Generations, Strengths, and Learning Styles

In this episode of The Extension Connection Podcast, Jessica Jackson explores how generational strengths and learning styles shape the way we work, teach, and connect with others. Drawing from her experiences as a 4-H agent, she shares stories from summer programming, discusses visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles, and reflects on her own results from the NC State Learning Styles Assessment. Whether you're a parent, volunteer, educator, or lifelong learner, this episode offers practical insights on embracing differences and helping others succeed through understanding how they learn best.

link to 

Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire:

https://learningstyles.webtools.ncsu.edu/

Transcript

0:01

Greetings everyone, and thank you for joining me today. I am your co-host Jessica Jackson, and this is the Extension Connection podcast, where we connect Extension and community by sharing research-based information and practical lessons that can help us all grow. I have to admit something today. I've been struggling a little with a writer's block, or maybe in the podcast world, we'd call it a podcaster's block. Usually a topic jumps out at me and I think, "That's it. That's the one I wanna talk about." But lately, I just haven't had that feeling. Then summer program started. Over the last two weeks, I've watched young people sit down at a sewing machine for the very first time. I've watched them carefully measure fabric, learn how to thread a machine, and proudly hold up a finished project. Some made bowl covers, some made bread bags. Others learned how to bake bread from, completely from scratch. Right now, those projects are fun, they're exciting, and they're something that they can take home and show their families. But what really gets me excited is thinking about 10 years from now. One day, these same young people may be in a college apartment, their first home, or may be cooking for their own family. They'll put out a loaf of homemade bread or sew a button back on a shirt and think, "I learned how to do this in 4H." And that's when it hit me. The most important thing we teach isn't always the project itself. It's how people learn. So today I wanna talk about understanding generational strengths and learning styles and why both matter whether you're a parent, volunteer, educator, supervisor, or simply someone trying to work well with others. Throughout my time as a 4H agent, I've spent a lot of time researching and learning and observing. Not only has it helped me become a better teacher, but it's also helped me understand coworkers, volunteers, and community members. The reality is not everyone learns the same way, communicates the same way or approaches problems the same way. And honestly, that's a good thing. Imagine if everyone in your workplace thought exactly alike. Imagine if every volunteer approached the project the same way. We would miss out on so many ideas and strength. Generational diversity gives us opportunities to learn from one another. Baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 are often known for their strong work ethic, loyalty and wealth of experience. They value personal relationships and face-to-face conversations. Generation X is known for being adaptable, independent, and practical. They tend to be strong problem solvers and often serve as a bridge between generations Following Generation X, we have millennials who are often known to be team players. We like working alongside other people, sharing ideas, and feeling like we're a part of something bigger than ourselves. We also tend to ask a lot of questions, not because we're being difficult, but because we generally want to understand the why behind what we're doing. I know that's true for me, and I've been doing that since I was a kid. My parents said some of my first word were, "What's this?" and, "What's that?" I have to see the bigger picture. It he-helps me understand how all the pieces fit together. I've always enjoyed working with the others in-on community events, programs, and projects, and if there's a class, workshop, or training opportunity out there, chances are I'm interested. I love learning new things and figuring out how they can help me grow, both personally and professionally. I guess you could say I never met a learning opportunity I didn't at least want to try. As for a Generation Z, the generation grew up surrounded by technology They value creativity, diversity, and innovation Now, these aren't boxes that people fit into neatly. They're simply general observations. Every person is unique. What matters is recognizing that every generation brings strengths to the table. Michigan State University offers some excellent advice for working across generations. First, respect communication preferences. Some people prefer a phone call. Others prefer a text. Some want an email. Some would rather sit down face to face and talk things through. Second, avoid stereotypes and focus on strengths. One of my favorite things about 4-H is watching mentorship happen naturally. Experienced volunteers shared wisdom, while younger members often introduce new ideas, technology. Everyone learns from everyone. Third, create environments where everyone feels included and heard. And finally, remember that while technology can sometimes feel like a barrier, it can also become a bridge when we help each other learn. At the end of the day, most people want the same things: purpose, respect, and connection As I was researching Generations of strengths. Something else kept coming to mind. Whether we're talking about baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, or Gen Z, one thing remains true: not everyone learns the same way. The more time I spend teaching youth, working with volunteers, and collaborating with coworkers, the more I realize that understanding how people learn is just as important as understanding who they are. So what got me thinking about learning styles and how they play such a big role in education, leadership, and even our everyday interaction. One statistic that really caught my attention it says that people remember about ten percent of what they read, twenty percent of what they hear, thirty percent of what they see, and fifty percent of what they both see and hear. Those numbers increase dramatically when people actually do something themselves. That should sound familiar to anyone involved in Four H. After all, our motto is "Learn by doing." I've seen this firsthand. I can explain sewing for thirty minutes, but the moment a young person actually sits down at the sewing machine and starts to stitch, that's when the learning truly happens. I can talk about baking bread all day long, but when the participant mixes ingredients, kneads dough, and smells the loaf baking in the oven, that's when the lesson sticks. Most learning styles are grouped into three broad categories: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. Visual learners tend to learn best by seeing something. Show them a diagram, a demonstration, a picture, or let them watch someone complete a task and it starts to make sense. Auditory learners learn best through listening and discussion. They enjoy conversations, stories, explanation, and talking things through with others. Then you have the kinesthetic learners. These are my just let me do it folks. They learn best by getting their hands involved. They want to build it, try it, and figure it out as they go. As I was thinking about learning styles recently, I realized I'm really a combination of a couple of these. I consider myself a visual learner because I like to see how something works. Show me a picture, demonstration, and walk me through the process, and I'm much more likely to understand it. But here's the thing: I can't stop there. Once I've seen it, most of the time I have to try it myself. I need to get my hands on it and make sure I can actually do it before I feel confident that I've learned it. So while I'm definitely a visual learner, I also have a strong kinesthetic side. Seeing, seeing it helps me understand it, but doing it helps me remember it. Recently, I took the NC State Learning Styles and Strategies Assessment, mostly out of curiosity. I wanted to see if the results matched what I already thought about myself They did. My results showed that I'm primarily an active learner, and when I read the description, I couldn't help but laugh because it described me perfectly. Active learners tend to learn best by doing something with information. We like to discuss ideas, apply them, explain them to others, and putting them into practice. Sitting through a long lecture without being able to interact with infor-information can be a challenge. The phrase that describes active learners is often, "Let's try it and see what happens." And if you've spent much time around me, that's probably not a surprise. Growing up in a small town, that's how we... a lot of us learned things. Someone showed us how to do something, and then before long they handed us the tool, the project, the responsibility, and said, "All right, now you try." Whether you're... it was learning to drive a tractor, bake a pie, show livestock, sew a project, or fix something around the house, the lesson usually wasn't complete until we had it done-- we, we had done it ourselves. On the flip side, reflective learners like to think things through before jumping in. They're the folks who want to consider all the options, process the information, develop a plan before taking action. Neither approach is right or wrong. In fact, we probably need a little bit of both. That is true for my household. My husband helps balance me out because he will say, "Let's slow down and think about this," while I'm full force ready to try something new. But if we're con- But if we're always acting without taking the time to refre-reflect, we can't get ourselves into trouble. But if we're always reflecting and never acting, we might never get started. So I guess you do have to find the perfect balance. As I read through my result, it also helped me understand why I love extension work so much. Every day is different. One minute we're teaching a class, next we're planning a program. Then we're having a meeting with volunteers, solving problems, answering questions, or helping young people discover a new skill they didn't know they had. It's learning by doing every single day, and honestly, that's one of the reasons I've come to love 4H so much. Now that I know so much more about the bigger picture and influence on the youth, we don't just tell young people how to do something, we give them the opportunity to actually do it. Whether it's sewing a sewing project, baking bread, raising livestock, giving a presentation, building a robot, or leading a community service project, the real learning happens when they get involved That's also why I think it's important to remember that not every young person learns the same way. Some need to see it first. Some need to hear it explained. Some need to jump right in and get their hands dirty. And many of us, like me, are a combination of several learning styles. Understanding learning styles has made me a better educator because it reminds me that not everyone learns the same way I do. The best programs, classrooms, workspace, create opportunities for everyone to learn and succeed. So as you're driving down the road, working in the garden, sitting on the porch, or listening to this podcast, wherever you happen to be today, I want to leave you with a few questions. How do you learn best? Do you need to hear it explained? Do you prefer to jump right in and figure it out? Or maybe you're like me. You want to see it first and then try it yourself. And if you're a parent, volunteer, teacher, supervisor, or community leader, think about the people around you. How do they learn? How do they communicate? And what can you do to help them be successful? Because whether we're talking about generations or learning style, the lesson is really the same. People are different, and that's not something we need to fix. It's something we should appreciate. Those differences make our community stronger, our workplaces better, and our programs more impactful. Thank you for joining me today on the Extension Connection podcast. I hope this conversation encouraged you to appreciate the different strengths, perspectives, and learning styles that make us each unique. Until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and remember that some of life's most valuable lessons happen when we watch, listen, roll up our sleeves, and give it a try ourselves.