Professional Documents
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In order to enhance the potential for learning of their students, teachers can benefit
from using practical, psychological approaches to extend their teaching impact.
Psychological approaches can assist the teacher to engage students in their
preferred way, to use their natural motivation to learn with their maximum energy. The
teacher can use these approaches to understand, analyse and coach students who
have difficulty learning a subject or part of a subject. Without it, the teacher is left with
the task only. The nearest analogy I can think of is that paying attention to the task,
rather than how we approach the task, is like trying to cut grass with scissors ignoring
the existence of a lawnmower.
Any psychological approach should be able to befriend the unconscious mind which
is a vast ocean of potential that we use to learn our first language and then
sometimes never again in the school system. Psychology can assist with different
strokes for different folks recognising each individuals perception of an event is
never the same and it helps teachers improve results by understanding the individual
personality.
For many teachers in the humanistic tradition, the goal of teaching is more that the
development of certain skills; it is the development and maturation of the student. In
order to achieve this goal, students need to develop self awareness of who they are
and who they can be. As Howard Gardener says I want my children to understand
the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and the human mind is
curious. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to make it a better
place. Knowledge is not the same as morality, but we need to understand if we are to
avoid past mistakes and move in productive directions. An important part of that
understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do... Ultimately, we must
synthesize our understandings for ourselves.
There are many psychological approaches that inform teaching including Gardner
himself; Feuerstein and his Instrumental Enrichment; Transactional Analysis; NeuroLingustic programming and many others in the past such as Piaget. These
approaches add colour and extend the possibilities that a teacher has to improve the
learning environment.
One such psychological approach is based on the work of Carl Jung who noticed that
people had different preferences for the way they used their mind. The work of Jung
was published in his theory of Psychological Type Kathryn and Isobel Myers Briggs
adapted the theory and designed a self report questionnaire to make Jungs Theory
of practical use.
The facts and the concepts-What is the MBTI?
Following more than 50 years of research and development the MBTI questionnaire
is now the most widely used personality questionnaire in the world, with more than
3.5 million questionnaires completed worldwide each year. It is available in 19
languages.
According to Jung differences in individuals are due to deep seated choices in the
way we prefer to use our minds. When you are active you are involved in one or two
mental activities:
Jung noticed that people directed their energy and were energised externally
Extraversion (E) and observed that these people tended to talk out their
ideas whilst Introverts (I) tended to think it through.
Taking in information which Jung called perceiving. Jung observed that there
are two opposite ways to perceive which he called Sensing(S) and Intuition
(N). Sensors tend to pay attention to specifics whilst those with an Intuitive
preference find they look for and need the big picture.
Organising that information and coming to conclusions Jung called judging.
According to Jung there are two ways to make decisions and come to
conclusions. The first preference is to attend to logical implications Thinking
(T) the second way is to attend to the impact on people through personal
values Feeling (F).
Finally Myers and Briggs added the fourth scale of how people orientate to
the external world whether they prefer a Judging (J) process or a Perceiving
(P) process relating to the outer world. The judging preference favours an
organised, planned learning environment whilst the perceiving preference is
to a more spontaneous free flowing, playful, environment.
11.5
13.7
4.3
8.5
ISFP
INFP
ENFJ
ESFJ
8.8 INFJ
4.4 ENFP
2.5 ENTP
12.3 INTJ
1.5
8.1
3.2
2.1
INTP
ISTP
ENTJ
ESTJ
3.3
5.4
1.8
8.6
Taking the MBTI questionnaire is usually an individuals first step in discovering their
Type, and is not designed to be a stand alone process. It should always be
accompanied by a feedback session, allowing whoever is taking it to discuss the
results, and to select the Type that they feel provides the best fit with their
personality. This thereby builds a foundation for further personal awareness and
development.
Some more facts
The types are not evenly distributed. The table above gives the percentage in the US
population. There are nine times as many isFjs as iNfjs.
There are significant differences across countries. Just in the European countries
(apart from Denmark) the sensor pattern is favoured more than in the UK. The
European population is more extravert than the UK with exceptions in Italy which
tends to more introvert facets than the UK.
Sensors comprise the largest group in the population with 38% then those of a
Feeling type 28% Thinking 19% and Intuitive 15%.
64% of university professors prefer Intuition to Sensing. This is twice as much as the
students at this level. There is a gradual shift from junior school to university from
sensing to intuition style of teaching.
The most attractive occupation for an ENFP is counselling or psychologist and
teacher of arts, health and special education; then research. There are statistics for
each type as to their career choices.
the teacher needs to plan their lessons to appeal to all motivations. Below are brief
characteristics of each motivation.
Sensing
Intuition
Wants something practical and relevant toMust find inspiration or else they switch off
now to learn. They distrust theory andor find their interest outside the classroom.
learning linguistically. They like to learn They are particularly drawn to theory,
through their senses and like instructionpatterns and the connection of ideas. It
where they can hear and touch what theycan be the etymology and linguistics that
are learning. They appreciate examplesattract an intuitive person learning
and
demonstrations
with
detailedlanguage.
instructions of what is new. They like a
system of instruction with monitoring and Intuitive learners need to see the big
feedback built in. They may enjoypicture and can become impatient with
audiovisual and laboratory work but directdetails if they appear like lists of
experience is best. Sensors enjoyunconnected facts.
mastering a skill through continued
repetition and practice rather than jumpingThe teacher should focus on creativity and
from one skill to another. Unless they seethe big picture
the immediate relevance of a skill they will
lose energy and be turned off. The teacher
should focus on relevance
Thinking
Feeling
Students
want
logically
organisedStudents who have a feeling approach
experiences. They want teachers and thevalue the warmth and encouragement of a
learning experience to make sense; tosympathetic teacher. They want a learning
learn the cause and effect of things andexperience they can put their heart into. To
what makes things tick. If they dont have a fully engage them they need to learn about
fair and structured teacher their mainthe people involved in an experience. A
motivation may drain away. They prefertext that paints a picture of life in a
objective, direct, non-personal feedbackparticular country is going to be more
that helps them improve.
interesting than isolated sentences. They
dislike abrasiveness and will emotionally or
The teacher should focus on beingphysically withdraw from conflict. They like
organised, structured and competent andpositive feedback that encourages them as
to connect parts of learning by stimulating people. The teacher should focus on
thinking.
building rapport
An Example
Below is an example of the different activities using the four dominant motivators;
Learning objective: To build and develop vocabulary (for younger learners)
Sensing: The words to be used in the exercise are shown in visual form. They are
copied and broken into syllables with their dictionary definitions. One sentence is
written with each word. A word puzzle and a song are composed using all the words.
(The last two exercises appeal to those sensors who are also perceivers and like a
fun element) the first three to sensors judgers who like a familiar activities they know
how to do.
Intuitive: Write a story using all the words. Investigate the meaning of the word and
find similar words. Place all the words on one paper and explore what the words
have in common and what is different.
Feelers: Practice spelling words with a parent; the parent to confirm they did so.
Think of a role play between types of people using all the words.
Thinking: Write each word with one antonym and one synonym; make a crossword
puzzle with clues. Explore the rules that each word is a particular example of
Integration: Draw a picture with all aspects of the words in one story. Write the
relevant words on each part of the story and elaborate on the details.
The Extravert Introvert Dimensions
The Extravert learner likes to talk out his or her thoughts the introvert likes to reflect
and work through their thoughts internally. Group work can tire out introverts and put
them on the spot. They often are better at listening, reading and writing. An important
rule is to let introverts have time to prepare for extravert behaviour. For example the
teacher may say we are going to do some presentations next week rather than
spring a surprise. Introverts need quiet time to recharge and prefer to have one best
friend than be part of a group. They like to keep their thoughts and feelings private
and will resent a teacher that makes public a personal fact. The extravert learner
likes an active noisy environment and learning by draft. They will often verbalise their
first thoughts and then improve these. It is not constructive to be too critical of their
thoughts at this stage. Extraverts generally have lower levels of concentration and
need more activity.
The Judging Perceiving Dimensions
The perception of time and the need for closure are the major distinguishing features
of the judging perceiving dimension. The perceiver likes the information gathering
process and is spontaneous and adaptable as they like to keep things open and
avoid making decisions. Perceiving students will benefit from constructive support to
plan and organise their time. When plans are being made perceiving students benefit
from having some unplanned time. Judging students can handle this knowing it has
been built into the plan.
Judgers like to complete tasks and have a strong drive for closure. They can become
demotivated by indecision or constant change. They benefit from having a clear
schedule and plan. They are motivated by celebrations of completion. Individual
contracts can motivate both judging and perceiving students agreeing the way they
might complete a project. Judging students will benefit from learning not to complete
work unless it meets the required standards.
A brief summary of the characteristics of each type
The notion of best fit is a key concept of MBTI. This means that the student is the
ultimate judge of their Myers Briggs Type. The test is only an indicator. This focus on
choice makes it within the humanistic spectrum of educational tools. Bearing in mind
some of these caveats the following is a brief description of each personality Type.
The short descriptions e.g. inspector/perfectionist apply to the personality as a
teacher and then as a student. The types have been grouped into four distinctions
Guardians; Artisans; Intuitive Feelers and Intuitive Thinkers in accordance with the
temperament types discovered by Kiersey.
Extraverts
student and give a logical model for why people do and say the things they
do.
No one Type is better than another. Each has a unique strengths which
have their own pitfalls
You should not use Type for selection because it looks at natural
preferences not abilities.
Use a strength to overcome a weakness; the way to develop a student is
through their strengths. For example if someone has difficulty focusing on
detailed vocabulary and their profile is ENFP you might use their feeling
strength and ask them to choose a sensor (who is good at detail) to work with
on a vocabulary project.
All data is confidential including the four key letters and should only be
revealed with the permission of the individual. It is useful for Type to be public
when undertaking group work so this permission should be sought. In my
experience, it is rarely withheld.
time to prepare for certain exercises and design more varied evaluation methods to
help the introverts.
So What?
When training some managers in time management I started with the main theories
and then gave some simple visual tools to plan and organise. After a while I realised
that I was getting a so what response. Seeing this was a sensors approach I
modified my teaching to deal with the specifics of time management such as lists,
diary organisation and practical solutions to issues. In other words I matched the
sensor needs of my students and switched from a more natural intuitive style. This
radically altered the perception of the training.
Home Study
Recently I coached a student who had been educated at home since primary school
level, She was unmotivated and not keen to make the transition to workplace. The
MBTI explained that as an extravert she found studying at home very difficult. We
worked on new strategies for motivation. We also found the work experience that
suited her as an extravert sensor. The end result has been exam success and a job
that she enjoys.
These three examples show how you can apply the MBTI theory to practical teaching
with great results.
More Information
The main barrier as teachers to use of such an instrument is the cost of the on-line
test and the training to administer it.
However the book People Types and Tiger Stripes has a series of questions that will
give a reasonably accurate indication. It has extensive descriptions of each type and
how you can apply this to motivation, planning lessons, your teaching style, type
dynamics, curriculum development, and individual coaching using zig-zag analysis.
This latter tool shows you how to use the persons strengths to overcome a learning
issue.
For those that teach children under 12 the book The Developing Child: Using Jungian
Type to Understand Children (Paperback) by Elizabeth Murphy is a recommended
resource.
Conclusion
Back to the original reflection Ken will be taking the MBTI next week
The Myers Briggs type indicator is a rich tool for teachers that has been largely
neglected in Europe although it is very popular in business. A 2, 3 or 5 day workshop
is available from Pilgrims overseas courses. A workshop is being planned for next
years summer school. Individual reports specifically focused for teachers can be
ordered from my website. I will welcome any examples or discussion on how you
have or plan to use the indicator in your school or teacher education.
References
12. MBTI and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator are registered trade marks of the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Trust. OPP Limited is licensed to use the trade
marks in Europe. OPP is a registered trade mark of OPP Limited. Further
information can be obtained from http://www.opp.eu.com The Quotation and
some words have been taken from an article published in HR Zone by OPP in
May 2006.