Via a tweet by Sahana Chattopathyay, I came across this fine article titled “Understanding Today’s Learner” by Jane Hart. Reading the article, I learned, for example, the following 11 things about how the new breed of learners learn:
# 1: They prefer hyperlinked information from many sources
# 2: They are skilled multi-taskers, and they parallel process
They are used to simultaneously working with different content, and interacting with others.
# 3: They are highly visual learners
They prefer to process pictures, sounds, and video rather than text.
# 4: They are experiential learners
They learn by discovery rather than being “told.” They like to interact with content to explore and draw their own conclusions. Simulations, games, and role playing allow them to learn by “being there,” and also to enjoy themselves and have fun.
# 5: They have short attention spans
They prefer bite-sited chunks of content.
# 6: They are very social, and love to share with others
They enjoy working in teams. Interaction with others is key to their learning, and they want to be part of a community, collaborating, sharing, and exchanging ideas.
# 7: They are happy to take on different roles in their learning
They switch between roles such as student, instructor, facilitator, and supporter.
# 8: They prefer to learn “just in time”
They prefer to have access to relevant information they can apply immediately.
# 9: They need immediate feedback, responsiveness, and ideas from others
They are used to instant gratification.
# 10: They are very independent learners
They are able to teach themselves with guidance. They don’t need sets of instructions like their predecessors.
# 11: They prefer to construct their own learning
They assemble information and tools from different sources.
How many similarities do you have with the way 2.0 Learners learn?
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