American law schools currently are attended by a majority population of students from Generation X, with an increasing number of persons from Generation Y. What does that mean?

Professor Tracy L. McGaugh recently has attempted to answer that question in her article, “Generation X in Law School: The Dying of the Light or the Dawn of a New Day?,” which appears in Legal Writing: The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute, Volume 9, 2003. In this article, Professor McGaugh highlights the general characteristics of various generations and offers pedagogical suggestions for serving the two generations who predominate in American law schools.

Generation X students were born in the years 1961—1981, and Generation Y students were born in 1982 through approximately 2000. Many law professors are changing their classroom styles to adapt to the needs and general characteristics of these two generations. Although the two generations are profiled differently, they both respond to some of the same “modern” classroom techniques.

Generation X students sometimes are unfairly portrayed as having short attention spans, as being undereducated, and as displaying a lack of respect. In reality, Generation X students merely approach the world in a different manner than their Baby Boomer professors (born 1943—1960).

Instead of having a short attention span, many Generation X students respond more positively to a fast-paced and technology-rich classroom. A generation raised with fast food, MTV, and home computers expects efficient and entertaining presentations from instructors.

Generation X also is unfairly portrayed as being undereducated. Instead, X is a generation of information managers. In a world burgeoning with information, Generation X emphasizes multi-tasking and information management skills. To Generation X, learning by rote is wasteful when facts are a mere keystroke away.

Similarly, Generation X is unfairly portrayed as exhibiting a lack of respect. In reality, Generation X members typically can be characterized as independent thinkers, from whom respect must be earned rather than given based on hierarchy. X’ers prefer an informal environment, which persons from previous generations may misconstrue as disrespectful.

Generation Y members, sometimes called Nexters, currently are being profiled as more conventional than Generation X members. In contrast to the educational experiments to which many Generation X members were exposed during childhood, Generation Y students have been raised in pre-college environments that emphasized traditional learning techniques and the “fundamentals.”

Although many contrasts can be drawn between Generation X and Generation Y, both are responding well to changed classroom techniques. Many professors are becoming technologically savvy — using PowerPoint, CALI lessons, and online discussion groups. Some professors are emphasizing skills over theory to make classroom discussions more relevant to workplace reality. Others are encouraging more classroom discussions, adjusting to student preferences for greater informality while still maintaining a professional atmosphere.

All of these statements of generational needs and preferences are, however, generalizations and cannot be assumed to apply to all members of any demographic category. Nonetheless, discussions of group tendencies can help professors and law school staff become more responsive to changing times. As competition increases among law schools and among new law school graduates, responsive education will pave the way for the next generations of American attorneys.

Suggested Reading:

McGaugh, Tracy L. “Generation X in Law School: The Dying of the Light or the Dawn of a New Day?” Legal Writing 9 (2003): 119-144.