The Natural Leader

We all have our strengths and areas in which we naturally excel. As Albert Einstein once famously observed, “Everybody is a genius.”

At Appleton, we recognize this fact, and taking Mr. Einstein’s statement to heart, we have developed geniuStyle, which determines a person’s learning personality, based on several factors involved in the learning process. Appleton has identified eight geniuStyles that have unique ways of communicating, organizing, and processing information. The geniustyles are named after famous artists and philosophes: Aristotle, Rembrandt, Picasso, Monet, Locke, Socrates, Plato, and Da Vinci.

Like the famous artist and scientist who is their namesake, Da Vinci learners are Renaissance men (and women!), multi-talented, adept at conceptual thinking, highly organized, and natural leaders. Their unique balance of creativity and structure allows them to dream big and eventually bring those dreams to life.

Strengths of Da Vinci learners:

They are intrinsically motivated to succeed. They plan their work and work their plan. They are organized, early-starting-and consistent.

They are natural innovators, skilled at brainstorming, and intellectually curious. Da Vinci learners see all knowledge as relevant and interconnected. They are adept at finding opportunities for learning in everyday situations.

They are extremely personable, energetic, and enthusiastic.

Challenges to Da Vinci learners:

They are not naturally detail-oriented. They may intuitively arrive at an answer without knowing proper procedures, and their knowledge may be more broad than deep.

They sometimes tend to blurt out responses without forethought, and they may have difficulty with “busy work”.

They can have unrealistically high expectations of self and others. They may jump to conclusions in rush for closure, and they can have difficulty adapting to change.

In terms of their social style, three words could describe Da Vinci learners: adventurous, assertive, and talkative. Unlike Monet or Rembrandt learners, for example, Da Vinci learners actually need talking and socialization to clarify their thoughts. For this reason, Da Vinci students can be great to have in class, even if their love of socializing can make them disruptive from time to time.

The Da Vinci learner’s informational style could be summed up with the questions “Why?” and “What if?” This tendency to question the status quo and always have an eye to the future has significant upside in that it leads them to innovate, question existing theories, and expand educational horizons. However, these same tendencies can also seem like disrespect or insubordination to a teacher who is simply trying to make it through a lesson.

Finally, Da Vinci learners exhibit an organizational style that is marked by a preference for structure, predictability, a tendency to work before playing, and enjoyment in seeking closure. They typically have a high will to achieve and set the goals necessary to be academically successful.

What do you think? Are you a Da Vinci learner? If not, you might be a Monet, a Rembrandt, or one of the other five geniuStyles that we have identified here at Appleton. Want to discover your own geniuStyle? Find
out more at geniuStyle.com!