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The Nine Types of Students
This page is based on a presentation I gave at the Mind Times Nine Conference in June, 2011.
Each of us perceives the world from a unique perspective. While each perspective is valid, it is limited. Our personality shapes the way we interact with the world: how we teach, learn, work, and communicate. As teachers, our personality type makes us more comfortable with certain teaching styles over others. As students, our personality type makes us prefer certain ways of learning.
As a teacher, you interact with many students, most of whom probably see the world differently than you do. Different perspectives, values, and preferences sometimes lead to misunderstanding and frustration.
When we study nine personality types of the Enneagram, we can better understand how and why others see the world differently from us. This awareness leads to greater compassion and acceptance of others. We can apply this knowledge to adapt our teaching style (sometimes in very small ways) to make a big difference in how well our students learn. In the classroom, the Enneagram can help teachers and students connect to be effective partners in education.
Each of the nine Enneagram types has a different motivation. Our motivation is a powerful force that drives most of our behaviour. When the world around us supports and reinforces our motivation, a strong tailwind aligns with all our energy, propelling us strongly toward our aspirations. Find ways to align with your students’ motivation and watch them soar.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
- easygoing, 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
Groups
- prefer working in groups
- feel the wholeness, unity of the group
- strive to preserve harmony of group
Communication Style
- calm, peaceful voice
- indirect, subtle
- answers may ramble on, difficult to verbalize specifics
- sometimes state other people's opinions as their own
Ideal Classroom
- values stability, groundedness, and balance
- tranquil atmosphere
- big picture focus, connectedness of all things
- happy, comfortable, stress free
