Using the Enneagram in the Elementary Classroom

Kirsten 0:00

Welcome back to A in another episode, I am so glad you're able to tune in with me today, I wanted to share a topic that I'm super passionate about something I love. And that is the Enneagram I am obsessed with it. And I love being able to find out my personality type and also learning about other people's personality type. It's I guess it's the psychology degree person in me. So yes, fun fact, I do have a psychology degree, I was thinking I was going to be a neuro psychologist. But I ended up not going into that and ended up going to get my master's degree in elementary education. So I've got a psychology degree and a master's degree in education. So it's a nice kind of combination. But I've been able to use both of those in my passion for the Enneagram and building a positive classroom community. So it kind of all comes back full circle, I'm not wasting my money on that, I guess. So today I'm going to be sharing with you on using the Enneagram in the elementary classroom. So you may have taken the Enneagram test yourself, maybe you took an online test, and you may know your Enneagram type. And that's awesome. But guess what your students can find out their personality types as well. And today I'm going to be going over with you the nine types of students. So it's all based on the nine Enneagram types and I cater it towards a elementary level so students in your classroom. I also am going to give you some ideas on how you can have your students reflect on what type of Enneagram personality type they may be, and what you can do to spark discussion and share their findings and what you can do to meet the needs in their classroom.

This is the social studies teacher podcast, a show for busy elementary teachers looking for fun and engaging ways to easily add social studies into their classroom schedule without feeling overwhelmed or pressed for time. I'm KEARSON southern teach an educator and mom who is passionate about all things social studies, I love sharing ideas and strategies that are low prep and easy to implement. So let's dive in together.

So let's just go into a little bit of a background of what exactly an Enneagram is. So if you are not for miliar with the Enneagram. That's what we're going to talk about. But this is a personality theory that characterizes nine specific indistinct personality types by behaviors, motivations and fears. And according to this theory, people are born with a dominant type that is shaped by life experiences and factors. So there may be a few Enneagram types that we may identify with, but there should be one that mainly stands out with us. And it's important to note that the Enneagram should not be used to box off or tell a student that they are a certain type, it's not up to us to tell them what Enneagram type they are. It's all about self discovery. So in order for students to know about their actual personality type, they would need to take a version themselves. So this is mainly just this episode is mainly a guide, it's a jumping off point to give an idea of their personality based on your knowledge and interactions and experiences. And for them to kind of come to their own conclusions on what personality type they may identify with.

Alright, so we're gonna go quickly over each one.

The reformer, also known as the perfectionist is always wanting to be good, and do things the right way, they might worry about being wrong or getting in trouble. And you may see them feel at ease when they are given step by step directions, so they thrive on structure and well defined expectations.

personality type number two is the helper also known as the people pleaser and they are always helpful and caring and generous. They may worry about not being wanted. And they also enjoy a smaller size classroom or group work or jobs that require them to help others so they love jobs where they can help.

type number three is the achiever. This is also known as the role model and they want to be successful and they love to be the center of attention. They may worry about failing, but they also drive on a visible and tangible reward system. So similar to the perfectionist or the reformer, they thrive on clearly defined expectations, but they also thrive on opportunities to lead others in a positive way, of course, as a role model, and working groups.

type number four is the individualist This is also known as the creative and they're unique and deeply introspective, they sometimes worry about being too plain or boring. They also enjoy projects where their creativity can shine. So giving them opportunities beyond a multiple choice test is a really great way for them to learn best. They also learn best with a variety of assignments, and posters and visuals that help support their learning.

type number five is the investigator. The investigator or the thinker is curious and is wanting to know and learn as much as possible, especially topics that interest them a lot. They may worry about being helpless, and they also learn best when working alone. They love working independently. They love structured and predictable routines.

The loyalist is type six and the loyalist is also known as the skeptic they want to be supported and secure. And sometimes they worry about being uncertain or unsecure, insecure. They thrive in a classroom where they can safely ask and answer questions without being afraid of being judged or laughed at. So they enjoy having a trusting classroom environment.

Tip number seven is the enthusiast. This is also known as the life of the party and they want to be happy and they are generally very optimistic and fun and vibrant. They may worry about being too bored or things are too boring to you know they can't really get up and get around. They enjoy working at fast paces. So they like assignments that allow for variation. They like really fun and engaging lessons and they love working in groups.

Tip number eight would be the challenger. The Challenger or the go getter wants to be strong and is not afraid to challenge other students or teachers, so they may worry about being too controlled. They work best in a classroom with fair rules and expectations.

type number nine is The Peacemaker or the dreamer, and they are wanting to avoid conflict or arguments at all possible costs. They might worry about people not getting along, they don't like when there's fights going on, or arguments. And they also learn best in a peaceful and happy classroom atmosphere.

So that's just an overview of the nine types of students. And you may notice that some of the types overlap with each other some of the ways to learn kind of overlap with each other. So you might have several types that are able to work by themselves or they enjoy working by themselves, you have a few types that they like working in groups. So there are some there is some overlaps and similarities and differences with each type. But you can see that there is a distinct type for each Enneagram type. Here's what I want you to do.

Now that we know the nine types of students, I want you to invite your students to reflect with some guiding questions. So you may be giving them some information about the nine types of students. What I want you to do next is to think about these four guiding questions. So you can have them do this on a sheet of paper or type it up. But I want you to have your students answer these questions. Number one, what characteristics best describe me? Number two, what are my biggest wants? Or needs? What are things that I want? Not just academically, but in my home life socially? Like? Do I want to have a lot of friends? Or do I want to be by myself? Number three, what are my biggest worries? What are things that I worry about? Am I worried about being alone? Am I worried about not having enough friends are worried about not being able to succeed? And then question number four? How do I learn best? Do I learn best in groups? Do I learn best by myself? Do I learn best whenever there's music playing? So give them those four questions, and have those them answer that give them about five to 10 minutes to really think about and reflect on those four questions. Number one, what characteristics best describe me? Number two, what are my biggest wants or needs? Number three, what are my biggest worries? And number four? How do I learn best?

After you give your students some time to reflect on these guiding questions. What you can do next is have the students look at the nine types of students and decide on what category they think fits them the best. So you can lay out those nine Enneagram types. And just a quick brief overview of each Enneagram type and then have them go around or read through it to see which one they think fits them the best, they may see a couple that they are like that both of these kind of stand out to me and just have them try to pick the top one, the one that they may identify the most with. After they decide on which category or Enneagram type they think fits them the best have students share their findings. So you can group students by Enneagram type and have them make a poster on what they need from you. And also what they need from other types of students in the classroom in order to be successful, and meet their wants and needs in the classroom. And you can have them you know, just turn it in quietly and not share or you can have them share to the class some things that they need from their classmates they need from their teacher. So it's just a really great way to spark some conversation and open communication on what they've discovered. So it's all about self discovery.

So I'm just gonna go through what you can do to use the Enneagram in the elementary classroom. First, Have students reflect with some guiding questions about their wants, worries and how they learn best. Then have them take a look at all nine types and have them narrow down and decide which personality type they think fits them the best. And then the third step is have students share their findings either reflecting independently on their own or in groups by Enneagram type and they can create a poster on what they need from you and what they need from their classmates.

All right, well, here's my action tip for today the creative action tip. I want you to make sure students are aware of their wants and worries and best ways to to learn. So that's something that's super important, especially you know, with everything going on in the last couple of years, this is a really great activity to complete for the first month of school, you can also use the Enneagram types to refer to throughout the year. And to also help you plan some lessons and activities that will engage all of your students. So it's just a really great way to meet the needs of your students in the maximum way possible.

So, I do have a couple of resources. If you're wanting to take this a step further, I have the Enneagram for big kids for grades three through six, so mostly upper elementary. And I also have Enneagram for primary kids. So this is for grades one through three. And so third grade overlaps between both of them. And it just depends on how your students are aware of where they're at which one may be the best fit for them. So this includes a Enneagram test with statements that students can check or color with the statements that they agree with. And from there, they can graph their results and see which top two or three Enneagram types they identify with. It also includes some informational text in student friendly language, about the Enneagram, and about each type, and also a reflection that they can do. So you can still implement the strategies that I give you in the episode today.

And if you want to take it a step further, you can add in those statements with the Enneagram for big kids and primary kids. So I'll give you the link for both of those resources, if that's something that interests you.

All right. Well, that's all I have for today. I am so glad you were able to tune in and I will see you around next time. Thanks for listening to the social studies teacher podcast. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, hit that subscribe button and leave a review. I would love to hear your thoughts. You can also find me on Instagram at the southern teach. I can't wait for you to join me in the next episode for more teacher tips and strategies.

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