The Four Types & Learning Types of Children: Based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator J. Patrick Howley

The four categories of learning types correspond to Keirsey’s work in Please Understand Me. Although slightly different than the MBTI, (Keirsey’ explores temperament types) the four types you will see below (NT) (NF) (SP) (SJ), roughly match the four teaching types. The value of exploring learning types is that it allows us to realize how important it is to honor all ways of learning and include them in the design of our lessons.

MBTI Flow Chart How the letters fit together (Pull this sheet out of your book)

The Intuitive-Thinking Student (NT) Have a hunger for competence Need opportunities to demonstrate their competence Intellectually curious Take a global approach to learning Create mental models Value logic Like opportunities for self-instruction Like to imagine what could be

The Intuitive-Feeling Student(NF) Have a hunger for a sense of self Need relationships & harmony Like personally meaningful discussions Have random approach to learning Don’t like competition Like to have choices given to them Work in bursts of energy Have difficulty with criticism

The Sensing-Perceiving Student (SP) Have a hunger for action Like to be active and perform Don’t like routines Need physical involvement in learning Like to have fun Like to compete Need precise directions and step-by-step instructions

The Sensing-Judging Student(SJ) Have a hunger for belonging Like structure Need predictability and routines Like to be able to ask questions Like a consistent,stable classroom Want clear directions and expectations Like responsibility and to be able to make decisions

The Types of Learners Expanded The following slides expand on each of the four learning types.

The Intuitive-Thinking Child (NT)

Intuitive Thinking Children Their goal is be competent Have a hunger for competency Need opportunities to demonstrate their competence They must know all they should know Value individual achievement They are intellectually curious Are concerned with truth and justice based on principles

Intuitive Thinking Children Need to know the criteria for grades and evaluations They want to understand, explain, predict and control Take a global approach to learning Create mental models Will spontaneously analyze the flaws in ideas, things, or people Like to prove their points logically

Intuitive Thinking Children Are independent learners Their best learning style is in the form of logical didactic presentations Like opportunities for self-instruction They like to do follow-up reading Like opportunities to be inventive and original Need feedback that shows them their specific, objective achievements

Intuitive Thinking Children They will push themselves to learn They want to have reasons for why events occur Play is a waste of time as they want to get on with the serious business of learning Focus on the future Like to imagine what could be Enjoy learning new skills more than mastering familiar ones

Intuitive Thinking Children May find ideas or things more interesting than people In younger grades may enjoy talking with teachers more than with peers

Impersonal analysis Explore ideas Build systems Critique Categorize Intuitive Thinking: The Conceptual-Specific Learner (NT) 12% of the students Some Characteristics: Impersonal analysis Explore ideas Build systems Critique Categorize Source: Learning Patterns & Temperament Styles, Keith Golay

Intuitive Thinking Children learn best when: They know why things are done There is a lesson overview that helps them understand why the lesson is being taught Opportunities are provided to discuss the big ideas of a lesson with the teacher and other thoughtful students There is a system of individual contracts between teacher and students

Intuitive Thinking Children learn best when: Subjects and materials flow logically they can be equal partners in their education, asking challenging questions and linking knowledge to other fields they have opportunities to find their own ways to solve problems they can work on cutting-edge problems

Intuitive Thinking Children learn best when: the learning assignments put them on their own initiative have real choices in the ways they work out their assignments their teachers are logically organized given tasks requiring their imagination

The Intuitive-Feeling Child (NF)

Intuitive Feeling Children Their goal is to become self-actualized Have a hunger for a sense of self View the world from a personal perspective Are concerned about relationships & harmony They need to communicate in a personal way They are hypersensitive to conflict, hostility sarcasm and ridicule Avoid confrontation

Intuitive Feeling Children Have difficulty accepting criticism and can find sarcasm & ridicule devastating They need to have the teacher know them and relate to them personally Their best learning style is discussion and role playing Need opportunities to be original Need variety Have a seemingly sporadic random approach to learning

Intuitive Feeling Children Are skilled at understanding other people Need feedback and praise about their performance Are motivated by personal notes from the teacher on papers they have handed in They enjoy reading and working alone Dislike routines will work in bursts of energy with slower, less productive periods in between

Intuitive Feeling Children Cooperative learning helps them rather than a competitive environment (unless it is with themselves) They prefer subject matter that focuses on people Enjoy pleasing people, even in seemingly unimportant matters May skip over facts or get them wrong

Develop Relationships Subjective Imaginative Idealistic Insightful Intuitive Feeling: The Conceptual-Global Learner (NF) 12% of the students Some Characteristics: Empathetic Develop Relationships Subjective Imaginative Idealistic Insightful Source: Learning Patterns & Temperament Styles, Keith Golay

Intuitive Feeling Children learn best when: they have teachers who value a personal rapport with them given many opportunities to make choices in how & what they learn provided opportunities to examine their values they their assignments are personalized

Intuitive Feeling Children learn best when: When assignments have a goal of helping people they are affirmed for their creativity and uniqueness they can frequently work in small peer groups human issues are treated with as much respect as facts

Intuitive Feeling Children learn best when: The subject matter is about people and about decisions that affect people feedback from the teacher shows warm appreciation for their effort . . . . . . and corrective suggestions are given within that context

The Sensing-Perceiving Child (SP)

Sensing Perceiving Children Their goal is to be free Have a hunger for action Are cheerful and bring fun and laughter to the world Enjoy the unplanned and the unexpected Act spontaneously Focus on the present Adapt well to change Like freedom to move around

Sensing Perceiving Children Learn better when there are opportunities to perform, get out of the classroom, go on field trips, visit adults at work, or just get outside Tend to mistrust vague ideas Are likely to have a good recall of details They rebel against close supervision

Sensing Perceiving Children They learn best in an environment with variety and a constant change of pace Become bored with too much desk work Routines become deadly for them Need physical involvement in learning through “hands on” experiences Will rely on those experiences rather than on what they read They like gadgets and objects to explore and play with

Sensing Perceiving Children Verbal interaction and visual objects hold their interest Workbooks and homework are work for them and learning needs to be fun & playful They thrive on competition Prefer step-by-step learning Like using skills they have already learned

Sensing Perceiving Children Try to make work fun May start too many projects at once and have difficulty finishing them Let work accumulate and then accomplish a lot with a last minute flurry of activity May turn in assignments late as a result of poor planning or time management

Challenging and Competitive Sensing Perceiving: The Actual-Spontaneous Learner (SP) 38% of the students Some Characteristics: Physical Involvement Free Spirit Fun Loving Bold Adventuresome Challenging and Competitive Source: Learning Patterns & Temperament Styles, Keith Golay

Sensing Perceiving Children learn best when: They are first taught a manual skill that is related to the lesson the lessons are multi-sensory, allowing them to touch, manipulate things, move around and have some fun There are opportunities to work in hands-on labs Teachers provide concrete learning They are presented facts and skills they can use in their present lives

Sensing Perceiving Children learn best when: They are presented facts and skills they can use in their present lives given first hand experience that provides practice in the skills & concepts to be learned the relevance of what they are learning is discussed often the class is organized into small groups where discussion is more comfortable They can pursue problems in their own way

Sensing Perceiving Children learn best when: They have to work against a deadline teachers do not move too quickly their work feels like play assignments make sense to them they have genuine choices in assignments (i.e. individual contracts in which students can negotiate some activities) Videos & other audio-visual presentations

Sensing Perceiving Children learn best when: When they are given precise directions Given facts and examples to describe issues Provided proven methods to solve current problems

The Sensing-Judging Child (SJ)

Sensing Judging Children Their longing is for duty and service Have a hunger for belonging Like to make decisions They want to please their teacher Like and need structure Need predictability and can find frequent changes or surprises upsetting Like to work hard first, then play later

Sensing Judging Children They want clear directions about their tasks They learn best with question and answer sessions And they do well in responding in writing to questions

Sensing Judging Children They will easily conform to the standards set by the teacher They like studying facts Focus on the present Have a good sense of time and can predict how long it will take to complete tasks Work at a steady pace

Sensing Judging Children They thrive on a consistent and stable classroom environment They do not like to “wing it” by guessing, inventing or speculating Prefer to use skills they’ve already learned Focus on what actually is

Policies, Rules, Standards Sensing Judging: The Actual-Routine Learner (SJ) 38% of the students Some Characteristics: Responsibility Sensible Practical Plan & Prepare Decisive Policies, Rules, Standards Source: Learning Patterns & Temperament Styles, Keith Golay

Sensing Judging Children learn best when: there is a pre-planned structure provided by the teacher the teacher provides formalized instruction that moves in orderly sequences they can make a tangible product that would organize and summarize what they had learned can work on projects in small groups to help each other & unleash greater creativity

Sensing Judging Children learn best when: there are prescribed tasks teachers show them exactly what is expected of them directions & goals are clearly spelled out and are sequential there are clear markers of finishing one lesson and moving on to the next lesson teachers respect their need for concreteness, literalness & practicality

Sensing Judging Children learn best when: There are milestones, completion points, with little ceremonies to honor successful completions Expectations for tasks are clearly defined Assignments can be planned and the plan can be followed

Sources: Effective Teaching, Effective Learning: Making the Personality Connection in Your Classroom, Alice M. Fairhurst & Lisa L. Fairhurst Learning Patterns & Temperament Styles, Keith Golay Please Understand Me, David Keirsey & Marilyn Bates People Types & Tiger Stripes, 3rd Edition, Gordon Lawrence The Developing Child, Elizabeth Murphy The Type Reporter, #’s 75,76,77&78, Editor Susan Scanlan

Task: Reflect on the many and varied ways that children learn Task: Reflect on the many and varied ways that children learn. What are implications for how we can best coach teaching and learning?