Generation Alpha

Have you ever encountered people from different generations when you interact as a human?

In my case, it is a yes. Because as a Physics lecturer I have taught to the students of Generation X, Y and Z. Currently I am also trying to help my kids who are in Generation Alpha through their school work.

Hence, this month I would like to talk about Generation Alpha.

This is a term that is used to describe the generation of people born between 2010 and 2025. In some places the years slightly vary. This term was initially was introduced by a social researcher Mark McCrindle in 2008.

Most Generation Alpha persons have millennial parents like me. According to my personal experience, I feel that these humans will be the most technologically savvy group since birth. They will be faced with unique challenges which can shape their life experiences and behaviours.

Majority of Generation Alpha are now in the stage of learning as a relative youth cohort. Yet, researchers have started to predict some emerging features in them. Due to COVID- 19 pandemic, larger part of formal education was done via virtual learning platforms to them. In fact, they have been adapted to novel methods of distant learning. This has further revolutionized on how they interact with peers and teachers.

In fact they are not following the route of one size fits all. Generation Alpha is trying to redefine success in his/her own terms by looking up to the influencers in social media platforms and self- starters who became famous in an authentic way.

As Generation Alpha is the most digitally empowered group compared to the other generations, their online engagement time will likely to increase. As a result, there will be reduced attention span amongst them. Apart from that, their ego-centric nature will have difficulties in social interactions too. They also tend to be more independent by being globally minded due to their constant exposure to the world.

Hence, they can quickly navigate in a digital world to find solutions and acquire knowledge where undoubtedly they will be confident and self-directed individuals. In a world of over flown information these individuals have numerous opportunities to navigate in education. This in fact provides challenges to the educators which require innovative approaches, tools to design and effectively utilize the resources.

Present day parents say that their Generation Alpha kids are exposed to the knowledge at a very early age compared to the original age that they initially had been exposed as kids. So, standardized formal education methods are being questioned as these learners love to have hands on experience with the real world which predicts a dynamic future.

In essence, digital based learning will play a pivotal role as an efficient tool catering each individual’s needs. That is why there are interactive personalized learning paths, learning platforms with gamification elements to spark the continuous engagement amongst the users.

Yet, I feel that nobody cannot ignore the human touch. It should be fostered by social skills in Generation Alpha. So, educators have a bigger role to act as facilitators by explaining the equilibrium of virtual and real life. By the end of the day, we need to prepare them for a digitally fluent future with continuous innovation.

(This article originally appeared in Probe - January 2025)