Tips for teaching the “millennial” student

As educators, we've likely all encountered some generational differences with our students. They want to know "why". They don't want to work 45 hours straight. They Facebook and Tweet.

Dr. Mara Goldstein, psychiatrist and director of undergraduate electives at University of Toronto's Undergraduate Medical Education program, encourages educators to try a few small adjustments that may make the world of difference.

"We interpret things through our own lens," she said. "It's hard to embrace change, but is the way we went through medical school the only way? Probably not."

Dr. Goldstein has some tips for closing — or at least narrowing — the generational gap between you and your students.

1) Lay out your expectations clearly and revisit them often
Students want to know why a certain task is relevant. Be clear about why you are doing it, and what you expect from them by the end.

2) Acknowledge their feelings and provide feedback
Letting the student know you hear them — whether you can help them straight away or not — reduces their anxiety. "I say things like, ‘Thank you for your email. I am going through my Inbox and will get back to you in a few days,' and that typically works," Dr. Goldstein says. Students also expect and require verbal feedback. "If I can't provide feedback at that time, I am clear to them about when the feedback is coming."

3) Maintain a sense of humour
"Sometimes I pretend I'm in a foreign country," Dr. Goldstein says. "Have you ever lined up for something in the Middle East? Impossible. They don't do lines there." So at first, you want resist the change because it's not how you do things. But eventually, you have to adapt. "It will actually make it easier for yourself," she says.

"We have a vibrant, effective and powerful generation of learners dedicated to social change and the collective good," Dr. Goldstein says. "It's our job to help them get there."

* Dr. Mara Goldstein is the Director of Faculty Electives in the University of Toronto's Undergraduate Medical Education program. Dr. Goldstein presented her talk "Generation Google: Surviving and thriving in cross-generational learning environments" to Peters-Boyd medical education faculty in the first of a series of faculty development seminars to be held at Sunnybrook. Keep an eye here for information about upcoming sessions.