9 Types of Students: Enneagram

Nine Types of Students: Check to see where you are:

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The Type One Student: The Serious Hard Worker

 

Motivation: to be good and correct

Focus: what's wrong (what's not as it should be)

Strategy: follow rules, standards, and principals so closely that they will meet all expectations 

Dynamic

• earnest, self-discipline
• very mature
• uncomfortable being spontaneous, playful, emotional

Learning Style

• attentive in class, take thorough notes
• want to know the rules
• learn in a logical, step by step manner
• meticulous attention to detail

Strong Work Ethic

• plan their studies
• dedicated to work, delay breaks
• great team players when everyone works hard

High Standards

• Inner Critic points out every mistake
• annoyed when they don't get things right
• exaggerate the importance of small errors
• may become perfectionistic

Order

• feel good when everything is in its place
• lists, schedules, and plans
• prefer classes calling for precision and correctness
• notice when the teacher is off track

Communication Style

• serious, unemotional voice
• clear, to the point, focused on topic
• strong convictions, morality, sometimes preachy
• often say "I should...."

Ideal Classroom

• values hard work, truth, fairness
• everyone is responsible, self-disciplined, conscientious
• rules are fair and reasonable, and consistently enforced
• well organized and work is well planned

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The Type Two Student: The People Pleasing Mentor 

Motivation: to be appreciated

Focus: other people and their needs

Strategy: earn appreciation by being kind to others

 Dynamic

• relationships and feelings
• class dynamics just as important to learning process as lesson content

Learning Style

• want emotional connection to the lesson
• focus on people and applications
• learn well from role models
• connect with passionate, joyful teachers

Adapting for Approval

• good grades
• volunteering around school
• track teachers' preferences and adapt to each
• may behave very differently in different classes

Human Contact

• mutual support in classroom community
• connect with other students
• group discussions, stories, shared experiences
• may be mentors, form study groups

Communication Style

• signs of affection, smile, eye contact
• make others feel accepted
• personal questions
• generous with compliments

Ideal Classroom

• values thoughtfulness, emotional connection
• group work and discussion
• positive, nurturing atmosphere
• small classroom
• beautifully appointed with a human touch

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The Type Three Student: The Star of the Class 

Motivation: to be successful

Focus: results and achievement

Strategy: to win the esteem of others 
 

Dynamic

• need to be the best
• "unproductive" feelings, close friendships less important than task on hand
• may become role models/ popular leaders

Learning Style

• desire to improve skill and ability
• reduce lesson to key concepts and results
• hands-on, experiential learning
• eager to jump into action

Driven to Excel

• challenge themselves
• work quickly, may cut corners to get done faster
• need to produce and achieve all the time

Reward System

• want to share their accomplishments
• may brag/ show off
• enjoy competition/ contests

Handling Failure

• sensitive to criticism
• keep quiet when not doing well
• turn failure into partial success
• avoid areas in which they know they won't excel

Communication Style

• natural charmers
• positive image
• motivating, can-do attitude
• prefer doing to talking about doing

Ideal Classroom

• values self-improvement, competency
• expectations clearly defined
• visible reward system
• hands-on, applications

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The Type Four Student: The Misunderstood Creative

 Motivation: to find a special and unique identity

Focus: what's missing

Strategy: withdraw from convention and get people to notice how I'm different 

Dynamic

• strong desire to express themselves creatively
• proud of uniqueness
• sometimes self-conscious about being left out
• often seek comfort in daydreams

Learning Style

• need personal, emotional connection to lesson content
• wait until the mood strikes to study
• pour their soul into their work
• very sensitive to criticism (personal rejection)

Creative Personal Touch

• their projects are a work of art
• want their work to be extraordinary (not ordinary)
• may be artistically inclined
• turn boring work into something beautiful

Individuality

• want special, meaningful experiences
• want each student's uniqueness recognized
• don't want to be compared with others

Communication

• emotional, dramatic flair
• personally revealing
• deep philosophical discussion
• focus on meaning, symbolism

Ideal Classroom

• values self-expression, creativity, emotional authenticity
• opportunities to personalize work
• unique ambience with meaningful decor
• outlets to explore creativity and mood

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The Type Five Student: The Intellectual Outsider

 Motivation: to be competent and intelligent

Focus: what they know and do well

Strategy: withdraw from the world to study it

 Dynamic

• prefer spending time on their own
• socially uncomfortable
• prefer to observe instead of participate

Learning Style

• learn best through observation (lecture, books)
• comprehension before participation
• satisfaction with full comprehension of a topic
• analysis, finding patterns, speculation, analysis paralysis

Solitude

• enjoy time alone
• need time to think
• don't like pressure of close supervision, thinking on their feet

Introversion and Intrusion

• active minds full of ideas and concepts
• feel safe in the mind
• feel clumsy in the outside world
• seek to reduce intrusion of their space

Concentration

• strong ability to focus
• hate concentration being interrupted
• prefer depth of knowledge to breadth of knowledge

Communication Style

• usually quiet and reserved
• very talkative while discussing topics of great person interest (or mastery)
• factual, unemotional
• think lots before speaking

Ideal Classroom

• values knowledge, originality, curiosity
• topics are explored individually and in depth
• ample quiet time
• intellectual discussions

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 The Type Six Student: The Questioning Friend

 

Motivation: to be supported and secure

Focus: uncertainties, risks, dangers, the unknown

Strategy: seek guidance from those they trust

 Dynamic

• sometimes hardworking, responsible, loyal
• sometimes ambivalent, doubting, unreliable
• commitment level depends on how much they trust
• behaviour reacts to trust and anxiety

Learning Style

• questions, questions, questions
• detailed, rational analysis
• prefer structure, framework, justified rules
• good at finding problems or deviations

In Prof We Trust

• initially wary of teachers and their authority
• question inconsistencies, assumptions
• seek to understand teacher's experience, bias, preferences

Certainty and Commitment

• uncertainty breeds anxiety, worry
• want to observe first, get assumptions out of the way before participating
• over-questioning leads to analysis paralysis
• self-doubt leads to procrastination

Communication

• gregarious and likeable
• sceptical, cautionary, ask questions, play devil's advocate
• "yes, but", "the problem here is..."
• often nervous speaking in front of others

Ideal Classroom

• values of social support, reliability, responsibility
• atmosphere of trust
• predictable, structured
• questions are welcomed and answered

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The Type Seven Student: The Cheerleader

 

Motivation: to be happy and fulfilled

Focus: the positive

Strategy: seek happiness/ excitement in the world around them

 Dynamic

• pump their positive energy into the classroom
• learning is exploration and novelty
• joking, talkative, entertaining

Learning Style

• learn quickly
• learn by association
• mental exploration and experimentation
• can jump into the middle of things without needing the big picture

Ideas

• prolific brainstormers
• see connection between ideas
• connections may take them on tangents
• can synthesize disparate ideas together

Multitasking

• enjoy variety
• become distracted when things slow down
• dislike routine, predictability
• keep plans open-ended

Communication

• talkative, enthusiastic
• converse in a free association
• nonlinear, go off on tangents

Ideal Classroom

• values enthusiasm, spontaneity, openness
• fast paced, dynamic, interactive
• full of positive energy
• free of constraints and limitations

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The Type Eight Student: The Challenger

 

Motivation: to protect themselves and be in control

Focus: power and justice

Strategy: assert their independence

Dynamic

 

protect themselves

• protect those too weak to protect themselves
• take charge
• test fairness of the teacher

Learning Style

• independent, minimal supervision
• want to get their hands dirty
• enjoy class discussions, especially debates
• prefer the practical to theory

Rules and Autonomy

• rules are seen a limit to independence
• unfair rules are challenged
• unenforced rules "don't exist"
• push boundaries

Intensity

• intensity makes Eights feel alive and real
• work with energy while work is challenging
• when bored, tend to look for trouble

The Truth

• uncomfortable accepting new ideas passively
• need to challenge what they learn, seek proof to back it up
• can be change their mind if challenged by a stronger argument

Communication Style

• direct, brutal, honest truth
• state opinion as fact
• hate when they can't add their opinion to class discussions
• precocious with profanity

Ideal Classroom

• authority, confidence, and vision
• high engagement atmosphere of bold action
• vigorous debates
• fair class rules

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The Type Nine Student: The Accommodating Companion

 

Motivation: to be at peace

Focus: other people's point of view

Strategy: deny own wants and opinions to accommodate others

 

Dynamic

• easy-going, good-natured, well behaved students
• go with the flow
• cooperative, supportive
• optimistic, seek consensus

Learning Style

 

• immersion
• experiential exercises, physical movement
• repetition
• routine, predictability, structure

Big Picture

 

• all parts fit together in a harmonious way
• try to relate new information into the big picture
• sometimes hard to know which pieces are important or not

Passive

 

hard to prioritize work, it will get done when it gets done

• low stress, little conflict
• high energy environment can be draining
• may take frequent breaks, tune out