The Brain and Learning

A research that involved connecting individuals to a machine that records the brain activity separately for each hemisphere showed that activities that involve numbers, word puzzles and logic struck more activity in the left hemisphere of the brain. Tasks that were more sequential also gave the same results whereas activities that involved music, colors, imagination and creative expression struck more activity in the right side of the brain. This suggested that the right hemisphere is biased to a global perspective while the left hemisphere is biased to a local perspective. This is to say that while the right brain sees the whole picture the left brain sees the components of the picture instead. However, the sides do not have exclusive control over the activities and it is important to note that these functions could be as well interchanged, Sousa, D. R. (1995).

The left brain has been referred to as the academic brain since education relies mostly on processes such as logic and arithmetic. This does not utilize much of the right hemisphere which is referred to as the artistic brain for its role in creativity and talent building. This is the reason why more scholars are calling for whole brain learning techniques in the education system today. It has been proven that involving the two hemispheres results in an astounding rate of learning just like it is the case with kindergarten teachers who use music, drama, storytelling to support the learning process. This rate drops significantly after abandoning these learning techniques.

The research has shown that different people rely more on different sides of the brain making one side dominant. It is believed that this dominance determines an individual’s preferences, styles of solving problems, characters and personality and even the careers they choose in life. For example, managers tend to be in most cases left brain dominant due to their nature of focusing a lot of energy on organizing, structuring as well as controlling situations. Social workers on the other hand are focused on relationships, emotions and use insights and feeling to solve problems which makes them rely more on the right hemisphere. People who rely more on the right hemisphere tend to get the feeling about a situation while those who rely more on their left hemispheres tend to ask a lot of questions about the situation. This dominance of one side does not portray that there are weaker people mentally. Individuals could be the same intellectually irrespective of the side they rely on, Quantum Learning (1999).

Left side dominant persons understand better on using verbal techniques of learning. This means that that they would better listen to the teacher and this way they grasp almost everything that should be understood. On the other hand, right side dominant people tend to rely more on the visual aids of learning. They will understand better after seeing the concept, for example, in a practical class. Teachers can use pictures, models and other visual aids to bring such student to speed. The right side dominant people also tend to be random in their organization making them not care much about order. Though, their left side dominant counterparts mind a lot about order and they will understand better when ideas flow in a sequence. Lack of order confuses them making it hard to even remember the simple basics.

When you realize that you are a left hemisphere dominant person, it is always important to follow the logic of situations in order to understand and be able to solve them. However, right hemisphere dominant people will respond to emotion which makes it very crucial for educators to emphasize on the feeling behind the situation. This makes them impulsive unlike their counterparts who like making good plans before executing any activity. These two preferences can also be distinguished by their way of communicating. Those who prefer their left hemispheres are seen to speak with minimal gestures that are in most cases uncoordinated.

 However, the right hemisphere prevalent people use a lot of gestures to stress what they are saying. These people are also known to be time unconscious and prefer during learning some background music and frequent mobility. Their counterparts however seem to be very punctual in all their endeavors and would not prefer disruptions such as background music in their learning. Instead of mobility while studying, they prefer brighter light. When people discover what works for them, they should adopt techniques that would promote their learning to make it easier for them to understand. However, this does not mean that you neglect the other hemisphere of the brain. By effectively and efficiently using both sides of the brain and their thinking techniques, one can shift from one style to another depending with the requirements of the situation, Hermann, N. (1982). For example, an individual can use his right hemisphere to come up with a broad and strategic plan of dealing with a problem as well as his left hemisphere to break down and analyze the problem.

Therefore it is important to understand that professional growth is not just about learning and mastering new processes and techniques. It should also include self awareness and appreciation of one’s thinking processes and their impact on the ability to learn and perform. Exclusive concentration on knowledge acquisition makes individuals to become worn out rather than build themselves. Students should also understand and practice techniques that promote their understanding of concepts and ideas. This makes them bring out their full potential since most people who are referred to as slow learners are not actually slow learners only that they use techniques that do not favor their thinking processes. They could help themselves a lot by understanding their nature and using their two brain hemispheres effectively for easier understanding and remembering of what they are learning.