Do you find it hard to connect with your Gen Z learners? TBL is effective, but when teaching Gen Zs, it can only reach its full potential to be engaging when it is designed to match how they learn.
In our latest blog, we share four practical ways to align TBL with common Gen Z learning preferences so your sessions feel smoother, clearer, and more engaging.
What you can expect in this blog:
Discover four Gen Z learning preferences that can influence how students engage with learning
Learn simple TBL design tweaks that makes it more seamless for Gen Z students to learn and engage
Access a practical checklist to help you quickly apply these ideas when designing your next TBL session
This blog contains many valuable insights about effective teaching practices—such as managing cognitive load, attending to the affective dimensions of learning, providing meaningful feedback, and emphasizing the importance of social learning. These are all well-supported principles in the learning sciences.
However, I would suggest that these are not uniquely “Gen Z” preferences. They are, more fundamentally, human learning needs. Framing them primarily as strategies for teaching a particular generation risks reinforcing assumptions about learners based solely on age.
It can be tempting to describe certain practices through the lens of how Gen Z “learns best” or what Gen Z students “prefer.” But doing so may inadvertently misattribute why these practices are effective in the first place. For example, we might say that Gen Z “craves feedback” or “thrives on social connection,” when in reality these are core elements of effective learning for learners of all ages.
This distinction matters. When teaching strategies are framed primarily as generational preferences, we risk focusing on perceived trends rather than the underlying principles of how people learn. In some cases, that framing may even lead educators to adopt or emphasize certain approaches simply because they are thought to align with Gen Z characteristics.
More importantly, generational framing can overlook the diversity that exists within any group of learners. Not all Gen Z students share the same preferences or experiences, just as students from other generations do not form a single, uniform group. By centering our instructional decisions on evidence-based learning principles rather than generational categories, we are more likely to reach the full range of learners in our classrooms.
Reference:
Jauregui J, Watsjold B, Welsh L, Ilgen JS, Robins L. Generational “othering”: The myth of the Millennial learner. Med Educ. 2020;54:60–65. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.13795
Hey Zac Thank you for this thoughtful comment and for highlighting the learning science perspective!
I completely agree that many of the practices mentioned are not unique to Gen Z but reflect broader principles of effective learning. We tried to acknowledge this nuance at the start of the article by noting that generational labels aren’t a scientific rulebook, and that learners are always more diverse than a single category. As such, we encouraged readers to treat the ideas as design signals rather than stereotypes.
Many educators currently teaching predominantly Gen Z cohorts are noticing shifts in expectations around digital interfaces, feedback cycles, and collaborative interaction. Our intent was simply to use Gen Z as a practical lens to help instructors reflect on patterns they may be observing in their classrooms, while encouraging them to adapt strategies based on their own learners and context.
Great resource on “generational othering”! As you pointed out, it’s an important reminder for educators to remain cautious about oversimplification, and a valuable perspective to keep in mind when discussing learner characteristics.
Thanks again for your contribution to this discussion! Would be interested to hear any other reflections and thoughts on this from other community members as well
What you can expect in this blog:
Thank you for this thoughtful comment and for highlighting the learning science perspective!