Extroverted Personality In 'Bring On The Elites !'

Everyone Needs Fulfillment and Joy (ENFJ) If asked what the letters “ENFJ” stood for, many a passerby on the street could answer correctly, “Extroverted, intuitive, feeling, and judging,” a personality type based on the popular Myers-Briggs Type Indicator questionnaire. Some disregard the growing interest in personality tests as a fad, but that does not dismiss the fact that America has become increasingly concerned with personality, specifically with that of the extroverted student. In the article “Bring On the Elites!”, Joel Stein argues that education should better prepare students for the future, and many teachers use this reasoning to justify a focus on nurturing communicative abilities key to extroverted personalities. However, despite …show more content…
Compared to extroverts, introverts are less comfortable speaking in front of large groups and therefore tend to lack dominance in conversation. The extroverts talk faster and louder, which Leonard Mlodinow describes in his book Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior. However, extroversion does not imply that these students have the best ideas, as speaking quickly does not allow for much thought beforehand. Meanwhile, the introverted student who takes time to listen and understand the topic is more likely to have an idea that is worthwhile but may not see the value in his potential contributions, due to the nature of discussions which prioritize participation. According to Medical Daily, when the ideas in debate lack quality, discussion may seem boring and an introvert could consider talking a waste of energy. Consequently, efforts to encourage public speaking backfire. An unmoderated discussion also shortchanges those introverts who try to conform to the style of discussion and no longer take the time to improve their arguments before speaking in order to get a voice in. This situation results in a belief that saying anything at all could be worth more than saying something insightful. Students are not encouraged to think deeply but rather to repeat ideas already mentioned or come up with surface-level …show more content…
Still, the teachers who utilize these techniques are the ones who can and must step up to the challenge of change. They have the choice to either ignore the needs of students or accept reality, where a sizable portion of all students are introverts whose education system is harming them, and use this new understanding to improve the system. Classrooms with discussions moderated by a teacher who directly encourages introverts to speak can demonstrate that all participation is valued. Teachers who experiment with grading policies focused on quality of content can promote deeper understanding in classroom activities. In any form, efforts to create a more balanced approach to teaching communication skills will show that teachers care. After all, if the goal of education is to create a better future for all students, surely that includes extroverts and introverts