I just read Chapter 5 about personality types. It reminded me of Colors back in 1989 at Norris Middle. Cindy, you will remember that. Anyway, life and experiences have changed me over time. According to the MBTI tool, I am Judging, Introversion, Sensing, and exactly in the middle on Thinking and Feeling. So, I am ISTJ. I find this interesting because as I stated before, time has changed me. I can relate to how teachers of different subject areas fall in different categories. I look forward to reading Chapter 6, Learning Styles and Coaching and developing a deeper understanding of how this can be used in our coaching of teachers. Oh yeah, I can see that teachers need to take the students' personality types into account with their teaching. This presents a problem with some teachers who expect ALL students to do things, projects, book reports, etc., their way. Not all students or teachers are the same.
As I read Chapter 6, Learning Styles and Coaching, it reminded me of a principal I once worked for who felt if the students were out of their seats and interacting with manipulatives, etc. (in other words, not seated in nice, clean, straight rows, with their hands in their laps and mouths closed), the teacher had no classroom management. He actually "ran all the teachers off" that did not fit his personality traits or what I call his "mold". RaeAnn, you can probably relate to with whom I am referring.
I think introducing personality traits to teachers would be relevant to the beginning of the school year professional development to let the teachers see the differences in their teaching verses the other teachers on their team or in the building. So many teachers think they are always doing the right thing verses another teacher who is always doing the wrong thing. By introducing the personality types, teachers would have a better understanding of where all teachers are coming from and hopefully develop more respect for others. This also goes with the students the teachers are teaching. Teachers must realize the different personality types of the students inorder to present unbiased lessons that focus on all students not just the students that the teacher "likes" because they are so much like "them".
I found the section on mathematics and science especially interesting because I have a math background. Sensing and Thinking was my strength which coincides with studies that show "mathematics teachers tend to have preferences for Sensing and Thinking (Hammer, 1996). Because I fall 1/2 way between Thinking and Feeling I (like all teachers) did what I thought was correct by changing my teaching style to address math anxiety for the Feeling Students. Now, this is not something I realized at the time that I was doing but I can see how my personality traits led me to make that teaching change.
Natural biases do affect how teachers run their classrooms, putting some students with preferences very different from their own at a disadvantage. For this very reason, coaches must understand the deep source of these biases and then use the common framework to provide solid reasons for teachers to change so all students can learn and be motivated to do their best.
I liked the learning styles framework and staff development suggestion on pages 118-119. It gives evidence of how each different personality types' needs can be met. I also agree that this cannot be a one day and forget it issue (like some professional development sessions we have experienced in the past). Personality types cannot be taught in one session. It will take several different sessions to enable the teachers to realize its effectiveness to their teaching and the students' learning.
Angela, I also found chapter five interesting. After reading it, I found myself trying to imagine what things would be like at my school and across our district if we all were like the campers acclimated to the “Widji Way”. I am beginning to further understand the reason this foundational piece of a common framework is essential to reform of a school. As stated on page 76, this framework, “organizes all of the diverse efforts that go into the hard work of school reform.”
I liked the example on page 77 that demonstrated the meaning of natural preferences. Our physical preference makes it more natural to write with one hand over another. Just as our mental preferences set the tone for how we as individuals will coach or want to be coached.
As I completed the continuums in chapter 5, I was not shocked with the outcome. I am a planner. I feed off the interaction with my closet colleagues. I like my assignments/tasks/job description to be clearly defined. And although I find myself making decisions through objective, logical principles, I would like to think as an educator I used a more balanced approach. That would make me….Judging, Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking. (JEST)
The most useful part of this chapter were the implications for each category which I found to be both interesting and insightful.
RaeAnn, I see so many reasons why some personalities have difficulties with others. Imagine a school full of the same personality types. Too many chiefs or Indians and not enough of the other.
I also imagine setting up the perfect school where all staff members complement each other and all students through respect and loyality. Maybe this is possible through some professional development on personality types. We need to add that to our presentations to our principals.
It takes a variety of people to make a school run effectively. After rereading the personality types, I think a JEST would be an excellent person for a top leadership role.
Angela, I spend a lot of time thinking about what would make the perfect school and what would be the implications on all involved (everyone from the teachers, the administration, the students, the other support staff, the stakeholders, etc.). In this perfect school everyone would be working together with one clear goal: Improving the learning of all students. Student and teacher diversity would be embraced as a learning opportunity for all involved. Teachers would be encouraged to share their strengths with others, while being open to learning from the strengths of others. Learning styles and personalities would be considered during the team planning sessions. And most importantly, students would thrive in the differentiated instruction being offered, which would definitely improve the learning of all students.
Angela, is this what you had in mind when you mentioned the perfect school?
I like the thoughts on page 101 about coaching: Coaching involves educating teachers through processes that lead to self-reflection. The main goal of a coach is to turn every teacher into a self-coach by evaluating the effectiveness of their ideas in terms of student achievement.
I can see how it could be beneficial to understand the personality of the teachers we are asked to work with at our schools. Knowing these personalities will help us to better understand the needs of each individual teacher.
OK fellow coaches,is the personality inventory something you plan to use with your teachers in the future?
RaeAnn, I do think it would be beneficial to use with our teachers to help us understand them better and their needs and how to approach and support them better. I also think it would be beneficial for the teachers to use a similar type personality inventory with their students so they can understand their approach and support to the students.
I agree that knowing how to approach our teachers would be of great benefit. I worked with a teacher in OH who was such a REFLECTER that it was difficult to get her to consider change until the summer when she claimed she would have time to consider this new information. I respect her right to 'think things out', but she also had difficulty taking on new things and many times waiting until the next year to 'give it a go' is too late! After considering what I would 'guess' her personality traits to be, mine are probably direct opposites (ENFP). We worked together well enough, but I was unable to motivate her to move out of her planned adgenda. Neither were our administrators, in fact. I found that 'Thinkers and Feelers' is the only preference pair for which there is a gender difference. Looks like most of our elementary schools will be filled with mostly Feelers, but I've already experienced that the THINKERS want to know that I am competent and question the logic and the rationale for a change. It could be that I'm an 'outsider', but I think that many experienced teachers want to know "WHY" they are being asked to do something.
I do wish that teachers would spend more time thinking about the different learning styles and personality differenes in our students. I think some teachers think that the students should adjust to their teaching styles rather then teachers making the adjustments.
I also think it will be helpful to do the personality tests with our teachers. I think it would help us all develop a common framework for us to work together and embrace our differences.
As I read page 112, I was saddened to see that the Sensing/Perceiving types made up 90% of the students at an alternative high school. I'm hoping their definition of 'alternative' would include vocational schools and specialty magnet schools - not just 'behavior' schools. Our oldest son could barely wait to finish his sophomore year so he could enroll in the vocation school! He thrived when he could make practical application to his learning, use his hands, and focus on something he thought was 'useful'. Did he go to college? No, but today he's a very successful real estate agent- using his outgoing personality, attention to detail, and creativity to provide for his family. I worry that since there are so few Sensing/Perceiving types teaching our children, that without helping our teachers become more aware of this type of student and his/her needs, we may be sending many potentially productive citizens into another type of school that won't address their needs any better than we did. This would be an interesting study for my little school to persue.
I'm very excited to take what I'm learning about learning styles and apply it to my teachers. I have so much to learn about how to approach our staff in order to make the most of our professional development opportunities. I feel like I can make some'guesses', but it will be helpful to have the teachers do the survey themselves. Since I meet individually with my teachers, I should be able to differentiate my coaching to better meet their needs.
I'd love to know what all of OUR learning styles are. We've all spent enough time in the vans together that we know we are uniquely different, so let's put together a list! Our collaborative time might be more productive if we knew each other's learning styles!
You're right Angela, this did remind me of True Colors that we participated in years ago. I guess you remember the day of PD when we created skits of how a school would be run according to each color. It made it very clear to me that personality types are very different and that the style of learning for each type is also very different. As I completed the columns in Ch. 5, I'm like RaeAnn in that I wasn't very surprised. I am best described as Judging, Sensing, Feeling, and Extraversion. What was so interesting to me is the implications that the personality types might have on coaching. It is so true that because I'm the judging type, I get stressed with changes, and I stick with good practices that work. The extraverted type causes me to to get stressed by too much lecture or inaction. I would rather do something in class... even if it means talking to others about what I'm learning. I learn more through discussions...like the way Diane and Shannon teach. Sensing causes me to want relevant examples that I can use in the classroom. That's why I'm such a fan of MAX teaching strategies. Finally, I'm strongly the feeling type. I get stressed when others' needs are not met or if I feel like they're upset with me. I take problems or critiques personally and love positive reinforcement. In the True Colors personality type, I'm definitely blue - which means that I want harmony and peace. I want everybody to feel happy and loved! It sounds silly, but it really controls how we learn,teach and coach. As mentioned on p. 77, people display normal differences in how they take in information and make decisions. As coaches, we want to encourage our teachers to self-reflect and determine how effective their practices are. This type of information would enlighten our teachers and open their eyes to the many different personality types of their students. It is also helpful to us as coaches in that it opens our eyes to the many different personality types of our teachers.
Sue, I think your idea is great! Maybe we could make a list of our learning styles so that we could have more productive collaboration in the vans. Not only that, we would constantly be talking to each other about our own learning styles which would make us more familiar with each style. Let's do it!
Sue, it explains alot about our schools to read on page 112 that 90% of the students in an alternative setting learning program are Sensing/Perceiving students. That seems like a disgrace to our system. It appears we may be doing a great injustice to many students. I wonder about other populations that have such a large percentage being grouped together, etc. I am going to have to study this further. I am disturbed by this statistic...
It is becoming more evident to me that personality types have a great impact on teaching and learning. I'm like you Angela, I wonder if we're doing these Sensing/Perceiving students a great injustice. Sensing types like practical application and real-world experiences. I'm not sure that they're getting what they need in our efforts to reform their education. So many times, I'm afraid that we consider them behavior problems and simply find a place to put them.
As coaches, we need to help teachers understand that they are teaching to a variety of learning styles. Although we may learn when participating in an activity that is not in our "comfort zone", it is important for teachers to try a variety of techniques to reach more students.
As I am reflecting on all of your comments about personality types, I can't help to wonder what types of school we could develop if all teachers new their individual personality types. If they truly knew how they learned, why they learn that way, what works best for them in social situations, how well they handle change, etc. If teachers were fully aware of their strengths and weakness and were comfortable with them, imagine the schools we could develop by pairing teachers with different learning/teaching styles across grade levels. Then on top of that, imagine how knowing this about our students would help us to better match them to a teacher that could suit their learning styles. I think the possibilities could be endless.
Also, Cindy you are so true when you say "as coaches we need to help teachers understand that they are teaching to a variety of learning styles". So many times teachers only use one way to teach specific content, and the way they teach it may have been the same for multiple years with no regard to the learning styles of the students.
I love the chart on pg. 103 and it rang so true with my personality. Page 101- "personality type in particular helps teachers and coaches understand that their educational beliefs are to a large extent tightly bound to ther personalities. Our beliefs come from how we learn" That part really hit home with me because I never really thought about how we learn affects how we teach. I"m ashamed to say that the teachers that I have to least success with are the polar opposites of me, which is why we don't work well together. Another lightbulb moment!
Great comment, Jessie. Personality typing helps us understand why teachers and coaches have the teaching styles we do, why we all walk out of staff meetings hearing the same things but processing them differently. Just like our students, we have prior knowledge that effects our teaching and learning.
I think it is imperative that we take a look at each of our teachers' personality types and they take a look at their students' to help us all learn to teach and learn more effectively. Imagine being able to pull all this together. It excites me!!
I gave the personality test to my BES staff. I included everyone except cafeteria ladies. I returned the test and attached the corresponding table (found in Appendix A, p.184) that describes their strengths, beliefs, and needs during change. I heard things like "that sounds so like me!" and "what happens when I mark the middle on most things?" My principal wanted a copy, including the Coaching Suggestions page for every type. I think I'll have a contest and ask them to try to identify someone with the same personality type. Can you believe, the RR teacher and I have the same type! Interesting! Strengths will be easier to spot, but the 'common stressors' and 'needs during change' sections will be very helpful! Had our fifth graders (all 14 of them) take the online test. Will consult with the classroom teacher after TCAPs and our Arkansas trip.
This has been a very interesting thread with lots of things to think about applying to my staff. We have actually taken an inventory test before but did not think about appying it in the ways you ladies have mentioned. We did it just to understand each others' personalities a little more and how we interact with each other. I think it would be very interesting to list their results and pair across grade levels like Stephanie suggested. I love Angela's idea of using the test with our students to help understand their learning styles and personalities better. I feel it is the teacher who must change their teaching as much as possible to best suit their student's needs. As a coach, I need to think about the different styles of my staff and work with their strengths. I am very anxious to put your suggestions into practice at my school. Thanks friends!!!
Sue, I had not looked at the resources in the back of the book yet so thank you so much for pointing me towards them!!! I am very excited about giving my staff the personality inventory, listing the types, trying to pair across grade levels and gathering up the information provided by this test. I think it would be very beneficial for both my principal and myself to have a copy of the results to use when planning out team meeting topics and other inservice activities. Also, by using the coaching suggestions as a guide, I feel like I will be more efficient in my role.
Sue, I really like what you did with your staff! I bet the staff was sharing their results with one another and comparing themselves to what the results said. This is such a neat idea that I may try to do this with my staff in the future! I really liked how you returned the results with the corresponding table for them to a have a reference. If we decide to do that at Andersonville, I will let you know how it goes!
I just read Chapter 5 about personality types. It reminded me of Colors back in 1989 at Norris Middle. Cindy, you will remember that. Anyway, life and experiences have changed me over time. According to the MBTI tool, I am Judging, Introversion, Sensing, and exactly in the middle on Thinking and Feeling. So, I am ISTJ. I find this interesting because as I stated before, time has changed me. I can relate to how teachers of different subject areas fall in different categories. I look forward to reading Chapter 6, Learning Styles and Coaching and developing a deeper understanding of how this can be used in our coaching of teachers. Oh yeah, I can see that teachers need to take the students' personality types into account with their teaching. This presents a problem with some teachers who expect ALL students to do things, projects, book reports, etc., their way. Not all students or teachers are the same.
ReplyDeleteAs I read Chapter 6, Learning Styles and Coaching, it reminded me of a principal I once worked for who felt if the students were out of their seats and interacting with manipulatives, etc. (in other words, not seated in nice, clean, straight rows, with their hands in their laps and mouths closed), the teacher had no classroom management. He actually "ran all the teachers off" that did not fit his personality traits or what I call his "mold". RaeAnn, you can probably relate to with whom I am referring.
ReplyDeleteI think introducing personality traits to teachers would be relevant to the beginning of the school year professional development to let the teachers see the differences in their teaching verses the other teachers on their team or in the building. So many teachers think they are always doing the right thing verses another teacher who is always doing the wrong thing. By introducing the personality types, teachers would have a better understanding of where all teachers are coming from and hopefully develop more respect for others. This also goes with the students the teachers are teaching. Teachers must realize the different personality types of the students inorder to present unbiased lessons that focus on all students not just the students that the teacher "likes" because they are so much like "them".
I found the section on mathematics and science especially interesting because I have a math background. Sensing and Thinking was my strength which coincides with studies that show "mathematics teachers tend to have preferences for Sensing and Thinking (Hammer, 1996). Because I fall 1/2 way between Thinking and Feeling I (like all teachers)
did what I thought was correct by changing my teaching style to address math anxiety for the Feeling Students. Now, this is not something I realized at the time that I was doing but I can see how my personality traits led me to make that teaching change.
Natural biases do affect how teachers run their classrooms, putting some students with preferences very different from their own at a disadvantage. For this very reason, coaches must understand the deep source of these biases and then use the common framework to provide solid reasons for teachers to change so all students can learn and be motivated to do their best.
I liked the learning styles framework and staff development suggestion on pages 118-119. It gives evidence of how each different personality types' needs can be met. I also agree that this cannot be a one day and forget it issue (like some professional development sessions we have experienced in the past). Personality types cannot be taught in one session. It will take several different sessions to enable the teachers to realize its effectiveness to their teaching and the students' learning.
Angela, I also found chapter five interesting. After reading it, I found myself trying to imagine what things would be like at my school and across our district if we all were like the campers acclimated to the “Widji Way”. I am beginning to further understand the reason this foundational piece of a common framework is essential to reform of a school. As stated on page 76, this framework, “organizes all of the diverse efforts that go into the hard work of school reform.”
ReplyDeleteI liked the example on page 77 that demonstrated the meaning of natural preferences. Our physical preference makes it more natural to write with one hand over another. Just as our mental preferences set the tone for how we as individuals will coach or want to be coached.
As I completed the continuums in chapter 5, I was not shocked with the outcome. I am a planner. I feed off the interaction with my closet colleagues. I like my assignments/tasks/job description to be clearly defined. And although I find myself making decisions through objective, logical principles, I would like to think as an educator I used a more balanced approach. That would make me….Judging, Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking. (JEST)
The most useful part of this chapter were the implications for each category which I found to be both interesting and insightful.
RaeAnn, I see so many reasons why some personalities have difficulties with others. Imagine a school full of the same personality types. Too many chiefs or Indians and not enough of the other.
ReplyDeleteI also imagine setting up the perfect school where all staff members complement each other and all students through respect and loyality. Maybe this is possible through some professional development on personality types. We need to add that to our presentations to our principals.
It takes a variety of people to make a school run effectively. After rereading the personality types, I think a JEST would be an excellent person for a top leadership role.
Angela, I spend a lot of time thinking about what would make the perfect school and what would be the implications on all involved (everyone from the teachers, the administration, the students, the other support staff, the stakeholders, etc.). In this perfect school everyone would be working together with one clear goal: Improving the learning of all students. Student and teacher diversity would be embraced as a learning opportunity for all involved. Teachers would be encouraged to share their strengths with others, while being open to learning from the strengths of others. Learning styles and personalities would be considered during the team planning sessions. And most importantly, students would thrive in the differentiated instruction being offered, which would definitely improve the learning of all students.
ReplyDeleteAngela, is this what you had in mind when you mentioned the perfect school?
I like the thoughts on page 101 about coaching: Coaching involves educating teachers through processes that lead to self-reflection. The main goal of a coach is to turn every teacher into a self-coach by evaluating the effectiveness of their ideas in terms of student achievement.
ReplyDeleteI can see how it could be beneficial to understand the personality of the teachers we are asked to work with at our schools. Knowing these personalities will help us to better understand the needs of each individual teacher.
OK fellow coaches,is the personality inventory something you plan to use with your teachers in the future?
RaeAnn, I do think it would be beneficial to use with our teachers to help us understand them better and their needs and how to approach and support them better. I also think it would be beneficial for the teachers to use a similar type personality inventory with their students so they can understand their approach and support to the students.
ReplyDeleteI agree that knowing how to approach our teachers would be of great benefit. I worked with a teacher in OH who was such a REFLECTER that it was difficult to get her to consider change until the summer when she claimed she would have time to consider this new information. I respect her right to 'think things out', but she also had difficulty taking on new things and many times waiting until the next year to 'give it a go' is too late! After considering what I would 'guess' her personality traits to be, mine are probably direct opposites (ENFP). We worked together well enough, but I was unable to motivate her to move out of her planned adgenda. Neither were our administrators, in fact.
ReplyDeleteI found that 'Thinkers and Feelers' is the only preference pair for which there is a gender difference. Looks like most of our elementary schools will be filled with mostly Feelers, but I've already experienced that the THINKERS want to know that I am competent and question the logic and the rationale for a change. It could be that I'm an 'outsider', but I think that many experienced teachers want to know "WHY" they are being asked to do something.
I do wish that teachers would spend more time thinking about the different learning styles and personality differenes in our students. I think some teachers think that the students should adjust to their teaching styles rather then teachers making the adjustments.
ReplyDeleteI also think it will be helpful to do the personality tests with our teachers. I think it would help us all develop a common framework for us to work together and embrace our differences.
ReplyDeleteAs I read page 112, I was saddened to see that the Sensing/Perceiving types made up 90% of the students at an alternative high school. I'm hoping their definition of 'alternative' would include vocational schools and specialty magnet schools - not just 'behavior' schools. Our oldest son could barely wait to finish his sophomore year so he could enroll in the vocation school! He thrived when he could make practical application to his learning, use his hands, and focus on something he thought was 'useful'. Did he go to college? No, but today he's a very successful real estate agent- using his outgoing personality, attention to detail, and creativity to provide for his family. I worry that since there are so few Sensing/Perceiving types teaching our children, that without helping our teachers become more aware of this type of student and his/her needs, we may be sending many potentially productive citizens into another type of school that won't address their needs any better than we did. This would be an interesting study for my little school to persue.
ReplyDeleteI'm very excited to take what I'm learning about learning styles and apply it to my teachers. I have so much to learn about how to approach our staff in order to make the most of our professional development opportunities. I feel like I can make some'guesses', but it will be helpful to have the teachers do the survey themselves. Since I meet individually with my teachers, I should be able to differentiate my coaching to better meet their needs.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know what all of OUR learning styles are. We've all spent enough time in the vans together that we know we are uniquely different, so let's put together a list! Our collaborative time might be more productive if we knew each other's learning styles!
You're right Angela, this did remind me of True Colors that we participated in years ago. I guess you remember the day of PD when we created skits of how a school would be run according to each color. It made it very clear to me that personality types are very different and that the style of learning for each type is also very different. As I completed the columns in Ch. 5, I'm like RaeAnn in that I wasn't very surprised. I am best described as Judging, Sensing, Feeling, and Extraversion. What was so interesting to me is the implications that the personality types might have on coaching. It is so true that because I'm the judging type, I get stressed with changes, and I stick with good practices that work. The extraverted type causes me to to get stressed by too much lecture or inaction. I would rather do something in class... even if it means talking to others about what I'm learning. I learn more through discussions...like the way Diane and Shannon teach. Sensing causes me to want relevant examples that I can use in the classroom. That's why I'm such a fan of MAX teaching strategies. Finally, I'm strongly the feeling type. I get stressed when others' needs are not met or if I feel like they're upset with me. I take problems or critiques personally and love positive reinforcement. In the True Colors personality type, I'm definitely blue - which means that I want harmony and peace. I want everybody to feel happy and loved! It sounds silly, but it really controls how we learn,teach and coach. As mentioned on p. 77, people display normal differences in how they take in information and make decisions. As coaches, we want to encourage our teachers to self-reflect and determine how effective their practices are. This type of information would enlighten our teachers and open their eyes to the many different personality types of their students. It is also helpful to us as coaches in that it opens our eyes to the many different personality types of our teachers.
ReplyDeleteSue, I think your idea is great! Maybe we could make a list of our learning styles so that we could have more productive collaboration in the vans. Not only that, we would constantly be talking to each other about our own learning styles which would make us more familiar with each style. Let's do it!
ReplyDeleteSue, it explains alot about our schools to read on page 112 that 90% of the students in an alternative setting learning program are Sensing/Perceiving students. That seems like a disgrace to our system. It appears we may be doing a great injustice to many students. I wonder about other populations that have such a large percentage being grouped together, etc. I am going to have to study this further. I am disturbed by this statistic...
ReplyDeleteIt is becoming more evident to me that personality types have a great impact on teaching and learning. I'm like you Angela, I wonder if we're doing these Sensing/Perceiving students a great injustice. Sensing types like practical application and real-world experiences. I'm not sure that they're getting what they need in our efforts to reform their education. So many times, I'm afraid that we consider them behavior problems and simply find a place to put them.
ReplyDeleteAs coaches, we need to help teachers understand that they are teaching to a variety of learning styles. Although we may learn when participating in an activity that is not in our "comfort zone", it is important for teachers to try a variety of techniques to reach more students.
As I am reflecting on all of your comments about personality types, I can't help to wonder what types of school we could develop if all teachers new their individual personality types. If they truly knew how they learned, why they learn that way, what works best for them in social situations, how well they handle change, etc. If teachers were fully aware of their strengths and weakness and were comfortable with them, imagine the schools we could develop by pairing teachers with different learning/teaching styles across grade levels. Then on top of that, imagine how knowing this about our students would help us to better match them to a teacher that could suit their learning styles. I think the possibilities could be endless.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Cindy you are so true when you say "as coaches we need to help teachers understand that they are teaching to a variety of learning styles". So many times teachers only use one way to teach specific content, and the way they teach it may have been the same for multiple years with no regard to the learning styles of the students.
I love the chart on pg. 103 and it rang so true with my personality. Page 101- "personality type in particular helps teachers and coaches understand that their educational beliefs are to a large extent tightly bound to ther personalities. Our beliefs come from how we learn" That part really hit home with me because I never really thought about how we learn affects how we teach. I"m ashamed to say that the teachers that I have to least success with are the polar opposites of me, which is why we don't work well together. Another lightbulb moment!
ReplyDeleteGreat comment, Jessie. Personality typing helps us understand why teachers and coaches have the teaching styles we do, why we all walk out of staff meetings hearing the same things but processing them differently. Just like our students, we have prior knowledge that effects our teaching and learning.
ReplyDeleteI think it is imperative that we take a look at each of our teachers' personality types and they take a look at their students' to help us all learn to teach and learn more effectively. Imagine being able to pull all this together. It excites me!!
I gave the personality test to my BES staff. I included everyone except cafeteria ladies. I returned the test and attached the corresponding table (found in Appendix A, p.184) that describes their strengths, beliefs, and needs during change. I heard things like "that sounds so like me!" and "what happens when I mark the middle on most things?" My principal wanted a copy, including the Coaching Suggestions page for every type. I think I'll have a contest and ask them to try to identify someone with the same personality type. Can you believe, the RR teacher and I have the same type! Interesting! Strengths will be easier to spot, but the 'common stressors' and 'needs during change' sections will be very helpful! Had our fifth graders (all 14 of them) take the online test. Will consult with the classroom teacher after TCAPs and our Arkansas trip.
ReplyDeleteThis has been a very interesting thread with lots of things to think about applying to my staff. We have actually taken an inventory test before but did not think about appying it in the ways you ladies have mentioned. We did it just to understand each others' personalities a little more and how we interact with each other. I think it would be very interesting to list their results and pair across grade levels like Stephanie suggested. I love Angela's idea of using the test with our students to help understand their learning styles and personalities better. I feel it is the teacher who must change their teaching as much as possible to best suit their student's needs. As a coach, I need to think about the different styles of my staff and work with their strengths. I am very anxious to put your suggestions into practice at my school. Thanks friends!!!
ReplyDeleteSue, I had not looked at the resources in the back of the book yet so thank you so much for pointing me towards them!!! I am very excited about giving my staff the personality inventory, listing the types, trying to pair across grade levels and gathering up the information provided by this test. I think it would be very beneficial for both my principal and myself to have a copy of the results to use when planning out team meeting topics and other inservice activities. Also, by using the coaching suggestions as a guide, I feel like I will be more efficient in my role.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea Sue! I am interested to hear more about this during our trip to UALR.
ReplyDeleteSue, I really like what you did with your staff! I bet the staff was sharing their results with one another and comparing themselves to what the results said. This is such a neat idea that I may try to do this with my staff in the future! I really liked how you returned the results with the corresponding table for them to a have a reference. If we decide to do that at Andersonville, I will let you know how it goes!
ReplyDelete