Left versus Right Brain and How It Can Impact Learning - Research Paper Example

?Left vs. Right Brain and how it can impact learning: Research on the of brain hemisphere dominance or left vs. right brain has increased by staggering proportions in the contemporary world which identifies mass enthusiasm in this particular area. Presently, a growing body of literature can be found contemplating the nature of association between left or right brain and the impact executed on learning. General consensus is that both hemispheres are actively used in processing information and learning. However, sufficient evidence identifies that one of the two hemispheres (either left or right brain) remains dominant over the other. This type of dominance has huge repercussions. General assumption is that while people with right brain dominance hold the potential to excel as visual learners, others with left brain dominance develop as auditory learners. This research paper primarily attempts to contemplate a variety of momentous effects of brain hemisphere dominance implemented on the learning process by reviewing what modern research has to say on the subject. Learning is one area which has been most frenetically scrutinized through the lens of hemispheric dominance. The right and left sides of the brain execute functions in “uniquely discrete ways” (Given, 2002, p. 3). It is believed that left brain dominant students adapt faster to certain intricate lectures in the classrooms through riveting lectures because they tend to be excellent auditory learners. This suggests that knowing about brain hemispheric dominance status of a class can guide a teacher a lot regarding in which areas improvements need to be made. Teachers can assist left brain dominant students during difficult lectures by refining their oratory skills. On the other hand, right brain is dominant for “visual-construction tasks” (Given, 2002, p. 3) and such people digest new academic information in a better way when it is delivered through exciting visual media. The role of visual media in classrooms has already attracted much attention by educationists and now with advent of research on left and right brain, this role has become decisive in enhanced training of students with different needs. It is interesting how only a few decades ago, the concept of brain hemisphere dominance and its connection with learning process was considered a little more than a scientific myth and not much importance was attached to any worthwhile revelation made then. However, there is much focus on this area now due to relentless struggle of many researchers. It is because of this struggle that there is more awareness in the world now about the impact produced by hemisphere dominance on learning. So, such changed way of thinking is the reason why both parents and teachers need to invest more time in determining which children are right brain dominant and which otherwise to shrewdly steer the teaching methods to those preferences. While discussing the topic of left vs. right brain, an important thing to remember is that considering one hemisphere superior to another is not a smart talent strategy but only a misleading way of processing facts. Both left and right brain have different kinds of advantages to offer. Research also claims that the concern of superiority should be left out of the picture as both brains “just have different specialized functions” (Duman, 2010, p. 2078). If efforts are made in the right direction without focusing on one particular brain hemisphere, many smartly engineered learning strategies can be employed by teachers to make their students retain new information for a longer period of time with respect to their right or left brain preferences. Such teaching method can prove to be enigmatically beneficial for otherwise struggling students who often lose interest in academics because of inappropriate teaching styles which are not suited to their innate learning dispositions. This teaching method can be implemented by conscientiously sorting out which students in a classroom are right brain dominant and which are left brain dominant. Consequently, the relationship between brain hemisphere dominance and learning can be strengthened. When measures are taken in this area to establish the hemispheric dominance status of students, knowledge can be conveyed in a way that is best received by dominant hemispheres. But, less dominant hemisphere should never be ignored and teachers should review or practice the information they intend to deliver both ways to focus on their students’ less dominant hemispheres too (Child Learning, 2012). There is a huge repertoire of reliable and valid quiz tests available today which can be actively employed by teachers of modern times to make evaluations about brain hemisphere dominance in their students and later construct their teaching styles according to the results assembled. After right/left brain dominance is determined, good parental guidance in addition to teaching at schools can work miracles in enabling a student to intelligently process thoughts, interact with the world based on that processing, and understand others. Analyzing right brain effects against left brain effects reveals that while right brain dominance develops an impulsive nature where the reasoning skills are less pronounced, left hemispheric dominance is related to a more logical mind equipped with more pronounced decision-making skills. This suggests that while right brain dominant students can be impulsive and active, they can also have a hard time in processing and complying with verbal directions. They also usually experience more difficulty in expressing feelings in words and can lose track of time easily. In contrast, the influence of left brain dominance on learning can be observed in the way such people adapt to verbal directions and effortlessly use words to express themselves. This difference in brain hemispheric dominance explains why right brain dominant individuals are often described as dreamy and left brain dominant persons as very analytical and logical. This difference in brain types is also responsible for why certain students have difficulty with assignments or tests while others do not (Child Learning, 2012). In conclusion, there is no denying the relationship between brain dominance and learning given huge amount of compelling evidence and teachers should make conscious efforts to adjust their teaching styles according to different needs of the students. Though a person initially starts processing information using his/her dominant brain, the learning process is truly enhanced only when less dominant side is also actively used. So, emphasis should be laid on building a stronger connection between more dominant and less dominant brain hemispheres to improve a person’s ability to make the most of both of them. References: The journal article Author(s) name(s): Duman, Bilal. Year of publication: 2010. Title of the article: The Effects of Brain-Based Learning on the Academic Achievement of Students with Different Learning Styles. Name of the journal: Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice. Journal Number and Issue Number: No. 10, Issue 4. Article pages: 2077-2103. DOI number: --- The book Author(s) name(s): Given, Barbara K. Year of publication: 2002. Title of the book: Teaching to the Brain's Natural Learning Systems. Publisher: ASCD. Country/City/State of Publication: USA. The website Author of the site: Child Learning. Year the site was created: 2012. Title of the site: The Impact of Hemispheric Dominance on Learning to Read. Date accessed: 27 November 2013. Web address: http://child-1st.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/01/the-impact-of-hemispheric-dominance-on-learning-to-read.html Read More