For some of us who have been in the teaching business for awhile, it’s helpful to have a refresher course in who our new students might be. Time does have a way of flying by, and with it, new cohorts of students bring different worldviews into our classrooms.

Each year, Beloit College publishes their Mindset List. This year’s list features the Class of 2019, most of whom were born in 1997. I recall 1997 rather well. My oldest daughter was heading off to college herself, while her sister was entering high school. But Beloit does a fine job of reminding us about what changes have taken place between then and now that might affect our classroom environments.

You can see the whole list of 50 items by clicking on the link above, but here are some of my favorite school-related ones (paraphrased a bit):

  1. Google has always been there.
  2. Email is for formal communication, with texts and tweets reserved for casual conversation.
  3. Cell phones are ubiquitous in the classroom.
  4. Harry Potter built their reading skills.
  5. ….There has always been a Beloit Mindset List!

Number 3 seems interesting. At the wonderful PsychOne conference hosted by Bridgette Hand at Stanford University this summer, we talked about how faculty deal with tech in the classroom. Some faculty still attempt to outlaw the use of tech. My motto is “if you can’t beat them, join them.” Because I use the iClicker REEF audience response system, which means the students MUST have tech with them, I plan to keep them busy doing searches. I want my students to fact check me as I go.

Number 4 is wonderful, as I like the books myself, but is inconsistent with the fact that SAT scores have been dropping steadily for the last ten years, particularly for reading and writing. Now anyone with a notion of research methods and stats understands the impact of having more students take the test now than before on the average scores, not to mention the issue of external validity for the SAT I, but concern remains. I do think, though, that J.K. Rowling deserves a pat on the back for encouraging an entire cohort to read for pleasure.

So I look forward to meeting the Class of 2019. I feel super responsible on the first day of Fall Quarter. At 8 o’clock in the morning, I meet my PSY 201 Intro Psych students for the first time. For many of them, I am the first college professor they see. I think that’s a big responsibility. I plan to shake things up a bit. We’re going to watch Carol Dweck talk about a Growth Mindset, which hopefully will serve them well as they make the transition from high school to college. We’ll see.


10 Comments

kathryngreenup · October 21, 2015 at 1:39 pm

There has to be a study out there that analyzes the relationship between less book reading, more active use of quick information searches, and overall knowledge. I would suspect Google to ultimately hurt our knowledge base, contrary to popular belief. At least in my experience, I’ll look things up and not take the time to fully read into the information and learn it because I know I can just research it again if I need it in the future. I read a lot, but it’s usually quick reads to satisfy my curiosity, not lengthy reads to really understand material.

EricaFinfer · October 25, 2015 at 8:43 pm

It is important to know your audience. Being removed from High school by a couple of years now, I have noticed a distance of new information in regard to social media outlets than my younger cousins have. To understand your audience is the ability to relate to them and get your message across. This is a vital asset as a teacher, where the age gap between students is often large.

mordanza · November 12, 2015 at 1:48 pm

I was actually taking a look at the Mindset List for 2017, which I’m assuming is for the 1995 babies, because I was very interested in what it had to say about this class of students that I’m a part of. And I was actually really surprised at how much technology has influenced me, and will continue to influence younger classes (as demonstrated with the cell phones bit you shared in this blog). In cases where the list said:

8. Having a chat has seldom involved talking.
16. A tablet is no longer something you take in the morning.
29. Java has never been just a cup of coffee.
50. A Wiki has always been a cooperative web application rather than a shuttle bus in Hawaii.

I really had to think twice about the items this mindset list was talking about because I was very used to referring to a “chat” as a conversation on the web rather than small talk. A tablet as a portable device rather than a medication. Java as the program rather than a flavor. I did not even know there was another Wiki. This both surprised me and concerned me a little bit because I always thought I was aware of just how much influence technology has on me, I guess not aware enough.

Fun tid bit, I really enjoyed #60 on the list:

60. They have always known that there are “five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes” in a year.

Sophie Marsh · November 22, 2015 at 12:41 pm

This is incredibly interesting, especially as in the past 10-20 years there have been such enormous strides in technology and culture that just a few years difference in age can have a huge impact. For example, I am a member of the class of 2017 (just a two year difference) and I remember a time B.G. (before Google). I also remember many times without cell phones in class – but maybe that was just my school culture. Anyways, it is refreshing to see teachers and professors making an effort to understand the context of their student’s experiences. I would be very interested to see some neurological studies looking at memory/retention of information with technology in class vs. without it.

jennylu18 · November 22, 2015 at 11:23 pm

I love the fact that this book recognizes the fact that different generations have different experiences growing up that really can change the way they approach learning. Its great to see that you and other professors who read this are aware of this too and care about the best way to teach students born in different years. Technology can be useful when used right, however, I have heard that when laptops are allowed in classrooms, there is usually a decline in learning to the user as well as the 6 classmates sitting around or behind her/him because of the distractions they face. I don’t believe phones have the same effect though because of the smaller screen. It would be interesting to research due to increasing phone screen quality and size.

sarahdemarois · November 24, 2015 at 9:33 am

I remember when I was accepted into the Cal Poly class of 2016 I thought to myself “wow, 2016 is so far away, that’ll never happen!” Yet here I am four years later, preparing to graduate in the winter. It astonishes me how the relevance and importance of technology has only grown exponentially since I started my education in kindergarten, in the year 2000. I learned how to type in computer class at school, and used the computer for games and instant messaging starting around the 7th grade. Recently, I babysat a 2 year old who had no reading skills whatsoever, yet knew how to “skip ad” on the youtube clip that he was watching on his family iPad–this was quite shocking to me. I applaud Beloit for publishing these lists every year to keep us all mindful of these changes that are so clearly changing our society.

emmanishimura96 · November 27, 2015 at 10:50 pm

I agree with the theory that google does not actually make us smarter. When I personally use google, I usually expect a clear and easy to understand answer for my question as the first result, and therefore only have to read a tiny portion of the article to get what I am looking for. Therefore I miss all of the extra information that I could have gotten had the search not been quite so good. I would like to find more information on the brain development of people who have had access to google and instant information in general in comparison with people from developing countries who are still using books or other less modern forms to receive information.

joylomax · November 30, 2015 at 8:17 am

Wow that was interesting. I found myself on the Beloit Mindset website and started looking at my class and what we’re used and our past. It blows me away how time seems to fly by for all of us. Especially the older I get. To be quite honest college is flying by for me and it felt like just yesterday I was here getting my first Cal Poly t-shirt and taking my ID picture. Yes our generation spends more time on our phones, which bothers me far too often and am quite guilty of, but I also think that we are learning so much from the use of technology and problem solving. Because of technology and the resources that are available to us I think we have a better understanding of the world around us, education, and overall health. I think it will be interesting to see how our generation begins to grow and develop over the next couple years. I also checked out that video that you showed to your class of freshman and was intrigued to hear the study on the growth mindset. I hope to have the state of mind even as I enter into dead week and finals!

vimorris@calpoly.edu · April 24, 2016 at 9:48 pm

I appreciated coming across this post to discover one of the many ways Professors at Cal Poly care for their students. Being aware of where someone is coming from when trying to communicate is important in order to be as clear as possible. Scrolling through the list of my birth year, the class of 1997, was entertaining and interesting. Not only does the Beloit Mindset List inform others about where the specific age group is coming from but it also reminded me what has been a norm for me has not been the case for everyone else. A great example of one of the bullets that put me into perspective was 1. Google has not always been there. That feels silly to say because clearly Google has not always been around but I realized how I have not come to question the search tools existence either.

Charlene Niku · November 28, 2016 at 1:24 pm

I was unfamiliar with the Beloit Mindset List until reading this article but found the list to be interesting. The one that stood out to me as mentioned above is (14) “Cell phones have become so ubiquitous in class that teachers don’t know which students are using them to take notes and which ones are planning a party.” I have had professors who require students to put their phones away during class, professors who don’t bring cell-phones up at all, and professors who actually ask for them to be kept out and used (for example, with Reef). Although I try not to use technology during class, I must admit that I occasionally do get side tracked and distracted from the lesson because something interesting pop up on my phone. Times have definitely changed since my parents and even my older sisters were students. I think this is part of the reason there are misunderstandings between us. I was born in 1997 and am part of the Class of 2019 so having a cell phone is basically a necessity but I do think it is also a barrier and major distraction that I wish I didn’t always have. I think that it is very smart and kind of Dr. Freberg to look into these things before meeting an incoming class because each group of students faces different challenges and as a professor, it is important to address students accordingly.

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