Integrate Technology: Our students are Millennial Learners! The millennial generation has grown up with computers and other 21st century communications technologies; they are digital natives! They expect a high degree of technology integration. Be confident of your skills! View a student-produced video profile of today's millennial learners. Lead with 'Hands-on" Activities...and Authentic Learning Experiences...Engage and Excite : Most Millennial students, do not like being lectured to. Instead, they are accustomed to multi-tasking, teamwork, collaboration and activity. Don't just tell (lecture) students; show them and lead them to discovery too! Build 'Hard Skills' and also Academic Standards into Lesson Plans. Constructivist Lesson Plans, like the 6Es focus on the 'doing'. This requires real skills to be demonstrated Technology allows real-time tracking of student progress on skills and standards. Use e-Portfolios as a tool to connect student projects with lesson plans and the competencies and standards of learning required to succeed. Involve Students as Assistants: Encourage Them to Teach Others using technology. They are technology "natives", as opposed to their teacher "immigrants" As teachers become facilitators, they escape the bottleneck position. And, retention soars as students teach each other. Connect Students with the Real World via Nortel LearniT Career Bytes interviews: Technology allows students to breach the wall dividing school and the world of work. This may include partnering with businesses to engage their workforce with educators. This enables authentcity in learning. In this mode, students may be empowered by being recognized as experts. Showcase Student Work : Encourage them to document their findings and present their work. Finished projects can become components of Best Practices and models for others to learn from. Scientists publish; students and teachers can publish too! |