Millennials

For many years now we have all seen articles and studies on the current group of students in our schools. These groups are generally referred to as Millennials, but have also been “labeled the ‘Entitlement Generation,’ the ‘Millennium Generation’ and ‘Generation Why.’" (Breaky, 2005) From my personal experience, the “Entitlement Generation” seems to be the most appropriate moniker. For the past five years I have witnessed them in and out of the classrooms where I work every day. Some are outstanding individuals who are well-rounded, internally motivated, and exceed every expectation. However, most have been self-involved, irresponsible, and expectant of a good grade for just showing up. Getting them involved in classroom discussions often requires stand-up routines similar to those you would find on late night TV or HBO. Certainly, this is not why any of us have worked to become professional educators. The ability to instill in this group of young people an appropriate understanding of discipline, work ethic, and contribution would significantly impact society.

As a scholar-practitioner, contributing to the resolution of this dilemma will start with my own college, faculty, and students. It will end with those same faculty and students working to transform their own classrooms, workplaces, families, and social networks for the better. Integrating “transformative faculty development” with active student learning and pedagogy, as described in Moore, Fowler, and Watson’s (2007) article Active Learning and Technology: Designing Change for Faculty, Students, and Institutions, is an excellent beginning. If successful, our faculty will become scholar-practitioners, and our students will become outstanding and contributing members of society and their respective industries.

Breaky, P. (2005, July 2). ’Entitlement Generation’ expects it all. Retrieved September 2, 2007, from http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories/2005/07/02/gen1.html

Moore, A. H., Fowler, S. B., & Watson, C. E. (2007). Active Learning and Technology: Designing Change for Faculty, Students, and Institutions [Electronic version]. EDUCAUSE Review, 42(5), 42-61.
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I have had the fortune of working at the same college for almost a decade. In that time I have been an instructor, Department Chair, Director of Education, and now Director of Faculty. That journey has provided me with many opportunities to contribute to resolving student and faculty issues. As the Director of Education I literally had impact on hundreds of student cases. Some were resolved in ways that left me with a strong feeling of accomplishment and positive contribution to the individuals involved. Others did not. The cases with negative outcomes left me questioning why I was the DOE, certain that someone else could be more effective.

The experience I want to share with you is much more recent. In my new role as Director of Faculty, part of my responsibility is to complete classroom observations on all of our faculty members. I was initially very anxious about this aspect of my job. I knew there were many issues with faculty members that would need to be discussed in very critical and direct ways. The challenge would be to constructively deliver those critiques in way that would be internalized by them.

About one month ago I visited an instructor in their morning section. Once I got into the classroom, the instructor I observed had multiple issues I would need to bring forward. After class, I was able to address those concerns in a way that allowed the faculty member to internalize them. They expressed a desire to correct the issues, and clearly understood their relevance to the students and the institution. The instructor thanked me for being frank with my critique. The constructive comments I made would help that instructor improve their classroom organization and delivery. That, in turn, would have a positive effect on the students in the classroom.

This and other similar occurrences since have helped me be more honest with the faculty as I complete their classroom observations. They are generally very open to my critiques, and appreciate my frank discussions. This makes a difference to me because it helps motivate me and makes me feel more valuable to the institution. It instills in me a sense that I can positively affect the culture of the school. It makes a difference to the faculty members because they know they will get unbiased, constructive feedback that is truly aimed at their own personal and professional improvement. It makes a difference to the students because they receive a more consistent and effective education.