NZ government to bar certain Types from becoming teachers.

[Quinlan]

National wants personality test for teachers
21/11/2011 14:48:00


National's education spokesperson Anne Tolley (NZ Herald)

By Katie Bradford-Crozier

People wanting to be teachers may soon have to pass a personality test to assess whether they are right for the job.

It's one of the moves planned by National should it retain power after Saturday.

Education spokesperson Anne Tolley released her extensive education policy today which covers everything from plans for a new funding structure for the early childcare sector to clamping down further on people who take out student loans.

She says the industry needs the right people in the job and that's why disposition tests will be introduced for teaching applicants.

"We want to make sure the right people are coming into teaching," she says.

"Someone's making that decision now as they accept applicants for teacher training now, so we actually want to put some criteria in there."

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http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=209428

That is so messed up.

 

[Kasper]

Victor tried to warn us!

Seems very short sighted, children are not lemmings, diversity is good.

 

[Jaguar]

This comment is absurd:

"We want to make sure the right people are coming into teaching"

The 'right' people? What a crock.

 

[Spurgeon]

Victor tried to warn us!

Seems very short sighted, children are not lemmings, diversity is good.

All hail Victor (and Julia Gillard, PM OF Australia)!

 

[jcloudz]

that is bonk. some personalities are better explaining to some students then others and then you have the remainder of other students who would work best under someone matching their preference and than there are subdivisions.

maybe they should match the right students with the right teachers?

 

[Octarine]

Which personality test?

It might just be one that is tailored to rule out those who are aggressive, have little patience etc. Basically characteristics that make people ill suited towards teaching.

 

[Nicodemus]

Then they are going learn to pass the personality test as they learn to pass any other. Seems rather pointless.

 

[Eckhart]

Wonder what is the "right" type then. Probably the annoying bossy type I never get along with.

 

[LEGERdeMAIN]

This is a great idea. Unfortunately we have to start with only a handful of occupations, but someday all people will take personality tests to determine which job they will have their entire lives. It seems outrageous to some people right now, but everyone will get used to it as the idea spreads. And it will spread, because governments around the world will see how effective it is.

 

[Tiltyred]

I hope they're just weeding out the psychos, rather than deciding one MBTI type is the best teacher type, and making all the teachers that type!

 

[Quinlan]

This government is very anti-teachers, they see them as too soft, too creative/abstract, and not focused enough results and on objectifying the kids and their results.

So say goodbye to all the Fs, Ns, and Ps I suppose.

 

[INTP]

They dont know what traits they are using on the test.

My guess would be stuff like big5 neuroticism and some mmpi dimensions.

 

[KDude]

I will never question Victor's paranoia again.

On a sidenote, Myers herself wrote about this. I think it's in the last edition of Gifts Differing, where she reflects on it's popularity. She herself was appalled at some of it's uses.

 

[jixmixfix]

lol personality test? what a joke you think people wont lie on their test to get a certain position? you easily cheat those anyways. Intelligence test, now that's a different story.

 

[Such Irony]

Teaching is such a broad field that you can't just narrow it down to one or two best types. Different types are likely to prefer different kinds of teaching but that's not to say they wouldn't be successful at something less typical of their type. On average, college professors tend to have different personality types than elementary school teachers for example. Also different subject areas tend to attract different types. Most types can be good teachers but the way in which they go about it might be different. The only 'types' I'd be wary of are those that have very little patience with others or those with serious aggressive and anger tendencies. In other, words, traits that are more neuroticism related and not so much type related.

 

[INTP]

Teaching is such a broad field that you can't just narrow it down to one or two best types. Different types are likely to prefer different kinds of teaching but that's not to say they wouldn't be successful at something less typical of their type. On average, college professors tend to have different personality types than elementary school teachers for example. Also different subject areas tend to attract different types. Most types can be good teachers but the way in which they go about it might be different. The only 'types' I'd be wary of are those that have very little patience with others or those with serious aggressive and anger tendencies. In other, words, traits that are more neuroticism related and not so much type related.

What made you think they will use typology?

 

[Redbone]

This government is very anti-teachers, they see them as too soft, too creative/abstract, and not focused enough results and on objectifying the kids and their results.

So say goodbye to all the Fs, Ns, and Ps I suppose.

What about EXFJs? I thought they made excellent teachers. I always thought my ex's star job was elementary education.

They need to take a look at some of the American schools. Teaching to test. Students learn the information to pass the tests. Schools get graded on how well they can cram teach kids the information.

Just another fine lesson about the need for balance.

 

[Quinlan]

What about EXFJs? I thought they made excellent teachers. I always thought my ex's star job was elementary education.

E_FJs being probably more likely to form unions, more likely to take a more holistic, subjective approach to/assessment of children's progress and more open to innovative approaches are probably exactly the types they want to get rid of.

They need to take a look at some of the American schools. Teaching to test. Students learn the information to pass the tests. Schools get graded on how well they can cram teach kids the information.

Just another fine lesson about the need for balance.

They've taken our education system that was well regarded around the world, where they were about to introduce an "elementary" curriculum that was designed to be world leading and just tore the whole thing down so it was easier to see which kids were "failures".

 

[Coriolis]

They need to take a look at some of the American schools. Teaching to test. Students learn the information to pass the tests. Schools get graded on how well they can cram teach kids the information.

Just another fine lesson about the need for balance.

Agreed, but this isn't related to the types (MBTI or other systems) of the teachers. Mostly, it is a combination of desire to produce conformity, shortsightedness, devaluation of knowledge/intellect, and desire for immediate gratification. Very little of this originates from the teachers.

 

[KDude]

What would school be without multiple types for teachers? You need the perky EFJ who takes all of the time in the world to mentor even the worst of students. You need the cold ISTJ football coach who moonlights as a health teacher and bores the crap out of everyone. You need the egghead INTP who doesn't notice paper airplanes flying into his head as he writes on the chalkboard.