You know that kid...the one who is cracking jokes when everyone else around is serious? Ok...maybe this will help -
Ok, probably not your ideal image of your child, but an "I" personality nonetheless! An "I" personality is one that is influencial, inspiring, imaginative and ingenious. These people are "people" people! They love being the center of attention and enjoy being with large groups of people. These individuals are always interested in what "everyone else" is doing and "who is going to be there". They dream big dreams and have great ideas - and everyone will get on board with their ideas because they are so inpiring and contagious in their personalities(most of the time though, their ideas are a gamble because details of how to make it happen are just too boring!).
I have an "I" son; my youngest. If you look around any group of kids, these are probably the easiest to pick out! It would not take you long to find my son - he is the one telling the really bad jokes (he is 8), laughing loudly at other's jokes and trying to get everyone to try something crazy just to see if they can do it!
The downside of the "I" personality is that they are very emotional creatures - they are either having the best day of their lives, or the world as we know it is coming to an end! The "I"s have it when it comes to an arguement because no one wants to argue with them - they get their feelings hurt easily and will come out swinging to hurt you in return!
The "I" child in the classroom/homeschool room requires a great deal of patience, creativity and more patience. Moms/teachers must give these children time to be social, out of their seats some and the ability to tell their ideas - but they do require structure and scheduling to stay on task. They have great ideas...encourage this but force them to follow through with the details of how to make it happen sometimes. When frustrated or quitting, remind them that they will get through it and that a mistake/bad grade/etc. is not the end of the world (and don't worry, in 10minutes they will be excited about something else). The "I" child is a people oriented, life of the party kind of kid who requires an environment to be social and to dream big! These kids are creative and will have a crowd of people ready to do anything they say just because they make it sound like fun! To endure them - learn to enjoy them! Remember, all that passion and emotion, if harnessed in the right direction - will one day make great leadership!
Michele Everson
Wife of Pastor Chad Everson
Proud mom of two wonderful boys (one very strong "I")!
Showing posts with label personality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personality. Show all posts
Friday, September 5, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Personality Styles and Learning - What Difference Does it Really Make?
Personality Styles play a major role in not only how we communicate with others, but also in how we listen, filter information and how we assimilate what we have learned into our existing life experience. Your personality style will impact how well you communicate information/instructions, how you determine what is "important" for your child to "get" and how you expect your child to react to your teaching. Your child's personality style will inevitably impact how they react to you, how they process your instructions and whether or not they see information as important like you do. Now that it is as clear as mud...let's take a closer look at examples:
Let's start by looking at an overview of the basic personality styles and how they come into play:
"D" stands for Dominance, Determined, Decisive, Dedicated, Dogmatic, etc.
The D personality style is a very focused, driven person. This person enjoys a challenge and is motivated by being told that they "can't" do something - they will prove that they can! This person cannot handle simple, repetitive structure, but needs change and variety - always a new challenge on the horizon. They are task focused and very rarely wants to be in group situations unless they are in control and in charge. They will take leadership in groups and often will be perceived as "stepping on" others in the process of making things happen. Phrases often uttered about a D personality include: "they just walked right by me and didn't speak!" or "they just will not admit that it won't work...they can't let it go". This person is also NOT a detail person - they want to see the big picture and the end result - the middle ground of how to get there is generally unimportant. You can disagree with them as long as you have a solution - just don't come in griping without alternatives in mind...they don't mind being wrong, just mind being slowed down or prevented from meeting their goals.
The D personality, when teaching will tend to focus on major themes rather than dates/names, etc. The D teacher will like coming up with new ways of delivering information and the school day will rarely look the same from one day to the next. Change is a natural part of the day and the students will need to roll with the punches. The D teacher will expect obedience and a seriousness when working. The students can ask questions as long as they are not just wasting time. The D teacher is usually doing 15 tasks at a time while teaching and, amazingly they can compartmentalize all of them to some extent.
The D personality style, when found in a student will usually exhibit itself in a child with poor attention to details - they will give you a book report but they do not have time to go back and look for birth dates/authors. The D student will do the handwriting paper but does not have time to write the letters 3 times each! They get bored with writing their spelling words and they get frustrated easily when they don't understand something. They will get their work done and will usually "beat their time" if there is a prize to be had or a goal to be met. This student needs high expectations of them and constant challenges/variety. This child needs some independence to set their schedule and needs to learn early how to set goals. This child will appreciate direct instruction and right to the point redirection. The child will not be overly social in any situation unless they are leading the pack and setting the schedule...then they are large and in charge. When in conflict, this student will always be determined to "win" the fight...failure is not an option!
Tomorrow's Post: The "I" personality style
Let's start by looking at an overview of the basic personality styles and how they come into play:
"D" stands for Dominance, Determined, Decisive, Dedicated, Dogmatic, etc.
The D personality style is a very focused, driven person. This person enjoys a challenge and is motivated by being told that they "can't" do something - they will prove that they can! This person cannot handle simple, repetitive structure, but needs change and variety - always a new challenge on the horizon. They are task focused and very rarely wants to be in group situations unless they are in control and in charge. They will take leadership in groups and often will be perceived as "stepping on" others in the process of making things happen. Phrases often uttered about a D personality include: "they just walked right by me and didn't speak!" or "they just will not admit that it won't work...they can't let it go". This person is also NOT a detail person - they want to see the big picture and the end result - the middle ground of how to get there is generally unimportant. You can disagree with them as long as you have a solution - just don't come in griping without alternatives in mind...they don't mind being wrong, just mind being slowed down or prevented from meeting their goals.
The D personality, when teaching will tend to focus on major themes rather than dates/names, etc. The D teacher will like coming up with new ways of delivering information and the school day will rarely look the same from one day to the next. Change is a natural part of the day and the students will need to roll with the punches. The D teacher will expect obedience and a seriousness when working. The students can ask questions as long as they are not just wasting time. The D teacher is usually doing 15 tasks at a time while teaching and, amazingly they can compartmentalize all of them to some extent.
The D personality style, when found in a student will usually exhibit itself in a child with poor attention to details - they will give you a book report but they do not have time to go back and look for birth dates/authors. The D student will do the handwriting paper but does not have time to write the letters 3 times each! They get bored with writing their spelling words and they get frustrated easily when they don't understand something. They will get their work done and will usually "beat their time" if there is a prize to be had or a goal to be met. This student needs high expectations of them and constant challenges/variety. This child needs some independence to set their schedule and needs to learn early how to set goals. This child will appreciate direct instruction and right to the point redirection. The child will not be overly social in any situation unless they are leading the pack and setting the schedule...then they are large and in charge. When in conflict, this student will always be determined to "win" the fight...failure is not an option!
Tomorrow's Post: The "I" personality style
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Friday, August 29, 2008
Curriculum Review - Overview!
While I stated that choosing curriculum is by far the most important decision in homeschooling (other than the decision to homeschool or not to homeschool), this choice is not easily made! Curriculums vary in scope, sequence, expectations and styles - the difference is night and day! How do you "weed through" to determine what is right for you?
1. Know your family -
Know your family's schedule and lifestyle. Are you on the go? Like to be at home and together or will it be a struggle for you to find time to sit still? Do you work and if so, what flexibility do you have? Will you need to share responsibility for primary teaching between spouses, or will the kids need to take a more independent learner approach? The first critical step in choosing your curriculum is to identify (realistically) what your family is like and what you will need in terms of structure and hours.
2. Know yourself -
The second critical step is to know yourself: you need to realize that your child's education will now be your responsibility - Know your strengths, weaknesses, disciplinary techniques, ability to be structured, your own organizational style (or lack thereof), your patience level and tolerance for chaos, your flexibility or need for strict scheduling, etc. You must know your own style and what you will be able to work within or what will stress you out. Most "miserable" homeschool moms are products of their choosing curriculum which required them to maintain a structure or schedule that they were uncomfortable with, but thought they "should" do.
3. Know your child -
Does your child need structure? Are they immature and need to be challenged to work independently? Are they able to follow a plan/instructions without much assistance? Are they inquisitive and learn by asking questions? Do they need to experience something in order to understand it? Do they need to understand "why?" before they will understand how something is done? You need to ask yourself how your child learns - where they are comfortable and what they require in terms of discipline in order to learn. Some children can handle unit studies and will easily find topics that are of great interest to them - others will be too easily adaptable and never make a decision or will be too overwhelmed with choices to settle into topics. Others would not handle the flexibilty of scheduling in some curriculums and they are more comfortable in a traditional schoolroom setting. You decide. Think about the evidence of their personality style that you see in everyday life.
4. Know your goals -
Ask yourself what you would like to accomplish this year - not just in terms of academic goals (spelling lists, math goals, etc.). While these are important, some of our most important goals should be found in the growth of character in our child. Are they more grounded Spiritually for having been at home with us? Are we focusing more easily and with less structure or discipline? Are they doing more self-governing? Do they handle themselves better socially (making eye contact, proper social gestures, more conversational)? Have I worked with them to understand how to make their point or debate a subject? The goals you set for your child should be preparing them for the future - not just household basics or academics, but growing their confidence and personal skills. Have you exposed them to variety of subjects, sports, controversial issues, community? Will you be satisfied that they are growing as a person as well as a student?
The curriculum itself will not do all of this - no matter which one (or 12) that you choose - YOU will work with your child to accomplish these things...but the curriculum you choose should logically fit into where you operate most comfortably or should explain the challenge you set before your child. The choice of curriculum is a tool you will use, not a dictation of your life.
Tomorrow's post - understanding your child's personality style and how that impacts their learning style/behaviors.
1. Know your family -
Know your family's schedule and lifestyle. Are you on the go? Like to be at home and together or will it be a struggle for you to find time to sit still? Do you work and if so, what flexibility do you have? Will you need to share responsibility for primary teaching between spouses, or will the kids need to take a more independent learner approach? The first critical step in choosing your curriculum is to identify (realistically) what your family is like and what you will need in terms of structure and hours.
2. Know yourself -
The second critical step is to know yourself: you need to realize that your child's education will now be your responsibility - Know your strengths, weaknesses, disciplinary techniques, ability to be structured, your own organizational style (or lack thereof), your patience level and tolerance for chaos, your flexibility or need for strict scheduling, etc. You must know your own style and what you will be able to work within or what will stress you out. Most "miserable" homeschool moms are products of their choosing curriculum which required them to maintain a structure or schedule that they were uncomfortable with, but thought they "should" do.
3. Know your child -
Does your child need structure? Are they immature and need to be challenged to work independently? Are they able to follow a plan/instructions without much assistance? Are they inquisitive and learn by asking questions? Do they need to experience something in order to understand it? Do they need to understand "why?" before they will understand how something is done? You need to ask yourself how your child learns - where they are comfortable and what they require in terms of discipline in order to learn. Some children can handle unit studies and will easily find topics that are of great interest to them - others will be too easily adaptable and never make a decision or will be too overwhelmed with choices to settle into topics. Others would not handle the flexibilty of scheduling in some curriculums and they are more comfortable in a traditional schoolroom setting. You decide. Think about the evidence of their personality style that you see in everyday life.
4. Know your goals -
Ask yourself what you would like to accomplish this year - not just in terms of academic goals (spelling lists, math goals, etc.). While these are important, some of our most important goals should be found in the growth of character in our child. Are they more grounded Spiritually for having been at home with us? Are we focusing more easily and with less structure or discipline? Are they doing more self-governing? Do they handle themselves better socially (making eye contact, proper social gestures, more conversational)? Have I worked with them to understand how to make their point or debate a subject? The goals you set for your child should be preparing them for the future - not just household basics or academics, but growing their confidence and personal skills. Have you exposed them to variety of subjects, sports, controversial issues, community? Will you be satisfied that they are growing as a person as well as a student?
The curriculum itself will not do all of this - no matter which one (or 12) that you choose - YOU will work with your child to accomplish these things...but the curriculum you choose should logically fit into where you operate most comfortably or should explain the challenge you set before your child. The choice of curriculum is a tool you will use, not a dictation of your life.
Tomorrow's post - understanding your child's personality style and how that impacts their learning style/behaviors.
Labels:
Chad,
communication,
curriculum,
Everson,
Pastor,
personality,
scope,
sequence,
subjects
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