. Waiver
• d. Bad faith

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Instant Messaging
Live Discussion October 3, 2006 Tuesday
925 AM - 1055 AM 10/3/2006 95815 AM
Tollefson says The horse may have run into the
railing either way. However, if the railing had
been painting, the startled horse may have seen
it, and stopped before running into it.10/3/2006
95854 AM Herrington says Yes but for the
fence not being white, the accident likely would
not have happened10/3/2006 95904 AM Shinkle
says No, the horse bolted from the race he
probably would have jumped the railing if he saw
it10/3/2006 95910 AM Tucker says they paint
rails to allow horses to see them10/3/2006
95920 AM Ratcliffe says Maybe not, because
this event still could have occurred if the fence
had been painted. something else could have been
wrong with the horse the jockey could have
better controlled the horse.10/3/2006 95936 AM
Kohls says it was a violation of a reg. . . .
like Cay10/3/2006 95958 AM DeLaughder says
thats breach... not causation10/3/2006 100055
AM DeLaughder says but for Ds negligence, the
horse would have seen the rail and not turned
into an exit the horse behaviorally was used to
using 10/3/2006 100146 AM Hendrix says and the
D knew horses 'knew' that was a point of exit,
thus, they should have known or foreseen that a
horse may try to exit that way
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Differences per Experts and Their Design
Implications

• Meaningful activities
• Attendee Attention and the Role of High Tech and
  Visuals
• Group Work
• Differences
• Implications
• Feedback and Instructor Contact
• Expect Multi-Modal Instruction

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Used to and Comfortable with Small Group Work

• They actually want to work in small groups?

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Best Practices for Avoiding Dysfunction in Small
Group Activities

• Defined, narrow, realistic task
• Assigned roles
• Adequate facilities
• Optimal size groups
• Mobile instructor

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Differences per Experts and Their Design
Implications

• Meaningful activities
• Attendee Attention and the Role of High Tech and
  Visuals
• Group Work
• Feedback and Instructor Contact
• Differences
• Implications
• Expect Multi-Modal Instruction

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Expect High Quality Feedback and Instructor
Contact

• More work for us?

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Ideas for Integrating Feedback into CLE
Experiences

• The Clickers
• Feedback
• From instructor
• From peer or by self with guidelines or model
  answer
• Small Groups (intervene in discussions)

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Differences per Experts and Their Design
Implications

• Meaningful activities
• Attendee Attention and the Role of High Tech and
  Visuals
• Group Work
• Feedback and Instructor Contact
• Expect Multi-Modal Instruction
• Differences
• Implications

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Multi-Modal Instruction

• What is it and why should we bother?

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Ideas for Expanding the Modalities of CLE
Instruction

• Adopt many of the techniques demonstrated here
• Integrate Cognitive think-aloud demonstrations
• Integrate problems and illustrations, especially
  movie and television clips
• Sequence teaching format changes across the
  entire presentation
• Computerize some CLE training so it can be
  accessed day or night

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Overview

• Goals for presentation
• Generational learning differences
• What are generations
• Generational learning differences and their
  implications for design of CLE
• Why adapting to the needs of the younger
  generations will also benefit those in the older
  generations
• Training the trainers
• Praxis (design exercise)

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Why Attendees in the Older Generations Also Will
Benefit

• Arousal and memory
• Active learning vs. passive learning
• Lessons from the Constructivist Learning
  Theorists
• Lessons from expertise research

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Overview

• Goals for presentation
• Generational learning differences
• What are generations
• Generational learning differences and their
  implications for design of CLE
• Why the new techniques are effective with all
  learners regardless of generation
• Training the trainers
• Praxis (design exercise)

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Ideas for Training the Trainers

• Technology training and support
• Importance of also explaining the whys
• Adopt, for your training, the techniques you are
  recommending
• Online training
• Ideas for motivating the trainers to change is
  an entirely different issue.

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• Design a
• Multi-Generational CLE