Riley Journal 2

I scored an ESFP on Mytype Personality.  “People-oriented and fun-loving, they make things more fun for others by their enjoyment. Living for the moment, they love new experiences. They dislike theory and impersonal analysis. Interested in serving others. Likely to be the center of attention in social situations. Well-developed common sense and practical ability.”  Much of this I agree with, I like being around people and strive to help others, a path that has led me to tutoring and also on my goal of becoming a doctor.  As for the rest, I do prefer having things explained to me in a way that I understand and can apply else where not just memorizing useless formulas, and I would also agree that I make practical decisions and have good common sense.

As a biology major I think this makes sense.  Biology is much more hands on a practical, you can relate it easily to things around you.  The department is very laid back and not quite as calculating as other science departments and professors like my advisor Dr. Stephenson is very outgoing and loves what he does.  As a tutor I have had all types, from very extroverted to very introverted students and I always try and play to their comfort level.  I may not make introverted students read out loud or explain things as much if they are uncomfortable where as extroverts I may have completely tell me everything they know about a topic and see if it clicks for them.

 

Tutoring Journal on Personality

To little surprise, I am an ENTJ personality type meaning I am a moderately expressed extravert, moderately expressed intuitive, moderately expressed thinking, and slightly expressed judging personality. First off, I can hardly imagine anyone more extraverted than I and I would greatly enjoy meeting said person. My moderately expressed intuitive and thinking side is probably what landed me in a tutoring position while my slightly expressed judging trait explains some of the decisions, both good and bad, that I have made.
I expected to see a greater level of expression in my thinking personality as my success in economics could be contributed to this personality trait. Nonetheless, I must be doing something right. Although presentations do stir butterflies in my stomach I greatly enjoy doing them and now realize this is my extroverted side coming through. A good friend of mine once said I enjoy figuring things out and he could use this test as evidence of such. My thinking personality and intuition undoubtedly make me the person I am today.
I wish this test would have given me a patience score and believe I may be on the lower end of the spectrum. Through tutoring, I have learned I see the world in a certain way and would much rather spend my time in agreement with someone rather than constantly repeating my beliefs, which is typical in some tutoring sessions. Now, I can easily see how personality types affect social interactions and are key in choosing the clients/tutors one “clicks” with.

 

Justin Wright, Journal 2

I took the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, but since I was frustrated with it wanting me to pay to find out anything beyond the fact that I was “rational,” I went and tracked down a site where I could take the Meyers-Briggs and find my actual type. And I turned out to be a Mastermind (INTJ). This was the same as what I had gotten when I first took the test back in middle school.

According to the description on the Keirsey Temperament Sorter page, I am an uncommon type of person and highly devoted to my work. I value efficiency rather than authority, and do not feel bound to tradition. I enjoy problem solving and am restless until decisions are made. Also, I always do the research before making decisions.

All of this describes me pretty well. I’m often the last person to leave the Bush building, long after professors have gone home. I often develop my own way to solve problems if I am dissatisfied with established methods. And I’m always the one to be looking things up before I make a decisions, because I hate being uncertain about anything.

I can see that my personality type is suited to science. Masterminds like problem solving and complex systems. And they like their answers to have a firm grounding in reality. Also I can see my personality affecting my desire to go into genetic research, for the same reasons.

In my tutoring, I often get frustrated if I see that a client has a method for doing something that I think is inefficient. Often I’ll mention my own tricks that I’ve developed and see if they prefer mine better, but I try not to force them if their own method is working better for them. Also, I try to break problems down into small steps. A common question clients ask is “how would you do this problem?” I ask them the same questions I would ask if I was doing the problem on my own, so that they can take control and also see the problem from a more structured approach.

 

Journal #2 Personality Types- Kevin Krughoff

Upon taking the Kiersey II, my results indicated that I am an “Idealist.”  What this basically says is that I strive for personal growth and understanding of myself and the world around me, paying more attention to the big picture and possibilities rather than the details.  But I didn’t need a personality test to tell me I’m a space cadet lol.  Its true that I usually have my head in the clouds- this is why I have problems with classwork that is not engaging enough, and probably why I enjoyed organic chemistry, I HAD to focus!.  All the same, most of what the test says is true; I like to help people out, I avoid conflict when possible, and I place strong conviction in my values.  My curiosity about how people (including myself) operate, coupled with my concern for the well-being of others probably inspired me to be a psychology major.  However, I think the test takes the idea that I focus on abstracts a little too far when it goes into the faith/spiritual and intuition realms, because I like to deal with the greater picture and possibilities so long as it has some sort of concrete basis, and spirituality, poetry, romanticism etc. aren’t really for me.

As far as this relates to tutoring, I think the best appointments I have are when the clients need help and actually want it.  I love helping people out and seeing them “get it” but not when they are there begrudgingly and lack the patience to so much as let me finish a sentence.  I wonder how well one “idealist” would get along with another, or whether they would get in each other’s way.

- Sidenote:  I’ve learned from studying these kinds of psychology tests is that you can pretty much tell people anything in the feedback because people who go find these tests have a strong tendency to fit the results to themselves in a way that validates the feedback:)

 

Journal 2- My Type

E     78%           The Enforcer

S     60%

T     34%

J     76%

This really nailed me on the head I think. It was interesting that less than 50 questions could tell so much about me.  In terms of how this personality type meshes with the responsibility of being a peer tutor, there are both positive and negative things about my type that would influence my tutoring style.  For instance, the fact that ESTJ’s always think they’re right could be either a good or a bad thing in a tutoring situation.   But according to this, if the non-ESTJ would take the time to see where I am coming from, they would agree that I am right (THANK YOU! hehe)  This was a very cool test! I am glad we did it!

 

Journal 2: personality

INTJ: Strategist

Introverted 5%

Intuitive 31%

Thinking 3%

Judging 20%

I am a bit surprised by the result because I have always considered myself one the least logical person I know, since I am not comfortable with any types of math or physics, and when they say INTJ make great scientist I doubt a lot in my case! I try to make decision rationally but I feel I am influenced a lot more by my feelings and emotions. What I completely agree with is that I do observe the world and make my own analysis and get conclusions out of it, I like applying concepts rather than understanding them.

In addition I do not feel at all as natural leader, I like to be guided on a path and they be free to do it my way. However, I do spend a lot of time doing mental introspection of myself and thinking, and I do have the tendency to think I am right and be a bit stubborn. To sum I agree more on details of the life description given in the results than with the general idea…

Instead, I do agree a lot more with the description of the relationships and find myself in many of the statements. But I still really do not see myself as a Rationalist, though the thinking part is only 3% so that could vary I guess as well as the introverted percentage.

Later, I also took the Keirser Temperament sorter II,

There I fall in the Idealist category: the overall description suits me a lot more than the personality test, I recognize myself in many assertions especially concerning the real practical world has only a part of a something bigger. The creative, imagination part is very true for me, I feel I am always looking for ways to develop my creativity and always want to try new things that could help with that. It is also true that I seek personal growth and avoid being leading or led. I do function a lot with intuition and feel rewarded when helping others.

 

Christina Benitez, Journal # 2: ISFJ

When taking the MyType Personality Test it was revealed that I am a ISFJ type, meaning Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging. This type of personality is associated with being kind and conscientious. They are individuals that can be depended on to follow through. They also tend to put the needs of others above their own needs. They are stable and practice, and value security and traditions. This personality type also partakes in rich inner world observations about other people. It is also a personality type that is extremely perceptive of other’s feelings and interested in serving others. Overall, I feel that the ISFI personality type describes me very well and explains my philosophy in tutoring others.

ISFJ’s are described to live in a world that is concrete and kind. They are truly warm and kind-harted, and want to believe the best of people. They strive for cooperation, and are likely to be very sensitive to other people’s feelings. As a tutor this is very relevant for me because I feel that I am very sensitive to the needs of my clients and always try to place myself in their position in order to properly help them with the material. By being considerate and aware of the needs of others such as clients I strive to bring out the best in them because I believe in them and trust in their capabilities.

Other traits of ISFJ’s is that they have exceptional memory about things that are important to their value system. As a politics tutor I am extremely passionate about politics and have an acute memory of class lectures and current events. This helps me tutor others because I am able to explain the concepts well to them. ISFJ’s learn by doing, rather than by reading about something in a book, or applying theory. I notice that this is true because when tutoring clients I ask them to explain the material to me in their own words, or have them try to do it first.

ISFJ’s rely on positive feedback which I can relate to because in its absence it is easy to get discouraged. Tutoring helps me with this because you are able to help others and receive positive feedback from them. I also feel closely aligned to this personality type because I have a strong sense of responsibility and duty. As a tutor, whenever I get the chance to tutor a client I take it very seriously because it is my responsibility to make them have a better experience with their hardships in a class.

 

Journal #2

ESTP

One of the primary traits for ESTPs is that they like things to be very straightforward and aren’t into metaphors or complicated rhetoric. This makes a lot of sense to me when I think about specific teachers that I have liked and disliked. It is much easier for me to learn from a teacher who explains information in the easiest way possible, instead of one who dilutes information with academic catch words and metaphors. I can get varied annoyed at teachers who always need to take a roundabout way of explaining assignments and concepts.

Another trait about ESTPs is that they like to quickly move from one task to the other. This makes sense for me because even when I have a large assignment I tend to break it into small parts and do them all one by one. I can also see this in myself during tutoring appointments because I prefer helping people study for tests when we move quickly from one concept to the next rather than dwelling on the same paper for an hour.

One interesting thing the test says about ESTPs is, “The ESTP gets bored with classes in which they feel they gain no useful material which can be used to get things done”. I definitely agree with this. If I don’t find a class inherently interesting or don’t think it will be practically useful I have a very hard time putting in effort and really caring about the class. I see this in a lot of clients I tutor who don’t really care for the class. It can be very difficult to try to help these students because even if they want to do well, they don’t care about the material as much as is necessary for success.

The whole idea of “getting things done” is very central to the way I view the world. I hate when I see people just doing things and thinking about things but not enacting real world changes. It is interesting that this test touches on theory because I am taking a class right now that deals with theory and I have often had this same frustration with it. Some of the smartest people in the world just sit around thinking and don’t actually do anything to improve the world. I think this is a waste of time.

 

Journal 2

Extroverted = 40%, Intuitive = 25%, Thinking = 31%, Perception = 17%

I took the test and was dumbfounded at the results; I would not label myself as an ENTP. I answered the questions truthfully and I feel that the questions asked were worded in a way that would kind of lead you to an answer.It’s like asking a rhetorical question. In this case, instead of asking a question whose answer is common sense, they asked a more elusive question that would pinpoint you one way or the other.

The test basically called me someone who is full of good ideas but never follows through something they signed up for. A lazy person, for short. I do miss some commitments, like anyone does, but I would not classify myself as someone who does not tie the loose ends at the end of something.

Somethings were right on, and that was scary. I do not let emotions clout my judgment and this is something I take great pride in. It felt that throughout most of the explanation, the test was praising my personality, almost as if it were the perfect one. Then I sat back, and thought it probably told everyone something somewhere along the lines of, “you’re unique and close to perfect.” I scanned down the entire explanation and not one defect was listed about my personality type. I know I’m not perfect. To better understand my personality, I would like to see more of a balance. I know there are areas I excel at, and then there are others with room for improvement.

I was not dissapointed at the results but disillusioned, I think I got my hopes up way too much for this.

 

Susie’s Type… middle-ish

So my MyType shows me to be not straying too far from that central point on the four scales:

I–Introvert 13% (other assessment show me somewhat E–extrovert)  (see below)

N–iNtuitive 3%  “Your secondary mode is iNternal, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit in with your personal value system.”  … or almost S–Sensing “Your secondary mode is external, where you take things in via your five sense in a literal, concrete fashion.” (quotes from MyType)

T–Thinking 13%

P–Perceiving 14%   “perceiving types prefer to ‘keep decisions open.’” (Wikipedia)

“…may be prone to abandoning a project once they have figured it out, moving on to the next thing.”

“They approach problems and theories with enthusiasm and skepticism, ignoring existing rules and opinions and defining their own approach to the resolution…They hate to work on routine things – they would much prefer to build complex theoretical solutions, and leave the implementation of the system to others.”  (MyType)

Extrovert vs. Introvert

(from Wikipedia) The terms extravert and introvert are used in a special sense when discussing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. People who prefer extraversion draw energy from action: they tend to act, then reflect, then act further. If they are inactive, their level of energy and motivation tends to decline. Conversely, those whose prefer introversion become less energized as they act: they prefer to reflect, then act, then reflect again. People who prefer introversion need time out to reflect in order to rebuild energy. The extravert’s flow is directed outward toward people and objects, and the introvert’s is directed inward toward concepts and ideas. There are several contrasting characteristics between extraverts and introverts: extraverts are action-oriented and desire breadth, while introverts are thought-oriented and seek depth. Extraverts often prefer more frequent interaction, while introverts prefer more substantial interaction.

hmmmm… So what do these have to do with tutoring? I think extroverts might be more prone to come to tutoring?  They like to think out loud?    And putting their ideas out there with a tutor in tow gives them the chance to think…since they have to say/write something before they know what they think/know.   Thinking out loud is taken for granted by extroverts.

Introverts might want to revise and edit their ideas before saying them out loud, and since I’m somewhat introverted, I like it when someone tells me that what they’re saying is just a draft,  a brainstorm, not their final answer.  Seems to me that we want our student clients to do a lot of thinking out loud, and some introverts might resist that.  And some introvert tutors might not model the thinking out loud as well as an extroverted one.  They also might let their clients talk more, though.

Here’s something from the VARK website FAQ about the VARK, the MBTI and other assessments:

What about VARK and Myers-Briggs, Kolb and Multiple Intelligences?

VARK is about preferences which are a part of the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator and VARK is structured specifically to improve learning and teaching. David Kolb’s Experiential Cycle is a model of cognitive processing – how we process learning in the brain whereas VARK is about our preferences for taking information into the brain and communicating them “outside”. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory is another cognitive model and it includes some of the VARK modalities as “intelligences” and extends that list to at least five other dimensions. Sometimes the link between VARK and these theories appears to be quite strong but VARK has its own focus, rationale and strategies.

 

Personality Assessment

Results from Mypersonality:

ESTP- Promoter

Extroverted (100%), Sensing (12%), Thinking (26%), Perceiving (14%)

When reading the description of what they thought my personality is like, I was amazed at how dead on it was. The overreigning characteristic of a Promoter is that they are the reagents that make things happen. I feel that this connects with who I am so much. I feel like that person that makes life fun in every situation…which allows for a swift movement into intense work. It also gave three words that I feel describe me to a T: Charming, popular, confident. These words are the essence of my being. In every situation I encounter, I exemplify these characterists. By using my charming side, I can grab the attension in the room and make the focus about the matter at hand. Since I’m a socialight, I can easily persuade people into caring about a particiular topic of interest. In addition, because I’m so conifdent about my subjects, people tend to respect and take what I have to say as an authoritative understanding. In my tutoring, I utilize these tools to put the client at ease. They know that I’m an expert in my field and that I can truly help them understand something they are having problems with. I’ve been told that my aura is what keeps people excited about what I’m talking about. By doing this, my ability to tutor has resulted in my clients performing at a high level in subsequent class periods. I’m able to instill my confidence of the material in the client, so that they feel like experts after our sessions.

Being that promoter in any situation is an invaluable skill– after all, the hardest part of mastering topics is initiating that spark of excitement.