1. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute OBJECTIVES You will understand: 1. The Myers-Briggs personality style testing system. 2. The True Colours personality testing system. 3. Various student learning strategies that facilitate their language acquisition. 4. The implications for both of the above for language learning and teaching. You will be able to: 1. Integrate the theoretical knowledge of personality and learning strategies into your perspective on your profession and on your students’ language learning challenges.

2. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute PERSONALITY TYPES There is a strong belief in western cultures that every individual is unique. With this belief has come significant research into the ways in which people differ. Analysis and classification of human personality types is one such branch of this research. The idea behind personality types is that each individual can use their understanding of their personality to harness their uniqueness to make appropriate life choices. In education, there is a belief that certain personalities are suited to studying different subject matter and pursuing different careers.

3. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute MYERS-BRIGGS PERSONALITY TYPES A personality typing system that assigns 1 of 16 personality types based on a combination of 4 factors: Extraversion vs. Introversion - Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or on your own inner world? Sensing vs. Intuition - Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning? Thinking vs. Feeling - When making decisions, do you prefer to first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances? Judging vs. Perceiving - In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things decided or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options?

4. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute MYERS-BRIGGS PERSONALITY TYPES What is your personality type? From http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.htmlhttp://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html Q1. Which is your most natural source of Mental Energy? Every person has two faces. One is directed towards the OUTER world of activities, excitements, people, and things. The other is directed inward to the INNER world of thoughts, interests, ideas, and imagination. While these are two different but complementary sides of our nature, most people have an innate preference towards energy from either the OUTER or the INNER world. Thus one of their faces, either the Extraverted (E) or Introverted (I), takes the lead in their personality development and plays a more dominant role in their behavior. Extroverted Characteristics (E) Act first, think/reflect later Feel deprived when cutoff from interaction with the outside world Usually open to and motivated by outside world of people and things Enjoy wide variety and change in people relationships Introverted Characteristics (I) Think/reflect first, then Act Regularly require an amount of "private time" to recharge batteries Motivated internally, mind is sometimes so active it is "closed" to outside world Prefer one-to-one communication and relationships

5. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute MYERS-BRIGGS PERSONALITY TYPES What is your personality type? From http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.htmlhttp://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html Q2. Which way of Perceiving or Understanding is most "automatic" or natural? The Sensing (S) side of our mind notices the sights, sounds, smells and all the sensory details of the PRESENT. It categorizes, organizes, records and stores the specifics from the here and now. It is REALITY based, dealing with "what is." It also provides the specific details of memory & recollections from PAST events. The Intuitive (N) side of our mind seeks to understand, interpret and form OVERALL patterns of all the information that is collected and records these patterns and relationships. It speculates on POSSIBILITIES, including looking into and forecasting the FUTURE. It is imaginative and conceptual. While both kinds of perceiving are necessary and used by all people, each of us instinctively tends to favor one over the other. Sensing Characteristics (S) Mentally live in the Now, attending to present opportunities Using common sense and creating practical solutions is automatic-instinctual Memory recall is rich in detail of facts and past events Best improvise from past experience Like clear and concrete information; dislike guessing when facts are "fuzzy" Intuitive Characteristics (N) Mentally live in the Future, attending to future possibilities Using imagination and creating/inventing new possibilities is automatic-instinctual Memory recall emphasizes patterns, contexts, and connections Best improvise from theoretical understanding Comfortable with ambiguous, fuzzy data and with guessing its meaning.

6. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute MYERS-BRIGGS PERSONALITY TYPES What is your personality type? From http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.htmlhttp://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html Q3. Which way of forming Judgments and Making Choices is most natural? The Thinking (T) side of our mind analyzes information in a DETACHED, objective fashion. It operates from factual principles, deduces and forms conclusions systematically. It is our logical nature. The Feeling (F) side of our mind forms conclusions in an ATTACHED and somewhat global manner, based on likes/dislikes, impact on others, and human and aesthetic values. It is our subjective nature. While everyone uses both means of forming conclusions, each person has a natural bias towards one over the other so that when they give us conflicting directions - one side is the natural trump card or tiebreaker. Thinking Characteristics (T) Instinctively search for facts and logic in a decision situation. Naturally notices tasks and work to be accomplished. Easily able to provide an objective and critical analysis. Accept conflict as a natural, normal part of relationships with people. Feeling Characteristics (F) Instinctively employ personal feelings and impact on people in decision situations Naturally sensitive to people needs and reactions. Naturally seek consensus and popular opinions. Unsettled by conflict; have almost a toxic reaction to disharmony.

7. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute MYERS-BRIGGS PERSONALITY TYPES What is your personality type? From http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.htmlhttp://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html Q4. What is your "Action Orientation" towards the outside world? All people use both judging (thinking and feeling) and perceiving (sensing and intuition) processes to store information, organize our thoughts, make decisions, take actions and manage our lives. Yet one of these processes (Judging or Perceiving) tends to take the lead in our relationship with the outside world... while the other governs our inner world. A Judging (J) style approaches the outside world WITH A PLAN and is oriented towards organizing one's surroundings, being prepared, making decisions and reaching closure and completion. A Perceiving (P) style takes the outside world AS IT COMES and is adopting and adapting, flexible, open-ended and receptive to new opportunities and changing game plans. Judging Characteristics (J) Plan many of the details in advance before moving into action. Focus on task-related action; complete meaningful segments before moving on. Work best and avoid stress when able to keep ahead of deadlines. Naturally use targets, dates and standard routines to manage life. Perceiving Characteristics (P) Comfortable moving into action without a plan; plan on- the-go. Like to multitask, have variety, mix work and play. Naturally tolerant of time pressure; work best close to the deadlines. Instinctively avoid commitments which interfere with flexibility, freedom and variety

8. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute MYERS-BRIGGS PERSONALITY TYPES Do you agree with your Myers-Briggs description? What activities would be appropriate for different personality types?

9. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute KEIRSEY’S TEMPERAMENTS David Keirsey assigned profiles and names to each of the sixteen personality types.

10. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute KEIRSEY’S TEMPERAMENTS Guardians (SJ's) are the cornerstone of society, for they are the temperament given to serving and preserving our most important social institutions. Guardians have natural talent in managing goods and services--from supervision to maintenance and supply -- and they use all their skills to keep things running smoothly in their families, communities, schools, churches, hospitals, and businesses. Guardians can have a lot of fun with their friends, but they are quite serious about their duties and responsibilities. Guardians take pride in being dependable and trustworthy; if there's a job to be done, they can be counted on to put their shoulder to the wheel. Guardians also believe in law and order, and sometimes worry that respect for authority, even a fundamental sense of right and wrong, is being lost. Perhaps this is why Guardians honor customs and traditions so strongly -- they are familiar patterns that help bring stability to our modern, fast-paced world. Practical and down-to-earth, Guardians believe in following the rules and cooperating with others. They are not very comfortable winging it or blazing new trails; working steadily within the system is the Guardian way, for in the long run loyalty, discipline, and teamwork get the job done right. Guardians are meticulous about schedules and have a sharp eye for proper procedures. They are cautious about change, even though they know that change can be healthy for an institution. Better to go slowly, they say, and look before you leap. Guardians make up as much as 40 to 45 percent of the population, and a good thing, because they usually end up doing all the indispensable but thankless jobs everyone else takes for granted. Establishing and following a familiar daily routine is critical to your well being. In your ideal job, you and your coworkers would all share information so that everyone could remain "on the same page” as projects move forward. Because you genuinely care about the people you work with, your colleagues and your customers appreciate your unassuming kindness.

11. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute TRUE COLOURS A fun, commercialized approach to personality types, based on the work of Myers-Briggs and Keirsey. Four personality types, each of which has been assigned a representational colour. Green people are the thinkers and analyzers Blue people are the inspirers and cheerleaders Gold people are the managers Orange people are the entertainers. The True Colours personality typing system was developed in 1979 by Don Lowry. Since that time is has grown into a movement to help people sort out their strengths and weaknesses in order to make appropriate and rewarding life and career choices. While True Colours is less academic and serious than the other personality typing systems, it is motivating and interesting for people to use to understand themselves, because of its simplicity, fun and relevance to important life choices.

12. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute TRUE COLOURS I am Gold (a manager) People who are GOLD as their primary color like to fit in or belong. They tend to be reliable people who enjoy serving others. Things that are very important to them are tradition, home and family. They need order and structure, and are loyal and generous by nature. They are comfortable with rules and routine, and require punctuality and organization. They don't like waste or change. They tend to plan ahead.

13. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute THE INFLUENCE OF PERSONALITY ON LEARNING Cognitive factors, such as intelligence, are not the only factors influencing student performance. Personality plays a significant role as well. Students of different personalities approach language learning differently, and will excel at different language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking) and language systems (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation). Some aspects of a student’s personality may enhance their language learning ability. For example extroversion is known to enhance a student’s speaking ability. Some aspects of student’s personality may detract from their language learning ability. For example introversion, may detract from a student’s speaking ability. Additional individual personality factors that can either enhance or interfere with language learning include positive or negative emotions associated with learning or the language, self-esteem, risk- taking, inhibition, anxiety, ability to empathize, and so on.

14. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute STRATEGIES Strategies are the processes we follow in order to resolve issues or situations. There are two sets of strategies that are of relevance to our language students: 1. Learning strategies are processes we use in order to learn more efficiently and effectively. 2. Communication strategies are processes we use in order to make ourselves understood and to understand others. Because language is a communication tool, our language students need to have strategies in place to assist them in communicating when they reach the limits of their language ability. You will be reading more about this in your textbook.

15. ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Complete either Question 2 or 3, and 4 in the Task Journal. (Note: You will need to read p.132-147 in your textbook before attempting Question 4) For question 2 - http://www.keirsey.com/sorter/register.aspx (and choose free results at end)http://www.keirsey.com/sorter/register.aspx For question 3 - http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/edQd8L1/True- Colors-Test-What-is-your-TRUE-personalityhttp://www.quibblo.com/quiz/edQd8L1/True- Colors-Test-What-is-your-TRUE-personality Task Journals can be submitted via email to paula@llinstitute.com (preferred) or printed and handed in. paula@llinstitute.com