Tag: sensing

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Teaching Introverts

This post is part of a series of posts on teaching to different personality type indicators as found in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. To see more, head here. 

Today we are talking about teaching introverts! I want to be completely honest with everyone. When I wrote the post on teaching extroverts, it was mainly out of my own experience and not as much research. This post is solely based on research because I have so much extrovert in me that I did not even know where to start on how to teach introverts or what they need. So this post is based on research and conversations I’ve had with fellow introverted friends. 

A few traits of introverted students: 

They need time to sit and think about the material presented, a chance to internalize all of it. 

They cannot thrive without a break from social interactions. 

Calling on them in class or making them present information to large groups can be very stressful for them. 

Watching their participation in class or during a discussion is not a valid way to analyze their knowledge on a given subject. 

Introverted students are the quiet intellectuals. They are the students sitting in the back of the classroom seeming as if they are dozing off not paying attention or like their mind is wandering. Oftentimes when approached with questions on the material in a one-on-one manner, they may surprise you with how much they were paying attention or how knowledgeable they are with it. 

Introverts may have a hard time with social interaction, but they do well with support and in the right circumstances. Smaller groups, familiar faces, and no-pressure discussions can help them come out of their shell little by little.

The way you go about creating a personal relationship with an introverted student can make or break their time in your classroom. If you approach them whole-class with others listening and observing your interactions, it could drive them away from you, and fast. They are more likely to shut you out and have no trust after that. If you take the time to pull them aside, leave them little notes, or utilize email as communication methods, it can help them feel more comfortable and help them build trust in the relationship and in the classroom. 

From an introverted friend-

“I wish my teachers knew that I have a lot to say. I just need the right platform.”

Jade Gunther

With your introverted students in your classroom, what have you found is the best way to teach them? Leave it in the comments, we would love to hear! 

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A New Way To Look At MBTI In The Classroom

About a year ago I wrote a whole series on using Myers Briggs Type Indicator in the classroom and how useful it can be. It has become wildly popular! It’s incredible to see the difference your teaching can make when you can keep these personality traits in mind. I wrote these specifically for the teacher to analyze their students, but I’m wondering if maybe in the future I should revamp the articles for the audience to be the student, not the teacher? Because it can be so beneficial to know how you learn.

However, I know that with 16 different types of personalities, it can be hard to go through your entire classroom and pick out the type for each student. Because of this, I am going to start a new blog series with a broader sense of MBTI.

As explained in my post about how to figure out MBTI, there are four main parts of finding out types. You can see them in the image below.

I will be doing an 8 part blog series focusing on these 8 areas. How to foster learning with an extroverted student, introverted student, etc. This means you won’t necessarily have to figure out a child’s entire personality type, but instead can focus on one part that you may be struggling with. So stay tuned for this new blog series that may help you in your teaching or in your learning… or both!

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Early Childhood Resources All In One Place!

Hi friends! A lot of my posts lately have been focused on early childhood and how we can foster this education as parents and teachers. It’s been my focus simply because it’s my daily life right now. I spend the majority of my day fostering the learning of a one-year-old and a three-year-old, so naturally, it’s where my thoughts have been centered.

Because I have been throwing this content at you so much, I felt like it needed a place where it’s all corralled for you for easier searching. Lo and behold! My early childhood page!

You can find the link to this new page here!

Featured on the page are sensory bin lists, tips, and recipes. Some thoughts on raising independent kids. Really great articles on PLAY. And bonus material on emotions in kids and using Myers- Briggs and Enneagram to understand your child better.

This list and page will be ever growing as I continue to create new content in this scope of ideas, so check back later for more articles. You can find this new page on our top banner under “blog”.

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Teaching The Boundary Pushers- ISTP Personality Type

This is part of a series of using Myers Briggs personality types in the classroom. For more information, click here. For information on how to figure out your student’s MBTI type, click here. 

Do you have a wandering student that struggles with keeping boundaries? They are confident and realistic in their thinking and learning. This personality type could be ISTP. Although, according to statistics, there is a small chance to have a student with this type in your classroom, ISTPs only make up 5% of the population, making it a lesser common personality type. 

Introverted
Sensing 
Thinking 
Perceiving

Being introverted, they keep to themselves. The way they process information is in a personal way, using all of their senses. They need hands-on manipulatives to sit and work with while they quickly take in the information. Often working in groups or even with a partner can feel stifling to them because they don’t want to be limited by other’s thinking. They never want to discuss topics with peers, they want to answer questions as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

The sensing side of them thrives on using all of their senses to learn. Worksheets and procedural learning are difficult for them to use to understand concepts. In fact, ISTP students are commonly known for having a difficult time excelling in school and are the least likely to continue education beyond high school. 

School systems are built around extroverted, intuitive personality types, which are students who engage with others, work in collaborating groups, and learn in a procedural way instead of learning using hands-on techniques. While learning in a personal setting with hands-on manipulatives is becoming more and more common, it is still not ideal for this personality type to learn in typical schools. A study was conducted asking ISTP types what type of school they preferred. Trade school came in first place with public or private schools receiving very few votes. 

So how can we help these students be more successful? First, be aware of their needs. Give them the independent study time they need, as much as you can feasibly do with the collaboration-driven schools that we are in now. Also at the same time, teach them ways to cope with learning in groups and speaking with peers on learning topics. Provide them with learning that uses all of their senses, and find a balance with their resistance to structure and boundaries. And obviously the most important, just know who they are and be in tune with what they need. That’s the best thing you can do for any of your students. 

How do you keep respectful boundaries with your students who resist them?