A couple weeks ago, I gave the IT desk what I thought was a lost flash drive.  You can only imagine how surprised I was when the student at the desk said, “I don’t think that’s a USB, that’s a Juul pod!” I’m not the first one to have made this mistake, and when I shared this story with students later, we were all laughing. But, this experience made me realize that even though I’m barely a Generation Y (“Gen Y”) or “Millennial,” there’s still enough of a generational gap between myself and my students, many of whom are Generation Z (“Gen Z”), to cause these moments of confusion due to different life experiences.

There’s a lot of information out there about the different generations and what constitutes a “traditional Gen Zer,” which is someone born between 1995 through 2012.  One article notes that Gen Z is likely to describe themselves as “loyal, compassionate, thoughtful, open-minded, responsible, and determined.”[1] They also have “grit, determination, and desire to win.”[2] Professor Laura Graham, who has a lot of scholarship about generational differences in the law school environment,[3] echoes many of these sentiments and encourages us to remember that this doesn’t mean Gen Zers are either “better than” or “worse than” other generations.[4]  And, I think that’s something to remember for all generations; we can all bring something to the table

 After confidently turning in a “lost USB,” I wondered if I was missing out on any other ways to connect with my students through the lens of teaching legal research.  I started to investigate the most effective ways to teach legal research to “Zoomers”, and I came across this fantastic article written by a law librarian about doing just that.  Many thanks to the author, since she helped me think about ways that Gen Z traits manifest in legal research and opportunities for bettering my own teaching.  I thought of three areas where I often notice these generational differences and reflected on ways that I could use these challenges as opportunities to connect with students.

Critical Reading and Writing

For Gen Zers on the younger side, many of whom are appearing in my legal research classroom now, educational environments did not emphasize the value of critical reading and writing and instead emphasized rote memorization.[5]  They are also the first generation to have ready access to technology from the moment they were born.[6]

This is something that I’ve noticed in my classroom, particularly when it involves analyzing the impact of a statute or regulation.  In my one-on-one meetings, I often find myself encouraging students to slow down and carefully read the question if it comes to interpretation.  Excited by the thought of a quick answer, many of them miss the “exceptions” or finer details of these pieces of law. 

Thinking about how I can more thoughtfully incorporate this into my legal research class, I can ensure that students are assessed on questions like this to help develop their critical reading skills.  This is a skill that can be sharpened, and I know the students can do it.  It’s just a matter of reassuring them that they have the time to do so and reminding them that it aligns with their professional development.

Communication

Gen Z has conflicting thoughts on communication.  With a strong preference for text[7] but also enjoying short in person conversations,[8] it’s hard to tell what’s the best way to connect with these students.

Generally, I don’t give out my phone number to students when I’m currently teaching them, since I want a barrier in place in terms of my availability.  I’ve had students reach out via email at 10:30pm expecting an immediate answer.  And, I can’t count the number of students who appear at my door when I’m in the middle of scarfing down a sandwich.

One way that I can support my students is by helping them understand when I am available and normalizing that I won’t always be available. I want to support my students, especially since a lot of Gen Z students are open to mentorship and need a space to share their insecurities that arise during law school, but I also need to manage expectations.

Collaboration

Gen Z has a strong preference for working independently rather than collaboratively.[9]  Now, it makes a lot of sense why so many students came to me so worried about the group project that I’m having them complete this semester!  But, in my time teaching legal research, I’ve noticed how much students learn from each other, even just discussing practice exercises.

Bearing in mind that Gen Zers prefer to work independently, if I can explicitly remind them of the value of working in a group and the impact it will have on their professionalism, I think this will help them come to terms with the groupwork.  Nearly all the work that is done as an attorney is group work, and it’s an important professional skill for students to collaborate.

Reflecting on my Gen Z students was a refreshing experience for me, since it made me realize that a lot of the things that I get frustrated by in the classroom have a reasonable explanation behind them.

What generational differences have you noticed in your own classroom?

[1] Robert Minarcin, OK Boomer: The Approaching DiZruption of Legal Education by Generation Z, 39 Quinnipiac L. Rev. 29, 44 (2020).

[2] Id.

[3] See Laura P. Graham, Generation Z Goes to Law School: Teaching and Reaching Law Students in the post-Millennial Generation, 41 UALR L. Rev. 29 (2018).

[4] Laura P. Graham, Welcoming Generation Z to the Legal Workplace, 42 Wyo. Law, 22, 24 (2019).

[5] Olivia R. Smith Schlinck, OK, Zoomer: Teaching Legal Research to Gen Z, 115 Law Libr. J.  269, 285 (2019); Graham, supra note 3 at 54; Graham, supra note 4 at 23.

[6] Schlinck, supra note 5 at 275.

[7] Graham, supra note 3 at 68.

[8] Id. at 71.

[9] Minarcin, supra note 1 at 51; Graham, supra note 3 at 67; Graham, supra note 4 at 24; Schlink, supra note 5 at 291.