Classroom Personalities: Leader, Visionary, Risk-Taker, Catalyst

One of Many, Single of Few

We have all been asked are you a visual or auditory learner? When we set up our stations for differentiation we ask ourselves do I have a kinesthetic activity added in the mix. We are taught the strategies to best guide and assist all of our students and their various learning styles. We ask ourselves how best would I learn this information. Would I need a quick video, hands-on time with models, and a collaborative discussion? We observe our students and it becomes apparent pretty quickly which ones need extra help and which ones master the content quickly, so we design remediation and enrichment activities, we compact curriculum, set up interventions and tutor inside and outside the classroom. We are in constant perception, inspection and interception mode, because we want all of our students to be successful.

The focus in education seems to be on preventative measures based on academic achievement. There is a growing wave of educators who are focusing on mindfulness and social interactions, but we often miss the social styles of students, not behavioral, but social and psychological. Their personalities. Are student’s leaders, visionaries, risk-takers, or catalysts. Are they the glue that holds a team together or the distraction that holds them back? Are they the idealist, theorist, enthusiast at the start only to then fall short on the follow-through? Are they the stimulus and motivator? The spark plug that ignites the fury that keeps the engine roaring? These temperaments, dispositions and personal frames of mind and practice are often overlooked. But, they impact achievement as much as any learning style.

A View of Individuality

I have been watching my students these last few weeks through a different lens. Not one of visual, auditory, verbal or tactile but one of who are my leaders, visionaries, risk-takers and catalysts? This new acumen has clarified a lot of things for me. It has given me new insight into my students, but also it has changed the way I design and implement my lessons. I look for ways to differentiate between my three levels based on skill, pace and understanding, but I also seek various ways I can create connections between my students, in a way that is meaningful. Building a community is based on familiarity, respect, comfortability and trust, but it also needs a framework around all of these things. A scaffold of individuality and independence intertwined with self-confidence and persistence.

I have Dyslexia, I struggled learning in a fast paced, structured, all desks facing forward, independent work classroom. I missed out a non-traditional, student-centered, collaborative community. The type of classroom I have tried to create as an educator. My teachers had strategies and interventions to help me succeed, they provided me with extra-time to demonstrate my knowledge and complete my homework, but they never gave me what I truly needed- an opportunity to be a leader, visionary, risk-taker or catalyst. I was put in a box, given a label and there I stayed throughout school. Not until I had nearly completed high school did I get the privilege of having some forward-thinking educators who really got me to blossom, because they let me find my voice. They didn't lead me to be one of the four, they let me try on each one for size and switch between them depending on the situation. This is why I am an educator today- because I can choose to be all four: leader, visionary, risk-taker and catalyst, or step back and be none of them. It all depends on the situation.

So how can we get these qualities, these personalities shine alongside the fundamentals of higher-level thinking, problem-solving, inquiry and STEM learning?

Leader

Some leaders are great at delegating, empowering others and holding others accountable. The true leaders have integrity and honesty, they inspire others. While some get the team motivated and on task, they often lose their luster when it gets tough. Keeping a group moving forward and driven can be a challenge, especially for children. So what types of situations can we design in the classroom for them to shimmer and dazzle even when things get difficult? 

1. If a class period assignment, let the leader take charge and only peek in for reassurement

2. If a longer project, have co-leaders so they can share the responsibility and feel the weight of leadership

3. Never force someone to be leader

4. Give everyone a chance to lead, even if they don't know they are: give them small leadership tasks like checking papers for names and asking questions 

5. Make sure students know that leadership is important and that every one of them possess leadership strengths

Visionary

Visionaries are not rare. They ignite small movements but also with mere words can change the course of history. In the classroom they are often quiet and unassuming and we need to set the stage for them to be at the center. We need to let them gravitate towards those they feel comfortable with and then their ingenuity and creativity blossom in front of your eyes. Their voice starts a movement of learning, unparalleled.

1. Let every student have input, give them a place to write down their ideas: IDEA BOX or sticky notes on the white board

2. Provide time for students to brainstorm and really talk things through as a group

3. Have students jot down ideas on a piece of paper and then eliminate ideas and add new ones based on new information

4. Prompts and Sentence Starters are a great way for some students to kick start their imagination and curiosity

5. Set up a makerspace for students to design and create models, blue-prints, mock-ups etc.

6. The more time provided for purposeful talk with peers, the more they bounce ideas off one another and this is when I see the true innovation take shape

Risk-Taker

Most students do not think of themselves as risk-takers, but they are. They introduce themselves to new people, make friends, they try new things every day and with excitement and intrigue. They generally in school, however, play it safe because they fear a bad grade or embarrassment. But, with a little freedom of expression, enthusiasm from their teachers and safety of the classroom community, they will venture into the realm of the unknown and take the leap. We just need to provide the chute and they will glide.

1. Design a no risk, failure is an option, trial and error, no judgment classroom: make sure they know unequivocally, they are safe to try and try again without penalty

2. Ask them a lot of questions- the more we sit with them look them in the eye and ask them questions, the more they see they can do it

3. Have a 1-minute individual check-in or group pep talks to reinforce the need for bold and creative thinking

4. Share stories of your risk-taking, of the actions of great innovators and great failures so they feel safe to launch, initiate and invent with bravado

Catalyst

These individuals are the enzyme that gets the reaction started. They stimulate conversation and action. They can be disruptive but with a little modelling and patience, they can be shaped into great leaders too. They just have to express themselves, often at inopportune times, but they are the impetus for great things, if we as educators learn to accept their quirks and overlook the minor infractions of protocol. I have many catalysts in my classes and with a little nudge and redirection they are often the motivators that get things going- not always completed, that is up to the leader, but they do get things off to a very electric start.

1. Never stifle

2. Guide and nudge but let students uncover their potential

3. Let them giggle and get of track temporarily, this lets them build camaraderie

4. Redirect energy if necessary but as the Conservation of Energy states- it is never created nor destroyed so let it build and wane because we often need things to fizzle before we can see the next opportunity

In a classroom we are privileged to teach, a cornucopia of characters. A plethora of personalities. A quorum of quippers who just need an audience now and again. We have the highly motivated and eager. The struggling and disengaged. But, most of all we have a community of learners all of whom have their own personality, learning style, strengths and room for growth. Each with the potential to be a leader, visionary, risk-taker and catalyst- all of whom at one point or another, have been all four. In the classroom we need to accentuate these personalities just as we emphasize strategies for visual, auditory, verbal and tactile learning.

These last few weeks, through 1-minute check-ins and group pep talks I have really gotten to understand my students. See them as individuals, classes and communities. I have learned so much from them because I have asked them to reflect and critique my teaching. I have asked them to be themselves and not only focus on the way they learn but why they learn that way. We have shared our stories of success and failure- how we have had to redo, retry and reimagine our learning so together we can all be leaders, visionaries, risk-takers and catalysts- and well for the first time....I see the potential for each in all of them and myself.