Daily Excerpt: The Invisible Foreign Language Classroom (Dabbs and Leaver) - Defining and Recognizing the Invisible Classroom: Guardians
excerpt from The Invisible Foreign Language Classroom (Dabbs & Leaver),
from Chapter 1 Defining and Recognizing the Invisible Classroom: Guardians
Guardians
General Orientation
SJ personality types, more especially as adults, feel compelled to
pass on the values of their society. As such, the Guardians in every society
are essential to the continuation of that society.
As Learners
As learners, Guardians work to belong in the group, whether that
is a social group of their place in the class. For this reason, they possess a
strong work ethic. They crave rules, accept and support tradition and
traditional approaches, and want to know exactly what is expected of them.
Because many teachers are themselves SJs, the SJ learner fits
right in. The student understands and
feels comfortable with the teacher’s methods because that is how they
learn. The SJ likes the structure, likes
knowing what is expected, and since the SJ teacher will generally lay things
out in a logical, sequential manner, the SJ learner feels comfortable in the
learning environment. They want and need
direction. Once they have that, they will come prepared. Being prepared
motivates them, and feeling unprepared unnerves them. An SJ student will be
well prepared and have all assignments done on time, or even early. They like
the tradition and structure of the classroom setting and usually succeed because
their learning style and the teaching style of many teachers are in
harmony.
The problems found in the invisible classroom creep in when
teachers are of personality types other than Sj. The SJ student might encounter
difficulty if asked to speculate or hypothesize, a typical question from an NT
teacher. An SJ does not like to guess at
what’s expected, a typical expectation of both the NT and the SP teacher; both
of whom think they are offering a valuable gift: freedom. The SJ does not want
that kind of freedom! He or she wants to know the rules going in and prepare
accordingly.
As Teachers
As teachers, Guardians quickly set rules and deadlines, make
instructions and requirements clear, and ensure organization—their form of organization:
linear, sequential, and/or chronological. When teaching a Guardian learner,
Guardians encounter smooth sailing: compliant and generally happy students who
meet deadlines. However, when teaching other personality types, the Guardian
teacher can feel frustrated (SPs do not feel compelled to honor deadlines) or
besieged (NTs do not particularly value tradition and often refuse to comply
when the disagree intellectually or on the basis of conflicting values). These
are the kinds of conflicts that may not show themselves on the surface but
reflect trouble in the invisible classroom.
In Life
Not surprisingly, a large percentage of Guardians become teachers
or nurses or select other professions where they can nurture and belong. They
need to remember, however, that though they comprise more than 80% of the K-12 teaching
population (Akdenisz & Erişti, 2016), they will have large numbers of
learners who do not match their personality type and do not hold their values.
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