During a recent walk after working all day with middle school teachers on engagement strategies, I was listening to the podcast “We Can Do Hard Things.” Guest Alison Russell spoke about emotional intelligence in her youth, and she said she recently learned that her daughter is one. alpha generation, refers to people born after 2010. This is the first time I’ve heard this word, and it’s surprising considering that my own two children and many of the children I support are from this generation.
I had questions and wanted to know more. As I learned more about the characteristics of the youngest generation, I started thinking about the implications for educators.
In my 20 years as a literacy specialist coaching teachers and providing professional development, I have seen many changes in the field. I have helped teachers navigate their frustrations with rapidly changing curriculum trends and assessment requirements and come to terms with their position. teach readingAnd over the past few years, we’ve learned how to reach our students during and after the pandemic.
Currently, I supervise teachers at 18 K-12 schools in the Campbell Kapolei Complex area of Ewa Beach and Kapolei Hawaii. In conversations with teachers and leaders about current issues in schools, such as academic delays and behavioral issues, the most common cause cited is COVID-19.
I have long known in my heart that the challenges facing our young people go beyond the pandemic. Learning about the characteristics of Generation Alpha has helped us understand how to change our practices accordingly to capitalize on the strengths of this generation.
Understanding Generation Alpha
Its name is “Generation Alpha” Built the Written by Mark McCrindle, an Australian generational researcher and business consultant. McCrindle said Generation Alpha children started being born in 2010, when the iPad and Instagram were released. From an early age, he says, “they were sorters.”
in 2015 interview In an interview with the New York Times, when asked about the name “Generation Alpha,” McCrindle said, “It didn’t make sense to go back to Generation Alpha,” which is the first generation born fully into the 21st century. He pointed out that. “They are the beginning of something new, not a return to the old,” he added.
McCrindle was right. These children, as with any generation, are unlike any before them. But there’s no denying that Generation Alpha children have access to more information and connections at an earlier age than any other generation, and we need to take that into account when educating them. there is.
This generation was under 10 years old when the world shut down due to COVID-19. They have experienced a world under siege and now deeply understand that the actions of one person can affect the well-being of many.
These children are likely the first generation to hold a device in their hands before they can walk. They witness a virus moving rapidly across the globe, communicate with family members miles away on FaceTime, and develop close friendships through social media with people they may never meet in person. and more, we inherently understand how connected the world is. These truths are just part of how Gen Alpha’s worldview is formed.
Most of the oldest students in this generation are currently in middle school. As they go through adolescence and transition from children to adults, they find ways to leave their mark on the world. This year, I have worked closely with middle school teachers at multiple schools and have seen them struggle more than ever. I have been involved in numerous conversations about how these students are having a difficult time following the current norms of schooling. I have heard many teachers and administrators talk about learning loss, behavioral challenges, and developmental delays due to the pandemic. And I heard over and over again that engagement was low. Teachers are frustrated that their students don’t seem to have the academic or social skills expected of them in middle school, and often share that their students are not interested in learning.
Somehow, there always seems to be a reminder of the years students have missed during the pandemic and how the loss of those previous learning experiences is hindering their current success.
However, I’m wondering if something else is also at play. What does this generation know that we don’t measure? What do they learn that the tests they take do not prove it? How do educators create conditions that prepare them to shape this new world into which they are born? ?
Harnessing the strengths of this generation
This year, my middle school teacher and I’s focus has been on learner engagement. A deeper understanding of Generation Alpha’s unique strengths was helpful.
This generation of learners has access to all the information they want. This may be why many educators I work with find that they are disengaged from learning in school. Many of these kids (mistakenly) believe that there is nothing their teachers can teach them that they can’t find online. Therefore, the ever-present challenge of making learning relevant has become even more difficult.
One way to create relevance and engagement with students is what you focus on. They are value. To help educators do that, I often ask them: If not, how can I find out? ” One of the challenges for middle school teachers is that many students do not yet understand who they are and what is important to them. So our role is to support that exploration while creating learning experiences.
As I work with these teachers to consider what it means to successfully reach their students, I explore the strengths of this generation of learners: connection, curiosity, empathy, and a desire for change. We have been discussing how to use it.
This generation feels deeply connected globally, and teachers can tap into that. The teachers I work with tell me that their students can use technology to easily connect with people around the world. By designing assignments that provided students with the opportunity to create something that could be shared with a wider audience, student voices were able to extend beyond the classroom and engagement increased.
Curiosity is another Gen Alpha trait that we encourage educators to build on. With information at our fingertips, children are becoming curious, and we need to create space for the big questions they have. Incorporating more choice into learning allows students to explore their curiosity. When I work with educators, I often start with a lesson plan that has been taught many times before and consider how it can be adjusted to provide more choice. In some cases, that means having more ownership over what you learn. It can also mean having a say in how you learn and how you demonstrate what you understand.
It may not seem like it based on adolescent anxiety, but most of the middle school teachers I work with say their students have empathy and a desire for change. This is partly due to developmental stage, but it also has to do with connectivity. These students are exposed to more people and ideas through the digital world than previous generations. Of course, it also has its drawbacks. For example, I often talk to educators whose students’ social lives are very different from ours and how we should be careful online and how to be good digital citizens. We have to teach them how to become. But it’s also thanks to these rich digital lives that these students are aware of issues beyond their own neighborhoods and communities, with many students looking to solve issues as diverse as environmental protection and homelessness. This is also the reason why I am passionate about it. Tapping into what your students care about most helps you teach in a way that empowers them to make a difference.
These students are at their best when they believe they can fight for what is right and win. As educators, we cannot fully prepare them because what is going to happen is so uncertain, but we walk alongside them and share our life experiences, knowledge and wisdom with them. It is possible. But it’s important to respect their path and resist the urge to force them to walk the well-traveled path. After all, the path they will take is one we have not yet walked.
In her book Becoming Wise, journalist and 2014 National Humanities Medal winner Krista Tippett writes: But we don’t yet know what the new format will be. ” What if Gen Alpha children had insight into these new forms? We can equip them with the skills and confidence to realize these new forms in beautiful, fun, and fair ways. Are we preparing them?
As Generation Alpha enters the transformational phase of adolescence, we must be there to nurture their vision and nurture their power to build what comes next.
