Jennifer Niskanen's True Colors Pages
Leadership Styles

Blue Student -- Orange Teacher: This combination can work well if the Orange teacher allows the Blue student to be creative and show personal concern.  The Blue student appreciates the good sense of humour of the Orange teacher.  The student may have difficulty making quick decisions and could become bogged down before completing a task.  Although the Blue student values communication and social interaction, the Orange teacher’s direct mode of criticism and comments may not be appreciated. 

Blue Student -- Gold Teacher: The Blue student adheres to the rules of the Gold teacher as long as they seem fair and there is personal consideration and compassion given to the student.  The Blue student will co-operate, particularly if it is felt the Gold teacher likes and cares for the individuality of the student.  Unlike the Gold teacher, the Blue student tends to be emotional and to allow feelings to interfere with academic work.  This student’s need to socialize may also be viewed as highly disruptive by the Gold teacher. 

Blue Student -- Green Teacher: The Blue student responds well to the classroom atmosphere of the Green teacher, as long as it is personally relevant and stimulating to a creative imagination.  The Blue student is motivated to perform in an effort to please the teacher, rather than to demonstrate intellectual mastery of a concept.  Unlike the Green teacher, this student tends to value feelings and interpersonal communication above ideas and concepts.  Some potential for friction exists due to this difference in values. 

Blue Student -- Blue Teacher: The Blue student will likely maintain the greatest rapport and co-operation with the Blue teacher.  The Blue student appreciates the fairness, sensitivity, and personal concern expressed by the Blue teacher.  The atmosphere of imaginative creativity and social interaction provided by the Blue teacher is highly appealing to the blue student.

Green Student -- Orange Teacher: The Green student responds well to the classroom atmosphere of the Orange teacher if attracted to the subject matter and if allowed to express and discuss personal ideas.  The Green student is creative and enjoys discovering new ways of solving problems.  Unlike the Orange teacher, the Green student values ideas and concepts above immediate action and wants to inquire about the principles before each task. 

Green Student -- Gold Teacher: This combination works only if the Green student is sufficiently interested in the subject matter and given some freedom to explore ideas and concepts beyond the requirements of the class.  Unlike the Gold teacher, the  Green student can be oblivious to rules and regulation.  It will be difficult to gain the Green student co-operation without a perception that rules are logical and necessary. 

Green Student -- Green Teacher: The Green student will likely maintain the greatest rapport an co-operation with Green teachers.  The student appreciates the stimulating and creative environment provided by the Green teacher and enjoys discussing ideas investigating relationships between principles, and discovering new ways of solving problems - especially in conjunction with the Green teacher. 

Green Student -- Blue Teacher: The Green student responds well to the classroom atmosphere of the Blue teacher, as long as the student’s interest in the subject matter and curiosity is continually reinforced.  Unlike the Blue teacher, the Green student is less concerned with the feelings of others and will tend to express opinions regardless of how they may affect the feelings of others. 
 

Orange Student -- Orange Teacher: A good match with the Orange student.  The student is likely to maintain the greatest rapport with an Orange teacher.  The student appreciates the atmosphere of freedom and spontaneity in his/her teacher’s classroom and responds favourably to the hands-on approach to learning; both teacher and student enjoy games and competition and are tireless in their efforts to complete any job at hand. 

Orange Student -- Gold Teacher: The Gold teacher’s demands for order, organization, and appropriate behaviour in the classroom do not conform well with the Orange student’s need for spontaneity, fun and quick action.  The Gold teacher emphasizes rules and facts as well as neatness and structure.  The Orange  student may react with various degrees of rebellion and hostility when confronted with a Gold classroom atmosphere. 

Orange Student -- Green Teacher: The Green teacher is often capable of creating an atmosphere of independence and freedom of thought and action in his/her classroom.  This climate allows the Orange student to express his/her needs and possibly to establish methods for learning in his/her own style.  The Green teacher can also be perceived as too theoretical by the Orange student.  This can create the impression that the teacher is out of touch and unconcerned with the here and now. 

Orange Student -- Blue Teacher: The Blue Teacher can have some empathy for the Orange student’s needs, and this teacher’s good sense of humour is protection from reacting too harshly to the Orange student’s demands for fun and entertainment.  The Orange student may require more hands-on activities, games, and competition than are normally scheduled in the lesson plans of the Blue teacher. 
 

Gold Student -- Orange Teacher: This combination can be somewhat problematic.  The Gold student prefers organized, structured, and predictable routines, while the Orange teacher tends to prefer an atmosphere of spontaneity and excitement.  The Gold student may often complain that tasks are never completed and that he/she not learn much of anything in the Orange teachers classroom.  The Gold student strives for perfection and enjoys being validated for neat and accurate work. 

Gold Student -- Gold Teacher: This is a suitable match.  The Gold student is likely to maintain the greatest rapport and co-operation with the Gold teacher.  The student appreciates the structure, organization, and rules that the Gold teacher emphasizes.  The Gold student responds well to this teacher’s style of presenting material which is based on logical procedures and clearly defined factual information. 

Gold Student -- Green Teacher: The Green teacher may not always meet the needs of the Gold student for clear and concise rules and regulations.  The independent thinking, originality, and mental creativity so valued by this Green teacher will not be highly appreciated by the Gold student.  The Gold student may experience anxiety and difficulty related to grasping conceptual matter if it is not explained and demonstrated in concrete ways. 

Gold Student -- Blue Teacher: The Gold student responds well to the Blue teacher’s classroom atmosphere if a regular and predictable schedule is maintained.  The Gold student requires rules and facts, as well as organized, accurate, and logical procedures.  The Gold student may differ from the Blue teacher in expression of or response to very deep emotions.  Although the Gold student follows rules and accomplishes well-structured work, the creativity valued by the Blue teacher may rarely be exhibited.