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Product reviews for Personality in the Classroom
Malika Power, Head of Modern Foreign Languages, Duke of Kent School, Surrey,GCSE and A level examiner at a major examination board
I have found reading this book enjoyable and surprisingly quick and easy to relate to. Don't we all love to find out more about ourselves! This is what the first part of the book is about. We then move on to the question of the perfect teacher and then to everyone else. We realise that finding out about ourselves is also about finding out about others.
The best features of this book are the wonderful metaphors and comparisons which make every personality type accessible to the other. We can all relate to someone as an animal -” from celebrities to cartoon characters. We can all see, understand and feel where the other is coming from through these comparisons.
This book is not a one-hit wonder; it is a reference book that I will use at all stages of my career. It will be beneficial for NQTs and more experienced classroom teachers as well as senior management teams. I see this book as a quick answer to some complex questions: How do I deal with a student or colleague with a personality type different to mine? How do I teach a group in such as way as to reach successfully as many students as possible? This book provides an almost never-ending wealth of resources and ideas to use in order to become not only the best teacher but also the best human being I can be. It is all too easy to give in to personal learning preferences; it takes more effort to actually understand how others learn and cater for each and every one of them. This book has taught me it is possible.
The most interesting aspect for me is the chapter on playfulness. As adults, play is often considered as childish; however it forms an important part of teaching and learning. The fun activities outlined in Chapter 3 can be used in any subject classroom, but the techniques suggested for developing creative thinking fitted perfectly with teaching students to talk about the world around them in a foreign language. Many of the activities create the perfect learning environment effortlessly and students learn without even noticing they are learning. I have transferred the same techniques used in the classroom into my departmental meetings, and the same thing happened. Instead of being viewed as long and boring they became more fun and everyone gets a chance to shine, whatever their personality type.
In the MFL classroom the Snowman activity was a hit! Not only did students get to write a creative essay as per syllabus but they also found out about themselves and each other. The Story by Numbers activity worked in a similar way. I also found the teacher-”student personality type comparison in Chapter 6 extremely helpful. As a quick reference guide on a daily basis or giving feedback to a certain personality type student I found it easy to use and effective.
This book has been an invaluable resource to developing a more personal type of teaching by tailoring my teaching and management style to each and everyone's needs. As a Black Bear myself, prone to offending people around me and also to intolerance (having high standards and expecting everyone else to work to the same standards!) I have learnt to soften some of the harshest features about myself, thus making the most of my relationships.
David simply is a facilitator. He opens our eyes about personality types -” making the -˜other' less scary and more accessible. We learn about ourselves and each other in an effortless way, thus making us more tolerant of other people and getting the best out of all our relationships. This book does not stop in the classroom. It helps us become tolerant human beings as well. I cannot wait to share it with my students, colleagues, friends and family.
The best features of this book are the wonderful metaphors and comparisons which make every personality type accessible to the other. We can all relate to someone as an animal -” from celebrities to cartoon characters. We can all see, understand and feel where the other is coming from through these comparisons.
This book is not a one-hit wonder; it is a reference book that I will use at all stages of my career. It will be beneficial for NQTs and more experienced classroom teachers as well as senior management teams. I see this book as a quick answer to some complex questions: How do I deal with a student or colleague with a personality type different to mine? How do I teach a group in such as way as to reach successfully as many students as possible? This book provides an almost never-ending wealth of resources and ideas to use in order to become not only the best teacher but also the best human being I can be. It is all too easy to give in to personal learning preferences; it takes more effort to actually understand how others learn and cater for each and every one of them. This book has taught me it is possible.
The most interesting aspect for me is the chapter on playfulness. As adults, play is often considered as childish; however it forms an important part of teaching and learning. The fun activities outlined in Chapter 3 can be used in any subject classroom, but the techniques suggested for developing creative thinking fitted perfectly with teaching students to talk about the world around them in a foreign language. Many of the activities create the perfect learning environment effortlessly and students learn without even noticing they are learning. I have transferred the same techniques used in the classroom into my departmental meetings, and the same thing happened. Instead of being viewed as long and boring they became more fun and everyone gets a chance to shine, whatever their personality type.
In the MFL classroom the Snowman activity was a hit! Not only did students get to write a creative essay as per syllabus but they also found out about themselves and each other. The Story by Numbers activity worked in a similar way. I also found the teacher-”student personality type comparison in Chapter 6 extremely helpful. As a quick reference guide on a daily basis or giving feedback to a certain personality type student I found it easy to use and effective.
This book has been an invaluable resource to developing a more personal type of teaching by tailoring my teaching and management style to each and everyone's needs. As a Black Bear myself, prone to offending people around me and also to intolerance (having high standards and expecting everyone else to work to the same standards!) I have learnt to soften some of the harshest features about myself, thus making the most of my relationships.
David simply is a facilitator. He opens our eyes about personality types -” making the -˜other' less scary and more accessible. We learn about ourselves and each other in an effortless way, thus making us more tolerant of other people and getting the best out of all our relationships. This book does not stop in the classroom. It helps us become tolerant human beings as well. I cannot wait to share it with my students, colleagues, friends and family.
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19/01/2012 00:00
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