"We are sun and moon, dear friend..."
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It never ceases to amaze me the inspiration we can gain from our colleagues. This cadre is nothing if not a playground for ideas and inspiration. I'm taking what I read in a colleague's blog and intend to run with it. You can read it here. We see life in much the same way (although not always the same) and I'm 100% sure we wouldn't order the same Subway sandwich.
A number of thoughtful questions are posed and I find myself pondering this idea of individualized education is a need to truly make each individual's education unique for them OR do we need to give each individual the skill to serve the infinitesimal needs of other individuals? Do we tailor education to make it "easier" for them, or give them the skills to cope in a classroom, work environment, home life where they have to cooperate with people of different styles. I wonder if we can do a little of both. Help them understand themselves to either learn how to learn, or to find ways of capitalizing on personal strengths and improve weaknesses.
17.7% were INFPs, also known as Mediators. What's interesting is that in a general population, this personality type comprises just 4%. They are thought of as true ideals who always look for a hint of good in even the worst of people and events, trying to find ways to make things better and are often feel misunderstood. There's a LOT to unpack there...
The 16.9% group are ENFPs, known as Campaigners like me (typically 7% of the population). They are true free spirits, often the life of the party, want passion and love to reign supreme and dislike feeling constrained or having too much structure - Also a lot to unpack...I could write a whole paper on this.
I also ask if they thought the description was accurate - almost 75% said mostly correct or exactly right.
What do I do with this info? Really it says to me that these kids feel misunderstood, want someone to really talk to them and understand THEM as individuals, don't want to be bored, and really are good people who want everyone around them to be good too. Some day I will map grades, daily work completion, attendance and perceived effort against MBTI types - that would REALLY tell me something.
I love giving personality tests to my students early in the year to figure out their learning methods (simplified kinestetic, visual, auditory). I find, for the most part, students already know this for themselves but don't understand how to structure their study to maximize learning for themselves. I try to plan my lessons to incorporate each style into my teaching but I very much appreciate the idea that Gregorc STYLES are just as important as methods. (I'm also not surprised to discover I am mostly Abstract Random with Concrete Random in a close second...Concrete Sequential is worst for me, too. Descriptions of styles can be found here.) I will incorporate these into my beginning of the year process as well now.
I believe the more the students understand about the teacher, themselves, and each other - the easier it is to make connections, for students to self-advocate, and to personalize learning for each student. I 100% that we need to teach students to adapt. That the skills are more important than the content these days. If they know HOW to get the information, they can get it when it is meaningful for them. Instead of them going to science class to learn science. We re-frame for students that we are learning problem solving through science content.
THIS is what I need to focus on when teaching. What SKILL do I want them to gain, not what fact to I want them to teach. Call me crazy, but we could even GRADE them on this skills (NGSS has new meaning for me all of the sudden!)And I'm okay being wrong. But it feels right to try.
(And here is great link to multiple learning style inventory types if you are crazy like me and want to take them for yourself or for your students! )
Love the idea of students taking these tests and becoming self aware. This didn't happen to me until I was in Community College and forced to take a "How to study" course because I didn't pass the entrance exam for Community College. I had to take two classes below the 100 level before they would let me in. This was one of them...and probably the class that changed my life. I took many of these same tests and then in class we talked about them, we talked about and learned about ourselves. How do I learn best? What is the best way for me to study? How does my brain remember? I honestly didn't know how to "learn" until this class.....and then I was frustrated that I had to be a Freshman in college before I learned it. Helping students understand themselves is such a powerful life exercise that I hope every student gets to experience.
ReplyDeleteWhat did that "How to study" course look like? What materials did they use? I think that class is something that should be taught early and often in school, but I've always been concerned there wouldn't be enough content to take up a quarter or semester worth of time.
DeleteWe took a required course as Freshmen at my high school called something like "Orientation", that was essentially the type of class Jeff is describing. It is what initially inspired me to survey my students on learning styles. The lady who created and taught it, Cindy Blansfield, is now an Auburn SD HR administrator. I will email her and see if she still has info from a million year ago.
Delete-Allison
I was surprised by the Myers-Briggs percentages in your class. I wonder if the difference in averages in your class compared to the general population might be caused by one or multiple of the following factors:
ReplyDelete1) Do values go through similar changes as the brain develops? For example, why is fairness and equality in rules such a big deal in 4th - 6th grades. Are the ideals of an INFP similar to ideals that we see in adolescent culture (mediation, idealism, etc)?
2) Do you imprint your values onto your students in such a way that they respond in the way they are feeling currently in that moment? Would they respond differently in another classroom, with another teacher, in another setting?
3) How valid are the results when many people (especially adolescents) are struggling with the disparity between who they are and who they want to be?
Or....do you just happen to have an anomalous group of teenagers that doesn't fit the statistical average?
I was also surprised by the percentages. I would love to be able to resurvey the Freshmen from last year when they are seniors and figure out if they have changed and what they think may explain the change.
DeleteI do hypothesize some of the similarities are the result of value development. Interesting thought that I may be projecting my personality on to them. I did not share any info with them before hand, and they took the survey independently early in the school year, so I would suspect projection is unlikely.
As for validity during development, I would argue that we are always in development. I was an ENFJ (Entertainer) for most of my life and during that period it was a perfect fit. The last five years have been personal grown years and the change is accurately reflected. It IS important to frame the survey with regards to overall personality, as a student, as an employee, as a partner, etc, as we often adapt different personalities to different settings.
-Allison