The on-going debate on the learning needs of Gen Next….

I was at a computer hardware / software shop yesterday and decided to stop by the gaming software department to update myself on what’s on the shelf.

This is what children see in their growing years…

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[I am not endorsing products.]

Look at the degree of saturation of colours and the quality of the graphics [HD quality in most]. These kids enter the work force.

Are we expecting them to demand the same at the office? Should we give in to their demand, if they do?

I know many colleagues who were party animals in their twenties but somehow, on their own cognizance, suddenly stopped partying in their thirties. They told me, when asked, they were too old to party. They just know it is time to move on.

I believe in the same vein, that those who enter the workforce will, at some magical moment on their own cognizance, stop demanding the things they liked when they were younger.

Then there is the issue of motivation. Children will never initiate the desire for exams or to learn new skills – they need loads of external motivation. Adults, on the other hand, have higher level of inner motivation. Adults, are more likely to seek out a course to upgrade, seek out certification exams to gain upward mobility.

Human kind tend towards self ambition, whether we agree or not so there will always be a need for supervision or for line supervisors. Supervision for children is very different for supervision for adults.

So, we must stop thinking what works for children, works for adults.

Moving along, we must always be examining, observing and analysing. Hence the increasing focus on Ethology and Anthropology. Studying the typical behaviours of people [which have not changed much, in so far as survival instincts within eg the fight or flight imprint ] juxtaposes the historical with the futuristic….

Hmmmm….the old with the new.