Instructing Mixed Generational Classrooms: How to Connect with All Ages
Contemporary instructors are facing an ever-increasing challenge: mixed generations in the classroom. While this has been an age-old factor, it's been amplified by the technological renaissance, the atypically large cultural gap between recent and tenured generations, and the rapidity with which retirements and recruitments are occurring due to a dynamic, volatile job market.
Because of these factors, it's more important than ever to understand the differences between the people in your classroom so that you, as an instructor, can leverage them to create an engaging, relevant learning experience with high retention and application.
Many courses aim to explore and define the traits of each generation. This course will take a step further to provide tools to evaluate your class demographics, analyze the information, and then design your instructional strategies to meet the needs of your students.
Landon Churchill grew up in the mountains of Western Colorado and began his public safety career as a volunteer firefighter with Colorado River Fire Rescue, where he had the opportunity to serve as an engineer, paramedic, and lieutenant. He spent time as an educator serving as EMS program coordinator and adjunct faculty at Colorado Mountain College and as a consultant for his own company, Big Red Fire Training. He serves now as the Deputy Chief of Planning and Governance for Spring Fire Department in Spring, TX, and enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, especially cooking, playing music, and exploring the outdoors.
He has authored over 150 articles in various publications. In 1996 he was selected by Fire Chief Magazine as Fire Chief of the Year in 1996. He has published 4 books and 7 photography books. He received the Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels Meritorious Service Award. The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2022 he received the Jimmy Seavey Health and Wellness award presented by the NVFC. and the Presidents Award from the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.
He was one of the founders of the Volunteer and Combination Officer Section (VCOS) and the National Fire Academy Alumni Association. He has contributed to several “ribbon reports” published by the VCOS. He was asked to be one of the editors for the original Lavender Ribbon Report published by the VCOS and NVFC in 2019. In 2021 he along with Brian McQueen spearheaded the update for the Lavender Ribbon Report. He is a principal author of the Yellow Ribbon Report and the updated updated Training Volunteers white paper published by the National Volunteer Fire Council and the Volunteer and Combination Officers Section.
