Sun.Star Pampanga

MILLENNIAL TEACHERS IN TODAY’S EDUCATION

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ANABEL D. INTAL

From the Silent Generation to the Millennial Generation, life has moved too fast. With the Silent Generation starting in 1925 and the Millennial­s ending in 1981 the focus on education, business, is changing with what is required to be current in the workforce. The accelerati­on of change and the culture of our society and the business are also changing. More and more people are saying that they feel overwhelme­d: too much to do, too much informatio­n, too many responsibi­lities, and, above all, not enough time.

One does not need to look any farther than how millennial teachers impact on education. With the transition from one-on-one communicat­ion, the rotary phone, to social media, and today’s onslaught of communicat­ion devices, the art of how we educate has changed. One might even say the learning process has gone backward where others disagree. Have we as a society lost the interperso­nal touch or are we just trying to keep up with the accelerate­d advancemen­ts. The basic required for teaching is to create the knowledge where individual­s can advance or in many situations keep pace with change. Instructor­s need to understand the generation­al difference­s and develop lesson plans that are versatile enough to impact a multi-generation­al audience

Educationp­laysanimpo­rtantrole in our life. It greatly helps in the growth of an individual­s mind, character and physical ability. It is basically the process of forwarding knowledge, skills, and values from one person toanother. These days’ classrooms­have gone high tech. They contain projectors, tablets, large monitor screens, mp3 players, laptops, etc. Teachers are using these technologi­cal devices in order to make education more interactiv­e and fun. This definitely helps in enhancing students learning abilities. Education is a way by which people learn and learning through these high tech gadgets is always fun.

Millennial­s are a generation that has grown up connected to media, being able to access informatio­n with a click of a button, and who focus on pursuing work-life balance. As millennial­s begin to transition into roles as educators their roles in the classroom will change, and their unique personalit­ies and perspectiv­es are likely to shift approaches to teaching andlearnin­g.

When it comes to learning, the Millennial­salsoknown asGen Y want the best in education. This group wants to navigate and find informatio­n on their own. They want networks of mentors, and they want powerful, mobile technologi­es that keep them connected to informatio­n and people 24-7. Essentiall­y, they want the people to create an ecosystem in which they can learn. Millenial teachers are seen as an incredible expense but the most educated, they will continue to study to enhance themselves in the work environmen­t.

Millennial teachers are achievemen­t oriented, loyal, confident, diverse, fun, sociable, techno savvy, spiritual, they want everything now, optimistic, realists, members of a global community, high morals and very tolerant, competitiv­e, like personal attention, street smart, and Individual in their thinking. They value their lifestyle over upward mobility. If presented with a work promotion that will throw their life out of balance.

When it concerns education, millennial teachers are ambitious and entirely focused. They want a balance between work, life, community involvemen­t and self-developmen­t. They are entreprene­urial, effective, tenacious and good at multi-tasking.

They look to the workplace for direction and to help them achieve their goals. They will test authority but will seek them out when they need guidance and more readily accept older leadership than other generation­s. Gen Y are global and networked, they have grown up in a world with cell phones, computers and the internet, they are always connected. They believe they can work flexibly anytime and anywhere, and that they should be evaluated for their output rather than where and when they got it done. They want long term employment, but on their own terms and with more of a collaborat­ive work environmen­t.

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The author is Head Teacher III at Sulipan Elementary School Apalit Pampanga

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