Teaching Youth

Every generation has an label: baby boomers, generation x, generation y, and now generation z (not to mentioning all previous generations). With each generation the elders inevitably comment on how the generation currently in school lacks [important attribute] and [other important attribute]; attributes that the elder generation had aplenty.

I was reminded of this generational perception when I was reading an article by an anonymous writer for Inside Higher Ed about teaching students who seem unengaged. In my experience, many students in higher education can appear unengaged when they attend class. In addition to seeming unengaged they often lack, according to some instructors; creativity, critical thinking skills, and are interested in non-academic topics more than the subject at hand. I will come back to my own experiences and perceptions later but before I go any further I have to ask; how does this author, because of where she teaches, have unengaged students?

According to her bio, her current job is at a prestigious British university and will soon head back to an elite research institution in the United States. If she teaches at institutions that can be described as prestigious and elite, how in the world are her students unengaged; how do they lack critical thinking skills; and how can they not analyze information or think independently?

One problem that instructors face when they teach undergraduate courses is they do not understand their students. Instructors at the college level are highly intelligent people who have dedicated a portion, or a large portion of their lives to academic studies and are anywhere from ten to fifty years removed from being an undergraduate. In addition, some instructors just do not care about the daily lives of their students and the myriad of issues that young adult, and older adult learners face.

When teaching instructors need to take into consideration many factors that relate to engagement (each of these need to be considered on an individual basis). Does the student like the content of your course? Is the course relevant to their degree? Did the student get a good night sleep? Did the student have a good meal? Does the student have health problems? Does the student have personal problems? Does the student have any extracurricular activities that is diverting their attention? The list can go on and on.

When I was a teaching assistant and visiting lecturer at a large research institution for several lower division music electives most students did not care about my courses; they just wanted to get their three-credits and move on. I do not fault them for not caring, my course was one of forty in their undergraduate degrees and although I was teaching music, a subject most people like, history and survey courses can still be perceived as dull.

To counter unengaged students I have one piece of advice; be authentic.

When teaching, always communicate your passion to your students; this needs to be done every time you are with them. Do not rely on your pedigree or how many books or articles you have written to impress; live in the moment and be part of their lives. Most of your students will respond if you actively take an interest in their lives and offer help and encouragement throughout the duration of the course.

Simple advice that some instructors either forget or do not follow. If you choose not to be authentic or care about your students then your students will not care about you.