Bridging the Cultural Chasm Between Generations

            Every generation has its own perspective on the world, shaped by many factors present when that group of people was growing up – popular music and movies, slang terminology, technological advancements (or lack thereof), pop culture icons, and major world events (Neely 45). For example, my mother can still recall with perfect clarity when she heard about the assassination of President Kennedy, whereas I vividly remember the horror of 9/11, especially when the second plane crashed in New York. This experience was so central to my childhood that it didn’t occur to me until recently that there are teenagers today whose only knowledge of that attack is what they hear, read, or see on YouTube, just as that is my only frame of reference for the Kennedy assassination. A tool that further illustrates this generation gap is the “Mindset List” assembled every year by Beloit College in Wisconsin to identify “some of the characteristics–the mindset, or the facts of life–that distinguish the incoming freshman class from the students of years past” (Gollnick and Chinn 239). The “Class of 2020” list (which primarily describes individuals born in 1998) includes the following:

•          The United States has always been at war.

•          They have never had to watch or listen to programs at a scheduled time.

•          Outstanding women basketball players have always had their own Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. (Beloit College)

Some of these things are not even very relatable for me, and I was only seven years old in 1998! Imagine the disconnect for teachers older than I am. This disconnect and the continued passage of time mean that “there comes a point in many educators’ careers when they begin to lose touch with youth culture and the daily lives and interests of adolescents” (Neely 45). While different perspectives are not necessarily a bad thing (I personally place great value on multiple perspectives), when educators don’t understand their students’ frame of reference, there is a danger that students will not only feel unconnected to their teachers, but also that they may find both instructional methods and curriculum increasingly irrelevant (Neely 45-6), thus decreasing their likelihood of learning.

            The impact of the generational gap on student learning makes it imperative for teachers to find a way to communicate with and relate to their students. One way to do this is to make lessons culturally relevant, not only to different ethnic or gender groups but also to the youth culture. An article I found by Anthony D. Neely of the University of Texas in San Antonio suggested the STORRI Method – a strategy in which teachers survey, talk to, and observe their students, then research and reflect on what they’ve learned about youth culture before integrating it into the curriculum (Neely 46). One thing I especially liked about this strategy is the "talk" step, in which the students are given the opportunity to “express their voice as more knowledgeable others [thus promoting] a degree of student empowerment that is otherwise rarely experienced in the classroom” (Neely 47). This allows students to teach something they are excited about, potentially making connections between their culture and academic knowledge. When elements of youth culture are integrated into the classroom (such as using a popular TV show’s characters to illustrate a point), students may feel more connected to their teacher and to the information being discovered. Educational consultant Marc Prensky makes a good point about cross-generational communication, which is paraphrased in Neely’s article: “the nouns used in the classroom should continuously evolve to reflect students’ worlds (e.g., technologies, interests, pop culture references), the verbs on which teaching and learning activities are built (e.g., analyze, debate, calculate) remain constant over time” (Qtd. in Neely 49). This is not to say that all learning should be based on the current youth culture: it is important for young people to also recognize that there is great value in the perspectives of their elders. However, students are far less likely to take an interest in older generations’ points of view if nobody ever asks for their opinions.

            The increased understanding of how youth culture affects student learning has led to the expectation that teachers should take the extra steps outlined above (or do something else along similar lines) to research and incorporate culturally relevant examples into the curriculum. While even the thought of this may be taxing for teachers who are already overwhelmed, it is essential to student learning, and “with assistance [such as the STORRI Method], exploring the culture of younger generations can be a wonderful and rewarding adventure” (Neely 46). This is not to say that teachers will enjoy every minute of it – Neely is also quick to point out that “one does not need to enjoy youth culture in order to extend one’s understanding of it” (48). Nevertheless, it is important that teachers put in the time and effort required to help children relate and take an interest in what they are being taught.

Works Cited

Beloit College. “Mindset List for the Class of 2020.” 2016. www.beloit.edu/mindset/2020/

Gollnick, Donna M. and Philip C. Chinn. Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society. 10^th ed. Pearson, 2017.

Neely, Anthony D. “The STORRI Method: A Strategy for Exploring and Integrating Youth Culture into the Classroom.” Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, vol. 88, no. 2, 01 Jan. 2015, pp. 45-49. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1056966&site=ehostlive.