Gen Alpha is too addicted to digital devices. So, they want everything that they participate in to be fun. Those statements may not be that much of an exaggeration. I remember my Gen Alpha son telling me that he wished that his kindergarten class were more fun, interactive, and entertaining a few years ago. Perhaps those sentiments and realities are why Gen Alpha, collectively, is having so much trouble in the traditional classroom.
What is it that Ails Gen Alpha?
Gen Alpha gets technology like no other generation does. That shouldn’t be too surprising since the majority of them have been playing with and have been entertained by advanced and innovative devices since before they knew how to talk. Many have blamed these devices for giving Gen Alpha super bad ADHD early on. Indeed, the generation collectively has extremely short attention spans.
What makes matters worse may be that Gen Alpha is so heavily reliant on technology that they are moving away from traditional paper and visual learning mediums. You may not think that asking teachers to teach Gen Alpha students major concepts on computers, whiteboards, and other digital devices and aides is a big deal. However, it is because teachers have used paper, pencil, and other now taboo methods to teach the fundamentals–’reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic!’
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released a report in January of this year. The findings were disturbing. Both fourth and eighth graders scored well below the national average in reading and math.
Is Gen Alpha Already Dropping Out of School?
Not every kid is academically inclined, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not uncommon for some in a generation or even in a high school to drop out and either get married or start working. But what happens when an entire generation drops out of school before they reach the legal age to do so–age 16? Then you may have some problems.
That’s exactly what Gen Alpha is doing, but passively and indirectly. They may still be going to class, but they just don’t have the same level of engagement or enthusiasm in academics and studies that previous generations did. You can thank the social distancing norms and social isolation of the pandemic for that.
Most Gen Alpha members were starting school–whether it was elementary or preschool–during the height of the pandemic. The ‘stay home, stay safe’ and ‘social distancing’ mandates of the time encouraged social isolation and extreme individualism at a time when these youngsters should have been learning how to socialize with the world and interact with others.
It also encouraged students to disconnect from learning on a large scale. That was especially true when digital and mobile devices were allowed in the classroom post-pandemic. It also encouraged students to put in the minimum effort required to pass. Perhaps that is reflected in dramatically lower attendance rates when classes resumed as normal after the pandemic.
Digital Distractions Didn’t Help Any
According to K-12 Dive, 97% of students use their smartphones when they should be paying attention to classroom activities, instruction, and lectures. Most of the usage has nothing to do with academics, and a lot of it occurs on social media platforms. Not only does it interrupt the normal flow of the classroom, but it also leads to other negative effects like eye strain and online bullying.
K-12 Dive found that students who use smartphones in class regularly and multitask on them miss out on a lot of knowledge because they are significantly distracted from classroom work and instruction. Additionally, many students receive noisy alerts, which are distracting and annoying. Smartphones turn students into intellectual vegetables–instead of learning to think creatively, analytically, and independently, they rely on technology to do the work for them.
Many teachers have noticed that Gen Alpha students struggle to stay on task academically in the classroom, mainly because of mobile devices. Technology is addictive because it’s very visually stimulating and engaging. Unfortunately, this type of engagement may be drastically shortening most students’ attention spans.
Digital devices may trigger extreme anxiety as well, which can affect Gen Alpha’s ability to communicate with and interact with large audiences. For example, they may not be as able to give classroom presentations. A lot of students have panic attacks when they have to give these types of presentations.
Kids may be able to look up many things on Google in a few nanoseconds. That’s a luxury that previous generations could only have dreamed of. But that has created the expectation of instant gratification. So now, kids don’t have the attention spans, intellectual stamina, or extended focus needed to learn complex subjects and topics that may take much longer–several weeks to a few months to master.
Accessing smartphones in class gives students an addictive dopamine rush. The trouble is that the rush can disrupt brain patterns, which can make traditional learning seem boring. So, students tune out valuable instruction. They are also used to reading on a screen. Kids get so used to digital reading algorithms and feeds that they struggle tremendously with traditional methods and patterns of reading and writing.
Gen Alpha Students Don’t Always See a Financial Motivation to Learn
Kids have always been averse to learning what they perceive to be irrelevant topics in school. Do you remember the age-old saying, “When are we ever gonna have to use this?” Well, Gen Alpha students have taken that to the extreme. Many tune out instructions that they don’t think will directly help them make money immediately. The trouble is that the instruction may well lay the foundation for concepts that they need to know in their careers.
Today’s Educators Have Their Work Cut Out For Them
Those who work in education currently face a lot of challenges with Gen Alpha. Not only do they have to deal with a generation that lacks social skills and is not socially oriented, but they also have to deal with a digitally native group of kids who just don’t know how to learn the way their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents did. Educators also have to deal with severe ADHD, autism, and other learning disabilities that previous generations didn’t have as much of an issue with.
