Teachers: how to treat each student according to their temperament
In school and more specifically during the classes, children are subject to a series of behavioral rules that must be met: be quiet, pay attention, do not make noise with school material, avoid distracting the classmates ... For some This is easy, but for others it is somewhat more complicated when his temperament is more extroverted, moved or impulsive. However, if the teachers know the temperament of your students can help them improve their school performance.
Do teachers know how to treat each student according to their temperament?
At times, it has been seen that some teachers label children. This happens when they see problems instead of virtues in a certain type of behavior and expect the child to change or adapt to the personal way of teaching the class. In this sense, Barbara K. Keogh, states in her book Temperament and school performance (Editorial Narcea), that teaching is not only about imparting information, but about modifying the didactic strategy to catch the attention of its students.
Teachers also have the responsibility to make decisions about children. The fact of becoming aware of individual differences, that is, of how to treat each student according to his temperament, can prevent teachers from possible problem behaviors, in addition to finding the most positive way to take the reins of the class.
Groups of children at school
To educate in class, many teachers divide groups of children that show similar temperamental patterns. Thus, they group the inhibited, uninhibited, self-confident, emotional, impulsive or reticent. Thomas and Chess, based on their clinical experience, described three primary typologies of similar temperamental characteristics:
- Easy: easy children are characterized by regularity, adaptability to change, positive response to novelty, positive mood and moderate emotional intensity. They are kind, sociable and extroverted children. They do not get frustrated or angry easily. Teachers and classmates are comfortable with them.
- Hard: they are characterized by their irregularity, negative state of mind, little adaptability to change, intensity of reaction and negative response to novelty. They show exaggerated reactions and get frustrated when things do not develop to their liking. Often, teachers find them irritable, because they do not adapt easily to class rules; They may have problems with their peers.
- Slow reaction: slight negative responses to novelty and a slow adaptability to change predominate. Often, these children who find it difficult to take action need special support and patience because they tend to withdraw rather than participate.
Attitudes of teachers in class
Together with the different temperaments of the students, it also greatly influences school performance, the attitudes teachers have towards them. The researchers point four kinds of teacher-student relationship: attachment, worry, rejection and indifference.
Some teachers value children who are full of energy, active and enthusiastic. For others, these same children find it difficult to teach and work better with quiet, shy and withdrawn students.
Each teacher has the duty to discover the character of each student and know their own, in such a way that the interaction between them and the one that occurs between classmates is positive and contributes to a greater performance. Some ways to know temperamental profiles are personal interviews with parents and students; the systematic observation of the answers in class and the specific tests or questionnaires.
How to treat each student according to his temperament
1. Calm children. Javier is overwhelmed by a very active class. He is a calm and slow-reacting child. He likes the order, the routine and needs time to adapt to something new. Your response to the many activities in the class is to step aside and work diligently on some specific tasks. The teacher, knowing the general active temperament of the class, does not intend to radically modify the calmer character of Javier; therefore, he has appointed him an arbitrator of the multiple activities of the others.
2. Children pressured and repressed. The language teacher works well with students like Ramón, who sits quietly and gives a diligent attitude. On the other hand, the math teacher, who is animated and amused, finds Ramón disconcerting. He prefers students like Luis, who participates in class. Although both Ramón and Luis are brilliant students, Ramón feels pressured in the math class, while Luis feels repressed in the language class.The parents of both students have spoken with the Primary Coordinator to explain the frustrations of their children and reach points of greater flexibility in class.
3. Quiet and shy children. An extraverted and popular teacher of Early Childhood Education, she had difficulty working with Paloma, who was exceptionally quiet. Not being sure if the child's behavior was a sign of something serious, she decided to observe it carefully for several days. She took notes and gave them to the school psychologist, who instructed her and Paloma's parents to complete some tests, in order to discover how to help her adapt to the school program. The center psychologist also worked with the teacher to balance the temperamental differences between her and the girl.
4. Children who are easily overexcited. Teresa is easily overexcited when something unusual happens in class. On a visit to the zoo, the teacher sat him on the bus and reassured him at the first signs of nervousness, giving him his support. Knowing her temperament helped prepare her for stressful situations and reduced the appearance of problematic behaviors.
Barbara K. Keogh. Clinical psychologist University of California (USA)
It may interest you:
- How to educate in class according to the character of the children
- Future teachers: excellence begins with prestige
- Respect towards teachers
- My teacher has me mania: who is right?
- Children with a lot of character: 6 tips for self-control
- Respect for teachers in the classroom
