Identifying Natural Traits of Students

Today schools are focusing more extensively on character education and trying to incorporate the same as a sustained process of teaching. Studies over the years have revealed that examples of good character can be attained via teaching, instilling good habits and also encouraging students. Considering that students spend a large chunk of their time at school, it is essential that they devise or develop character traits that would help them emerge as better individuals in the future.

For instance, character education gives the students the knowledge for addressing the difference between right and wrong. Thus it is vital for developing habits and behavior that would have a positive impact on society. It has been seen that character education actually help in academics. It provides them with a sense of diligence and responsibility. Building character is also known to assist help the students interact properly with their teachers and fellow students. So it is up to the teacher eventually to turn the classroom into a better learning environment.

Before you move on to the process of understanding the different character traits of a child, here are some of the basics traits that most children have.

They love being naughty by nature but want to be good to please
They enjoy listening to stories and have a rich imagination
All kids believe that good to triumphs over evil
Students love or enjoy singing, acting and being creative
Not only are kids emotionally sensitive, the are also vulnerable
Have fun and generally be carefree
They do tend to forgive easily and forget quickly
They are also prone to become discouraged
Memorizing is something that they can really do fast
Always eager to learn and acquire skills
They are trusting and believe what adults tell them
Children do believe in God and love to pray

Here are some ways that teachers can judge and analyze the character traits of their students. Sure it would require a little extra time and effort.

Activity Level

One of the first aspects that you must remember here is that a child would be analyzed on the basis of their activity level. Each child has a particular speed and activity level. So if you are trying to understand the speed of the child or how active they are consider-

Are they more fidgety when sitting down or they focus extensively on a particular activity. Younger children do tend to be a little more fidgety so it might not really be a trait right now. Does the child have difficulty sitting still for a prolonged period or do they tend enjoy sedate periods. Remember that highly active or overactive children tend to channel a lot of their extra energy into success in sports. This is one of the traits to watch out for. A child showing more interest in sitting quietly and focusing on work would likely to grow up into something require intensive learning. On the other hand, a child who is highly energetic and loves to channelize their energies into activities that include physical labor, then they are more likely to be into sports when they grow up.

Distractibility Factor

In many kids, the degree of concentration and paying attention is evident when they are not taking interest or showing a certain level of excitement for a particular activity. In this reference, traits of distractibility would depend largely on the ease with which the external stimuli interfere with ongoing behavior. There are some children in the classroom who just tend to be distracted a lot. A change in light, any outside sound or even other similar changes tends to make them switch over or forget the activity they are doing. Watch out if these distractions are getting more of their attention or is that the child becomes sidetracked easily when attempting to follow routine or working on some activity? Remember that being highly distractible is only a positive trait when the child has to be shifted from an undesirable behavior. However, it does portray negatively when it prevents the child from finishing school work.

Intensity of activity

The energy levels that a child possesses are reflected or send during a response, which can be either positive or negative. Some students tend to react strongly and loudly to everything. In case of even lesser significant events, they tend to show signs of pleasure or being upset strongly. Some in fact go to the verge of being very over dramatic about these situations too. Then there are kids who tend to get quiet when upset. You will notice that such kids are the ones who are usually less active in the classroom. The ones who are quite tend to be gifted in dramatic arts. Intense children are the one who would definitely get you exhausted by the end of the day. And they are the one with a knack for hyper activity or enjoy sports.

Regularity

Regularly or enjoying a routine is a trait that refers to the predictability of biological functions. These tend to include habits of sleeping, feeling hungry, etc. There are some kids who do feel hungry by lunch hour or are ready to eat when the bell rings. These are kids who like to have a set pattern and enjoy going through regular routines. They do tend to get upset when their routine is not in sync. Then there are some kids who are rather unpredictable in terms of hunger and tiredness. They are the ones who tend to have odd eating times or really go against the routine. So watch out for these sign.

Sensory Threshold

This one is completely related to how sensitive this child is to physical stimuli. For a teacher getting to know these traits or identifying with these traits is not something that difficult. These includes sound, taste, touch, temperature changes, etc. which are quite handy in producing a response in the child. Some of the traits that you should watch out here include how does the student react - positively or negatively to particular sounds? Does he/ she startles easily to sounds? Along with this, you can also observe if the child is a picky eater or tends to eat almost anything? Some children are more prone to responding positively or negatively to the feel of clothing? Kids who are highly sensitive would turn out to be more artistic and creative.

Approach/Withdrawal Signs

Another aspect that you as teacher should watch out for is the factor of withdrawal signs. More than often, there are some kids who tend to withdraw or are not comfortable in meeting strangers. They are the ones who tend to feel more insecure or vulnerable on seeing new faces. Watch out for signs like if the child eagerly approaches new situations or people. Do they feel hesitant and resistant in case of new situations, people or things? Those who tend to be slower to warm up are introverts who take their time to react and less keen on being impulsive. On the other hand, those who react more strongly have a tendency to be impulsive during adolescence.

Adaptability

Coming to more inherent traits in a child, adaptability is one factor that reflects a lot about any child. It is again based on the routine and reaction to changes factor. But how easily a child adapts to transitions and changes are something that plays a crucial role. For instance - does the child have trouble, transitioning from one activity to another? Are they taking time to get comfortable to new situations like moving to a new class or making new friends? Those who adapt slowly tend to be less prone to entering dangerous situations. A slow-to-adapt child would also be less influenced by peer pressure.

Persistence

Basically the length of the time that any student tends to continue facing hurdles and issues is known as their persistence traits. You will notice that there are some children who tend to continue working on a puzzle, even though they are not able to solve it. Others move on rather than waiting for this activity to be over. In some cases, you will notice that some kids react strongly when interrupted in an activity. They want to continue and finish but they are labeled as stubborn. However, this is more of persistence rather than stubbornness. On the other hand, a persistent child is more likely to succeed in reaching goals. Those with lower persistence tend to have more social skills considering they see other people can help.

Mood

How do kids react to their primary world, in this case the classroom? Some kids tend to be more positive or negative so the formula of glass as half full or half empty applies here. Do they seem to be happy about little things or they tend to complain all the time. Those who focus on the negative aspects of life tend to be more analytical and evaluate situations carefully.

With these modes, you will be to identify the natural traits of your students and devise or work on ways to enhance those skills through the means of character education.