Generation X, Y and Z : challenges for teaching and learning

Abstract

The rapid technological developments and its inherent changes cause the technologies to work as timeline paths, allowing a new generation to arise every ten years. The emergence of these new generations in a limited period of time has caused a revolution in society, because unlike what happened in the past, now there are several generations occupying the same work, schooling and leisure spaces. These generations are very different and that is why there is a kind of revolution in its own dynamic, because some of those crystallized habits and behaviors suffered, over time, recursive changes in very short periods, requiring individuals to adapt to a variety of people with very distinct tastes and habits and, more importantly, with different mental models [1]. In this article we will focus our attention identifying the characteristics of generations X, Y and Z, exposing succinctly their desires, aspirations and its relations with the world, as well as their relationship with school and, more specifically, with learning. As a corollary of this relationship, some strategies will be presented that we believe to be of great use in the teaching of generation Y and Z.