Type Theory of Teaching

Gordon Lawrence, in People Types & Tiger Stripes, attempts to paint a portrait of what he calls "type theory" as a means of applying teaching more effectively to the individual student. He posits type theory as a more accurate and useful alternative to "trait theory." Trait theory "fits with the unitary view of mind" which holds that "all humans . . . have the same basic mental equipment; we just differ in the amounts we possess of different traits: I.Q., abstract reasoning, social sensitivity" (Lawrence, 1993, 185), etc. Human "hard wiring," in other words, is the same in all individuals, according to trait theory, while our "software" differs. Opposed to trait theory, type theory, which Lawrence extols, "suggests that even our hard wiring is different, probably in 16 different ways." Lawrence goes so far as to suggest that these 16 ways of hard wiring--which the author uses his book to describe and analyze--result, in effect, in 1116 kinds of mind" (Lawrence, 1993, 185).

We see, then, the vast ambition of Lawrence's work. He posits both a new psychology and a new biology for understanding human consciousness and behavior. Accordingly, it is a complex work, with some sections aimed at specific applications of his ideas to the classroom.

This summary cannot at length describe or analyze all sixteen types or kinds of "minds" or "distinct behavior patterns" or "minds-in-action" or "minds-as-action" (Lawrence, 1993, 186). This emphasis on the word "mind" is crucial to an

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nt discover and select a career appropriate to his or her nature, talents and capacities. The sixteen types described by Lawrence are based on combinations of the four pairs of categories: extraversion and introversion, sensing and intuition, thinking and feeling, and judgment and perception. The test applied to the individual allows the tester to determine the traits which were emphasized in the nature of the individual. The results are categorized according to the four pairs of traits which are combined into one of sixteen possibilities. For example, the approach of Lawrence yields this definition of the individual whose nature reflects introversion, intuition, feeling, and perception: "Imaginative, independent HELPER; reflective, inquisitive, empathic, loyal to deals; more interested in possibilities than practicalities" (Lawrence, 1993, 14). The test itself is divided into four sections which allow the individual to determine, for example, whether he is extraverted or introverted. The individual selects between two groups or patterns of tendencies. The extraverted tendencies include: "likes action and variety; likes to do mental work by talking to people; acts quickly sometimes without much reflection." The introverted

Category: Psychology - T