Extroverted people are prized in America. How to help your introverted learner to feel comfortable learning in American society. Here are some tips
In previous post titled Extroverts vs. Introverts: Who are They? How to Appeal to Different Personality Types I described two distinct personality types: extroverts and introverts. They are different learners too. I introduced ideas to help your extroverted and introverted learners feel comfortable and learn more in your sessions .However, your learners need to feel comfortable not only in your sessions but in American society too. In this post I will tell you which personality type is often prized in America and how to help your learner fit American society.
Western societies, including American one, prize and reward extroversion.The popular image of Americans is the happy, outgoing extrovert. This person is friendly, always on the go and is surrounded by lots of people.
Extroverted Americans
Extroverts are favored everywhere. In schools favors and rewards are given for extroverted participation in group projects, and social interactions. People are more likely to choose extroverts as leaders of organizations because they have excellent social skills and leadership qualities. Living in America, your learner needs to function among extroverted people everywhere: in schools, in transport, in shopping centers, and in the workplace.
In previous post titled Extroverts vs. Introverts: Who are They? How to Appeal to Different Personality Types I described two distinct personality types: extroverts and introverts. They are different learners too. I introduced ideas to help your extroverted and introverted learners feel comfortable and learn more in your sessions .However, your learners need to feel comfortable not only in your sessions but in American society too. In this post I will tell you which personality type is often prized in America and how to help your learner fit American society.
Western societies, including American one, prize and reward extroversion.The popular image of Americans is the happy, outgoing extrovert. This person is friendly, always on the go and is surrounded by lots of people.
Extroverts are favored everywhere. In schools favors and rewards are given for extroverted participation in group projects, and social interactions. People are more likely to choose extroverts as leaders of organizations because they have excellent social skills and leadership qualities. Living in America, your learner needs to function among extroverted people everywhere: in schools, in transport, in shopping centers, and in the workplace.
Introverts, on the contrary, are viewed less positively by modern American society. People consider them antisocial and cold, because they don't feel like indulging in small and petty conversations. People can not fully trust introverted people. Introverted people normally avoid eye contact. Coming from Russia, which is an introverted society, I find it difficult and uncomfortable to look at stranger's eyes. Russian standard allows for little or no eye contact between strangers.I am sure that I am perceived as a rude person by Western standards of eye contact. The introverted Russian "has a blank, unsmiling face". This face appears angry to Americans. Americans in turn automatically look and smile at people everywhere.
In America, the introverted teenager is perceived as an outsider, a geek, or a weirdo. Introverts are often unpopular in schools because their personalities are usually polar opposites to that of the typical extroverted teenagers. In many jobs, introverts are not considered for supervisory and management positions because they are considered to be quiet and discreet.
In America, the introverted teenager is perceived as an outsider, a geek, or a weirdo. Introverts are often unpopular in schools because their personalities are usually polar opposites to that of the typical extroverted teenagers. In many jobs, introverts are not considered for supervisory and management positions because they are considered to be quiet and discreet.
An Image of an Introvert
Many learners like me come to the United States from countries where introversion is valued. For example, Silence is golden in Asia as it is necessary to "save face" and be considerate to others' feelings. If your learner comes from an introverted country, they will be quiet, not eager to talk and share opinion. You don't need to force your learner to do what extrovert does and turn them into an extrovert. As a tutor you can teach your learner how to adapt and succeed in the world they live in, a world where most people won't stop talking. Your introverted learner will benefit from learning how to self-advocate by communicating with the world at large.
In many learning situations, introverts may need to stretch beyond their comfort zones, and they should be encouraged to do so. Introverts communicate best one-on-one. So the tutoring session is a good opportunity to fully unleash your learner's potential.Your goal is to maximize learning for your learner and to help them develop the skills often identified by potential employers — teamwork, problem solving, and interpersonal communication. You need to create a comfortable learning environment which will encourage your introverted learner to stretch and take risks.
In an effort to support introverted students, you can assign a role to your introverted student. It is easier to speak for someone than for yourself. You can role-play situations happening in a store, in a workplace, in a school, in a library, in a post office with your learners. Your can encourage your learner not to be afraid to talk to find a solution to a certain problem in an artificial environment, like fixing the car, ordering a certain book, buying goods, asking for vacation.
You can give a time to your introverted learner first to think, and then discuss a certain topic in a conversation with you.With time to think, and an opportunity to try an idea out, your student will be more willing to express their thoughts.
An online discussion environment is another avenue that gives your learner time to gather their thoughts before expressing them in writing.
All introverts have deep attachments, their favorite preferences which means the world to them. My Russian roommate Olga is a pure introvert. She tries to avoid big groups of people and like to spend time alone or within a small circle of people doing her favorite activities. Her biggest passion in this life is ballroom dances: swing, tango. I always find her practicing dancing steps alone in the room. She has a great talent and takes pains to improve her skills. She does not mind if I join her too. However, she will never show her talent in a big party with lots of participants. If Olga were my student, I would find out about her talent and suggest to her dance centers with small groups of students where she can improve her dancing skills or I could invite her to dance shows which can appeal to her. You can also find out about your learners' preferences and suggest activities which will fit their tastes.
Introverts have wonderful, well-thought out ideas. Introverts think deeply, have unique perspectives on situations, and don't feel comfortable sharing their views with everybody, only in a comfortable setting. I enjoy spending time and discussing different topics with my other friend Liza. She is from Belarus which is an introverted society as well. Liza is an introvert. She reads a lot, likes to write reflections in her writing blog, and likes developing her yoga skills. Her biggest dream is to go to India and get a yoga certificate from the most famous yoga teacher living in Bangalore. Liza is always ignoring big parties and gatherings. I am used to her refusals to my Birthday and New Years party invitations. She normally comes the day after the actual gathering and congratulates me individually. She has unique and well thought out ideas about life, nature, education, marriage, which I can never hear from my extroverted friends. If Liza were my learner I would invite her to make activities and projects to help her bring her wonderful ideas into life, for example, to organize a yoga session, to write a short story about yoga, to plan a trip to India.
Your introverted learner is good at self-reflections as well. Your introverted learner just needs to feel confident about their self-expressing abilities. So you can invite your learner to write reflections in a dialogue journal. In your dialogue journal response, you can give your learner positive feedback about the value of their thoughts. This feedback can encourage your learner not to be afraid to take risks to express themselves.
Thus, involving your introverted learner in simple, encouraging conversations which draw upon their deep attachments, you will help them to get used to the demands of non-stop talking and self-expressing American Society.
Happy tutoring!
Tatyana Pavlova
Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics/ Bashkir State University
MA Education/ESL 2014, Cambridge College
ENGLISH AT LARGE
Literacy and Learning for Life
Join the conversation
No comments:
Post a Comment