I have adapted a system where I use personality testing by Myers and Briggs as a basis of my grouping in my classes.
There are mainly 16 different personality types and I believe that a student should know his/her personality type to consciously think about his/her behavior and reflect. Also, personality typing helps a student understand their weaknesses and strengths better. Students can proactively work on their weaknesses and focus on their strength to efficiently use their mind, body and spirit to further their educational experience. I grouping, it is very important to work together as a team knowing each other`s strengths and weaknesses. I provide a good framework through personality testing for discussions around one`s nature and brain sets in my classes before putting them in groups.
I liked the idea of differentiating the instructions based on what students know and doesn't know. I like the idea of creating different stations to provide the need to know to the students.
Jigna,
ReplyDeleteI would love it if you would share this personality test with me, I am interested in trying this with my 7th graders. Even though they are still building themselves it would be beneficial for them to realize their personalities and learn how to get along with others. By knowing their own strengths and weaknesses I cannot see a downside to this in trying to create a classroom culture of all of us getting along. Thanks!
Jigna -
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this with us. Self-reflection is a huge piece of PBL and inquiry-based learning. It's a huge consideration for life and daily growth. Utilizing personality tests can encourage students to understand how their varying strengths and abilities can be used to maximize efforts in collaborative, group opportunities.
Another factor that teachers are able to encourage when helping students learn about themselves and others is empathy. Empathy is also described by Wagner as a key component to innovation. When initially reading this text, this statement regarding empathy resonated with me and our ongoing efforts to develop creative, persistent, problem-solvers who are able to effectively collaborate with others.
While personality tests are helpful in guiding students to develop their soft-skills, we must also work to tailor our instruction to meet students at their cognitive levels. Utilizing academic data and feedback to tailor instruction will provide students with the support needed to effectively increase student learning. I encourage you to continue to explore opportunities to further students' learning through flexible and well-intentioned grouping. Thank you!
I did this neat and easy activity called What direction are you? North, South, East, West and we identified with a direction that had a specific quality. It was non-offensive as all the qualities were positive and it allowed everyone to open up about the way they see themselves in a learning or collaborative environment. This might be good for lower level or more diverse groups.
ReplyDeleteWe did something similar with shapes? What shape do you identify with? Giving specific shapes and then letting them say why they identified with that shape was so much more beneficial than what the shape "really" said about the person. Really are we just one shape or does it depend on our day and what is shaping our life around us?
ReplyDeleteI need to remember to bring more creative time into my teaching. It has to be intentional and it has to become part of my routine as a teacher who wants to change.