To Treat Everyone the Same Is to Treat Them Unequally - Assignment Example

"To treat everyone the same is to treat them unequally. -Dr. Mel Levine, Co-Chair and Co-Founder, All Kinds of Minds Teachers seek to incorporate learning theories into their teaching practices so as to provide an optimal learning environment for students. Importantly, brain hemispheric research is contributing to understanding how a student's dominant hemisphere influences their learning development. And that the difference in right or left brain hemisphere dominance is seen to indicate very different learning styles which are not all currently accommodated for in Western teaching practices (van der Jagt, Ramasamy, Jacobs, Ghose, & Lindsey, 2003). Although, a number of researchers contend that there is a lack of empirical evidence to support a connection between learning ability and hemispheric dominance (van der Jagt, 2003), this paper will argue that there is. Furthermore, this paper will present literature demonstrating that 'right-brain children living in a left-brain world' are, at present, severely disadvantaged within the classroom environment. Firstly, a brief outline of hemispheric characteristics will be outlined. Secondly the negative impacts of a 'left-brain' curriculum on the right-brain child shall be highlighted. Next, suggested changes to the curriculum that will enable more inclusive learning shall be provided. Finally, a conclusion shall synthesize the main arguments, and show that changes to teaching practices can contribute to a curriculum that engages and supports all student learning styles. There is a general consensus that each hemisphere of the brain performs characteristic activities (Gallagher, 2001). For example, the left hemisphere is stated to do more logical thinking, and to focus on verbal and analytical processing. The left-brain seems to activate when a person is paying attention to the details of information and when working with numbers. It is also considered to be the language dominant hemisphere, which takes a linear approach to information and so sequentially orders its input in a logical manner. The left-brain is also argued to be the more realistically focused hemisphere. In contrast, the right hemisphere is stated to do more of creative thinking, such as finding and relationships in information. The right-brain is considered to be more visual-spatial focused, be interested in 'the bigger picture' (Gestalt), and to have an intuitive and divergent thinking style. Hence, it appears that each hemisphere can be attributed a set of thinking strategies that are specific to the brain region. Cognitive theories have pointed to the direct influence these hemispheric functions have on the learning processes of the student. They also point out that the majority of school curriculum is 'left-brain' orientated (van der Jagt, 2003). Students are expected to listen and take in information, to read, write and verbally present their understanding of new knowledge, and standardized assessments require that students read a question and answer it with the one correct answer. As such, school curriculum places its emphasis on words, and so draws on the learning abilities of the left-brain. Furthermore, there is an orientation toward convergent ways of thinking, with new information being delivered to the student in a step-by-step manner, and being encouraged to logical reason and analyze new knowledge in an objective way, to reach a final correct answer. It is evident that the prioritizing of left-brain strategies over those of the right-brain severely disadvantages the right-brain student in their ability to learn. The negative consequences for the right-brain student can have long-lasting effects on their psychosocial and learning development (Gallagher, 2001; van der Jagt, 2003). Firstly, the right-brain student tends to perceive themselves as an inadequate learner, and may find that they are diagnosed as having a learning dysfunction, or being told by parents and teachers that they are lazy or less intelligent in comparison with other students. As such, the right-brain student is more likely to be at risk of poor self-esteem, acting-out behavior, and to developing a self construct that perceives that they are unable to learn. Secondly, the use of class presentation may inhibit the right-brain student, as they often have difficulty finding the right words, and of delivering information in a linear, sequential and convergent manner. At first glance, it may appear that the student does not know their material. Embarrassing presentation experiences may foster the student's unwillingness to communicate the knowledge that they have, and can hinder later tertiary and work opportunities that value presentations as a generic skill. Thirdly, the right-brain tends to process information from the whole to the parts, and so starts with the answer. Without an overview of the material the student may find themselves lost in the details and becoming bored with the material as they feel that they 'can't keep up.' Fourthly, the right-brain student's divergent thinking style is open to variety of possible alternative solutions or possibilities when problem-solving. Standardized tests require that a pre-determined answer can frustrate the right-brain student, as they may be unable to determine the 'one most correct answer,' and so they are more likely to perform poorly on tests. Finally, the highly visual nature of the right-brain student is not catered for by a curriculum which focuses on reading and writing. Overall, the right-brain student tends to find themselves disengaged with the learning materials, and disappointed with their 'under-achievements'. This may culminate in a dislike for learning in general, as well as psychosocial issues, such as a poor self construct and poor interpersonal skills, both of which negatively impact on the student's later ability to find gainful employment, and to feel confident about their place in wider society. Several curriculum changes have been suggested by researchers; teacher-training that focuses on children's different learning styles; restructuring the curriculum activities and measurement objectives (i.e., more emphasis on drawing, music, movement and visual representation of information, as well as using formative assessment practices that de-emphasize the idea of one correct answer); greater inclusiveness of both hemispheric processing strategies (i.e., as a dominant hemisphere does not imply that the less dominant one is not also involved in all cognitive tasks); and providing students with choices as to how they would like to deliver their school work (e.g., graphically, in dance, music or song, text or presentation), and how they would like to be assessed (e.g., standardized or formative assessment) (Levine, 2006). Dr Mel Levine founded the non-profit organization All Kinds of Minds, who with funding from the General Assembly, has introduced a statewide curriculum initiative in North Carolina. The focus of curriculum changes is to more fully incorporate the different learning styles across hemispheric dominances, so as to engage all students in learning, and to provide all with the opportunity for healthy and happy later lives. In conclusion, this paper has presented literature that indicates cognitive strategies can be dominant in one brain hemisphere, and that this results in different learning styles. It was also shown how current school curriculum focuses on left-brain learning, and severely disadvantages the right-brain learner. Furthermore such disadvantages have a dramatic impact on the right-brain student's psychosocial development, and ability to learn in general. It has been recommended that curriculum that seeks to engage both hemispheres during learning can be of benefit to all students of different 'kinds of minds.' References Gallagher, S. H. (2001). Left-brained versus right-brained: Which is the better for learning Retrieved June 6, 2006, from Massachusetts website http://iws.ccccd.edu/blusk/PSYC2301/Spring%202005/L.%20Brain;%20R%20Brain%20-%20Which%20is%20best%20for%20learning.pdf Levine, M. (2006). All kinds of Minds. Retrieved June 6, 2006, from the All Kinds of Minds website http://www.allkindsofminds.org/index.aspx van der Jagt, J. W., Ramasamy, R., Jacobs, R. L., Ghose, C., & Lindsey, J. D. (2003). Hemispheric modes, learning styles, and environmental preferences of students in an Introduction to Special Education course. International Journal of Special Education, 18(1). Read More