People born in the 1980s and 1990s, often labeled as millennials, have long pursued self-improvement and self-knowledge. Now many of them are parents of schoolchildren who belong to Zoomer and Gen Alpha cohorts and actively choose among diverse formats for their children’s education.
More than half of organizations prize collaboration and communication as top employee skills. A survey of 2,000 employers by ManpowerGroup highlights this. Researchers at the University of Minnesota also found that managers place the highest value on honesty, reliability, and perseverance in job candidates.
In this context, a large share of millennials no longer see a diploma as the sole driver of career success. Data from VTsIOM confirms this shift in perspective.
The new generation of parents wants children to gain practical knowledge and skills that pay off in real life. Harvard University has shown that social skills account for a large share of business success in today’s world, while a study by Yaklass indicates that only about a third of students today can clearly define social skills.
Studies indicate that millennials spend more time with their kids and take a broader role in their lives while encouraging greater independence. This makes it essential for parents to stay motivated to learn themselves. Education should be engaging so children delight in new information and complete tasks without late-night hours with adults.
Millennial parents also play a key role in their children’s emotional health, mutual respect, and trust. An HSE study shows that 70 percent of parents want their kids to study on top of school programs, and 88 percent desire online access to teachers for instant feedback.
Modern parents recognize certain educational challenges. Greatly, people across income levels agree that extra effort is needed to ensure a high-quality education. High- and low-income groups alike believe that not only students and families but also schools share responsibility for mediocre outcomes in learning.
The teacher’s authority is no longer unquestioned. Poor grades may be seen as teacher bias, as a mismatch between students and instructors, or as a dull way of presenting material.
Generation Y, now paired with Gen Alpha, interacts with the world through digital means. The traits of today’s pupils are shaped by devices, leading to multitasking in some cases while causing shorter attention spans that challenge traditional teaching methods.
Monotonous lessons fail to ignite curiosity. Many students view learning primarily through the lens of grades, which can make them fear mistakes rather than pursue knowledge for its own sake.
This dynamic fuels cheating and its consequences, including eroded self-esteem, difficulties with future topics, reduced analytical capacity, and a tendency to jump to conclusions without careful evaluation.
Workload and a focus on reports and homework checks can limit teachers from tailoring instruction to each child’s pace, perseverance, and attentional needs. As a result, personalized approaches often get sidelined.
Millennials are digital natives who favor engaging presentations. Memorization loses appeal when information is readily accessible, and learning becomes meaningful when it is interactive and resonates with the students’ needs and interests.
Online platforms use video, audio, and gamified elements to capture attention. Learning becomes an adventure when students compete, earn points, and climb leaderboards, adding excitement to the educational journey.
Gamification stimulates dopamine release in the brain’s mesolimbic pathway, a trigger for enjoyment and motivation. It reduces stress by making game elements the focus, so learners forget their fears and embrace problem solving rather than fixating on final results.
The game-based approach demands steady task completion and offers immediate feedback. Regular achievements help students progress without fearing failure, encouraging a resilient mindset and ongoing improvement.
Technology expands what happens in the classroom, making lessons more varied and easier to visualize. This deeper immersion enhances comprehension, critical thinking, and analytical abilities across subjects.
Integrating gamification with digital tools can make learning even more interesting. Interactive and virtual reality games have been used to visualize Russia’s geography and explore architectural heritage. Virtual tours let students visit landmarks like Kaliningrad Cathedral or explore historic sites in Vyborg, the Altai region, and other locations, expanding awareness beyond textbooks.
Algorithms help teachers reduce paperwork by streamlining activities, automating routine checks, and generating reports. This creates space for a more thoughtful, student-centered approach.
These tools also generate data about each student’s engagement with the material and can help adapt tasks to individual learning needs when appropriate.
With information technology, parents can monitor progress, engage in the process when needed, and ensure access to quality knowledge regardless of a student’s background or location.
It is important to recognize that time moves forward, and the way children think about information evolves. Modern students increasingly rely on the internet and online platforms, so updating teaching methods with technology is essential to improve learning outcomes.
The author’s view reflects a personal perspective and does not necessarily represent any editorial position.