There are times in the life of every teacher when the behaviour of their students can leave them either pulling their hair out in frustration, or merely scratching their heads in bewilderment. This relationship between teacher and student has been a regular pattern down through the ages and there have been more than a few attempts to help overcome these perceived problems and differences. It seems that we want our young people to be happy and to be able to express who they are; but we also want them to behave, especially in the classroom.
What happens though when the behaviours that we observe in our young people are not really out of character for who they are, when the strategies that they use to deal with life and learning are not so much damaging as they are different? What we need, now more than ever, is a deeper understanding of how our young people see life, a sort of window into their world, and to use this knowledge to take a step towards the establishment of a more congruent and harmonious learning experience, for both Student and Teacher.
Aus IDentities was originally developed to assist school based students gain a greater sense of their own identity, while also helping Teachers and Parents to understand about different teaching and learning styles. While there are a number of excellent resources already available to support the history and development of the different personality types, we needed to capture the imagination of our youth and at the same time involve the adults, in a colourful and inviting way. It is our firm belief that Aus Identities offers all of this, and more, on what is seen as just the first step to a greater understanding of ourselves and the way that we interact with others.
Aus IDentities is a system that is based upon the four Temperaments, which were originally introduced to the public arena by American Psychologist David Keirsey. These four Temperaments are then linked to various Australian animals, the Eagle, the Dolphin, the Kangaroo and the Wombat. The benefits of understanding the viewpoint and different learning styles of our young people is immense, not least because we can communicate better and often anticipate their needs ahead of time.
The choice for these animals is two-fold; to increase appreciation of the Australian native wildlife, and to set this system apart from other similar systems that might already be in use. Games have also been designed to assist with the clarification of type and to enhance the understanding of the primary differences between the four types. The target age groups are from 8-14 years and from 14 years to adult.
More information on the types is readily available from our web-site and because Aus Identities has been designed to work in harmony with existing resources and compliment other material, we are able to recommend various publications to support the integration and validation of this simple yet sophisticated system.