Linear vs. Global Thinking

I took this interesting assessment: http://www.onionmountaintech.com/files/Global-Linear%20Activity.pdf. I scored a +10, which puts me squarely in the "global" category. I fit pretty well into this category, although I really cannot work on more than one thing at once. I do like to work on one thing for about five minutes, then switch to something else. I tend to have five or six tasks I am working on, but I can only concentrate on one at a time. For example, I can't talk and type at the same time. It is also hard for me to talk and to monitor miscreants in the class at the same time.

I think that one of the challenges I have had as a teacher is trying to adapt to teach linear thinkers. I try to use outlines, although this becomes less useful as the classes advance and we depend more on seminar. Seminar is, in fact, my favored way of discussing ideas. What I am working on is summarizing what we said in seminar to make it more accessible to linear thinkers.

I think it might be informative for you to take this assessment, although I cannot ask for your results, as that would violate your privacy. After you are done, read the descriptions of the two types of thinking. Let me know if this was useful to you.