Dutch primary schools lack knowledge about how to deal with introverted students. This is apparent from research by Shirin van Vondel-Leunissen of introvertel.nl. Only three percent of the teachers surveyed indicated that their school actively offers information about how teachers deal with introverted students.
Introvertel.nl surveyed 120 teachers in Dutch primary schools about the theme of introversion. Of those teachers, 43 percent indicated that they were introverted, compared to 20 percent extroverted and 29 percent ambivert (7 percent did not know). So it is also a common character trait among teachers.
At the same time, there is a strong desire for more information about introversion. No less than three quarters of the respondents indicated that they would like more information about introversion among students. For this reason, many schools have appointed an internal counselor, but according to Van Vondel-Leunissen, this is not enough: ,,School employees approach a counselor in case of problems. They often do not see introverted students as a problem. Introverted students are often less noticeable and more likely to be overlooked. Knowledge about dealing with introverted students should already be embedded in the knowledge of schools and teachers, to prevent problems in introverted students."
From my own experience I know that it pays off to take introverted students into account during a lesson. For example, give time to think about the answer to a question, give breaks and ask one on one how things are going. You will see that in that way, introverted students come into their own much better.
Would you like to know more about how you, as a teacher, can help your introverted students come into their own? Please feel free to contact me.
