Michael Joseph Murphy

I have been a teacher all my life and love it, now more than ever.

MBTI® Type in the Classroom. As an educator, I am interested in how awareness of psychological type in the education realm can accelerate learning and help teachers avoid many pitfalls resulting from conflicting interaction styles. I am currently on sabbatical doing further research and study in this area. I have been a member of the Bay Area Association for Psychological Type (BAAPT) since 1990 and served for two years on its board of directors. BAAPT is a local chapter of APTi (Association for Psychological Type International).

Neurodevelopmental Variation. I have also studied in depth about learning differences in children through the Schools Attuned training program of the All Kinds of Minds Institute in Duram, NC, and through independent study. All Kinds of Minds is a not-for-profit organization that translates the latest research from neuroscience and other disciplines on how children learn — and vary in their learning — into a powerful framework that educators can use in the classroom.

Neuroscience of Personality. I am very interested in the research being done by Dr. Dario Nardi of UCLA, whose research focuses on links between cognitive skills, emotional dynamics, personality characteristics, and behavior as expressed through local and global patterns of activity in the neocortex. He also demonstrates how all of this relates to the MBTI©.

Experience. I have taught mathematics in high school and middle school since 1971. I have also taught religious education and worked in refugee resettlement for six years. I love to travel. I am an artist and a musician.

Interests. My interests outside of education include music, psychology, science, history and film.

Photo background: Italian pines near Rodin Sculpture Garden, Stanford University (2001). © Michael Joseph Murphy, mjmcreations