In a nutshell, "Crack Your Learning Code" is an informal classroom activity designed to heighten awareness and promote discussion of the different personality types (as defined by Myers and Briggs, and more recently by Keirsey and Bates and others) and how they impact the teaching and learning process.

This is not an assessment. Please do not accept any student responses without first checking them out by watching your students in action. Observation and data gathering will enable you to detect the difference between what your students SAY they do and what they habitually do. Remember, this is an interactive teaching tool designed to generate awareness of the fact that we all differ-- in our thoughts, in our reactions, in our beliefs, and in how we learn best.

Uses:

• To help students become aware of their uniqueness in all areas of life and to appreciate the differences in others
• To encourage students to build on their strengths and gain maturity within their "learning profile"
• To help students develop study and organizational habits that offer greater opportunities for success
• To help teachers understand their own type behavior and how it affects teaching strategies and classroom practices
• To assist teachers in planning instruction for a variety of learning styles
• To encourage teachers to identify motivation patterns in students and to use those patterns in designing instruction
• To recognize type biases in traditional school expectations
• To acknowledge that many children can be taught in ways that result in a loss of self-confidence.

Reflect

What are the personality types in your classroom? What is your personality type? How does it affect the way you deliver instruction, how you interact with the students, and how well they learn under your supervision? How can we employ technology to enhance learning and increase achievement for the differing personality types and learning modalities?

• 56 percent of teachers are SJs. Take 10 minutes to walk through "Crack Your Learning Code" to uncover YOUR personality type. Return to this page and compare your results with the research that follows. Also, you will enjoy doing a little research on your personality type at TypeLogic, www.typelogic.com.
• 38 percent of the general population are some combination of SP, but only 2% of teachers are of that temperament type. In other words, it is rare for SP students to ever have an SP teacher, someone who truly understands them. Alert: Up to 90% of at-risk students have SP personalities. The system is too structured, too rigid, and too oppressive for the SP individual. An SP has a 34.2% chance of dropping out. Now, do you want to know who the SPs are in your care?

• "The social requirements of the school day are easily as rigorous as the academic demands. Social pressure exceeds academic pressure by a long shot. Some kids are up to it and up for it. They happen to be socially well endowed, equipped to handle the social tests their peers administer. They know how to play the popularity polls, and they play them for all they’re worth. Social gratification and acceptance are the trophies. Protection from humiliation and a strong sense of belonging respresent additional dividends. For other kids, the social part of school is a steady source of anguish." 2000, Dr. Mel Levine

  Distribution of preferences in the actual population: (Keirsey and Bates, 1964 Study)

  E (75%), I (25%)
  S (75%), N (25%)
  T (50%), F (50%)
  J (50%), P (50%)

  Recent studies give somewhat different percentages. However, the general trend of the 'I' and 'N' preferences being in the minority seems to hold true from all studies of general populations. There is also a small gender shift in the T-F scale, with approximately 60% of all females being 'F' and 60% of the males being 'T'.

• When your students who are SENSORS are presented with information via symbolic sources (worksheets, textbooks), learning is almost impossible. Of those students who drop out of school before completing the 8^th grade, 99.6 percent of them are SENSORS. Our typical curriculum does not help the sensor develop a feel for how all the pieces of the curriculum and their world fit together. They MUST be immersed in the learning experience in a real world application and use all their senses. One example: SENSORS tend to work with smaller pieces. Unfortunately, some pieces of the curriculum, like the 847 skills it takes for reading, don’t add up or make sense. Source: Kovalik, Susan and Olsen, Karen D. (2001) Exceeding Expectations: A User's Guide to Implementing Brain Research in the Classroom. Covington, WA: Books for Educators,
• If you group Judgers and Perceivers together, expect big problems!
• Identify the reflective, reserved students in your room and schedule regular time for one-on-one interaction. You’ll be surprised at the richness of thought hidden behind the shy exterior. Email exchanges, journaling, and puppet theatre are a few ways to connect to your quiet, reflective students.
• 29% of elementary and high school students learn best through the visual mode (pictures), 34% through the auditory mode (sound or music), and 37% through the tactile-kinesthetic mode (moving, touching, doing). (Dryden and Vos, 1994)
• Can you list the kinesthetic learners in your classroom? Take a day to notice which students start fidgeting with something after a few minutes of listening to you deliver a lesson. Did you know that nondisruptive use of physical activity helps kinesthetic learners focus on auditory input and it also helps them to focus when they are trying to put thoughts into words? In other words, kinesthetic learners can best attend to what you are saying when they have busy hands. Allow kinesthetic learners to doodle, squeeze small balls or roll clay while you are delivering complex lessons that are predominantly verbal.
• Unfortunately, the need for hands-on learning is considered by some to indicate lower intelligence. In other words, kinesthetic learners are often thought incapable of higher-level thinking. The opposite is true! "…higher-level reasoning skills are achieved precisely when we allow a person to learn through his strongest modality, whatever it may be." Einstein and Edison were tactile-kinesthetic learners! (Willis and Hodson, 1999)
• Wow! Did you know that kinesthetic learners are typically less verbal than their peers?