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Students Are Speaking: Responding to the Evolving Communication Needs of Young People
February 8, 2023 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am PST
Presented by: Elise Kuykendall
A 2019 study on workplace readiness, surveying over 3,000 members of Generation Z (those born after 1995), revealed that while students feel confident in their ability to collaborate and take on new challenges, many report feeling unprepared for key communication demands in the workplace—such as networking, negotiating, and resolving conflict. In this session school leaders will engage in a discussion about how education systems can more intentionally foster 21st-century skills. The conversation will highlight how a strengths-based approach can amplify the competencies students already possess and support their transition into a complex, ever-evolving workforce.
In this workshop we will explore:
- The gap between traditional instruction and real-world communication demands
- Culturally responsive strategies to uplift students’ existing communication strengths
- Ways to support student growth in both interpersonal and introspective skills
By participating, you will be ready to:
- Identify and build on students’ strengths like tech fluency and activism
- Reflect on your school’s approach to teaching communication
- Design practices that teach key skills while challenging inequitable norms
Resources
Gen Z may be struggling to develop their soft skills because of the COVID pandemic. The good news is they’re ready to be led.
What does the “:)” emoji mean to you? If it’s just a normal, happy-go-lucky smiley face to you — you know, one you might use at the end of a “Congratulations” text message or something along those lines — then chances are, you’re not a member of Generation Z. For many teenagers and early twenty-somethings, the plain yellow smiley has a more passive aggressive, or even sarcastic, connotation to it. To suggest genuine happiness or any other positive sentiment, members of Gen Z prefer to use other, more expressive emojis, like the blushing and squinting smileys or even the cowboy emoji.
Born after 1996, the oldest Gen Zers will turn 23 this year. They are racially and ethnically diverse, progressive and pro-government, and more than 20 million will be eligible to vote in November.
This generation is changing how we communicate at work– and that’s a good thing.
It’s important for technology-influenced learning environments to encourage students to be active, collaborative, and engaged.
Let’s help our middle schoolers learn from their digital worlds.
About the Presenters
Elise serves the Inflexion team as Director of Partnership Development. A strategic connector with over a decade of experience teaching, leading, and designing within the K-12 education system, she develops intentional partnerships to serve as both advocate and co-conspirator for administrators who want to transform their systems from the inside out so more students succeed. Before joining Inflexion, Elise spent 7 years as a high school English teacher in Orange County, California, after earning her MA in Education from Pepperdine University.
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