Understanding the Generation Z Learners

Violeta N. Bacsa

“Ang Kabataan ang Pag-asa ng Bayan” Jose Rizal’s famous quotes about the Filipino youth. The question is who are the Filipino youth of this modern era? Are they still the youngsters Jose Rizal hoped and wished for?

They are termed as Generation Z or Gen Z succeeded by the millenials, born in the digital age. As such, they are tech savvy, the true “digital natives” who are exposed to modern technology just before they were born. As a consequence, they used computers and modern gadgets naturally.

More than any other people leaving in this world, the Gen Z-ers are found to be the heavy users of social media, and they are called as “influencers” for they have changed the world of communication from traditional to modern form of writing. The words texting and chatting using cell phone or smart phones added into the various vocabularies with different dictionaries.

Texting and chatting became a craze that most people in this world made use of. A shorter way of communicating with friends, love ones, teachers, etc. To sell different products produced by various companies, marketing strategies using various Social Medias were altered to reach out Gen Z-ers.

Social Media like Facebook and Instagram had evolved from a mere communication tool to stay connected with friends, relatives and love ones into an eecommerce. Social Media sites are proliferated with different advertisement of various products sold online. Even commercials on T.V. are seen on this popular media. As “influencers” many Filipinos are now tuned in with social media sites as an outturn, the Philippines top the online users of social media globally. Spending ten (10) hours and 2 minutes daily. (Rappler.com)

Meanwhile, parents of Gen Z are the Gen X who were born after the World War II. As products of numerous crisis Gen Z-ers are raised independently, achievers, and with high regards for education by their parents. (Bloomberg.com)

Education system globally cater unto the needs of these generation, by integrating technology in the teaching and learning process. The use of Information and Communication Technology becomes a normal setting inside the classroom. Conventional form of teaching becomes technology based, through the use of modern gadgets like; LED T.V. monitors, laptops, and tablets.

Computer laboratories are installed in each classroom both in public and in private schools. Downloadable teaching materials, are made available for teachers to cater the needs of these learners making the classroom settings fun, exciting and patterned according to the characteristics of the Gen Z students.

The attention span of Gen Z-ers is 8 seconds. (Forbes.com) in effect classroom teaching became students centered wherein the teachers act as a facilitators of learning. Various teaching strategies were employed by teachers to serve the students’ needs collaborative works, assignment and activities with peers is one example of a student centered strategy. Explicit instructions, open-ended questioning, allow student choice or autonomy, students reflection of the lesson are few of the many strategies that could be used to further educate the Gen Z-ers learners. (Google .com)

No matter how the world is modernized, the youth of today are the digital natives in this digital era, remains to be the hope of the nation, they are the very youth which the Philippines National Hero Jose Rizal visualized. For as the world developed so as the youngster of today, they are upgraded and molded to become the future entrepreneur, educators, professionals in their chosen fields. The realization of these visions is through the guidance of the educational system of the land who never stop to cater the needs of the youth, so they will never be left behind by modern changes.

--oOo-

The author is Teacher III at Rodolfo V. Feliciano Memorial High School, San

Pedro II, Magalang, Pampanga