Right Brain vs. Left Brain

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Right Brain vs. Left Brain

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What does it mean?

• An important factor to understanding learning
  styles is understanding brain functioning.
• A 1996 study showed that learning styles are
  alike on all continents, with the proportion of
  left brain to right brain learners being
  relatively similar.
• Both sides of the brain can reason, but by
  different strategies, and one side may be
  dominant over the other.

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Left-sequential/organized Right-creative/emotiona
l

• .

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What does it mean? (cont.)

• A left brain (successive processor) prefers to
  learn in a step-by-step sequential format,
  beginning with details leading to a conceptual
  understanding of a skill.
• A right brain (simultaneous processor) prefers to
  learn beginning with the general concept and then
  going on to specifics.

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What does it mean? (cont.)

• A middle brain person shares those of both left
  brain and right brain characteristics.
• Middle brain often vacillate between the two
  hemispheres when making decisions.

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Western society honors LEFT BRAIN THINKERS

• They follow directions
• Do well on tests
• Sit still in school
• Seem organized
• Tend to be good business people
• Are generally serious

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Eastern society honors RIGHT BRAIN THINKERS

• They are creative
• They are empathetic
• They are spiritual
• The Eastern society values this kind of thinking
  because their focus is not on this world, but the
  next.

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How is dominance formed?

• Born with it
• Environmental-early exposure
• Choices made-what is important to YOU?

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Posture and Learning

• How and where you sit can make a difference!!!

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When you sit up straight, you engage the LEFT
side of the brain.

• The body control needed to sit up straight comes
  from the left side
• In order to learn, you cant be too comfortable.
  You need a little discomfort to remain alert for
  extended periods.
• School chairs, then, are exactly what you need to
  learn!

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Comfort engages the RIGHT side of the brain.

• Relax
• Lean back
• Lie down

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What does this mean for homework???

• If you are studying for a test, sit up
  straightuse a chair like a dining room chair
• If you need to do something creative, like write
  an essay, make yourself comfy. Sit in a recliner
  or beanbag chair.
• (just dont fall asleep!! ?)

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• Knowing what kinds of activities belong to the
  left or right brain can help you switch back and
  forth for optimum performance.
• When you get a tool, you have instructions on how
  to use it. Knowing how to use your brain makes
  sense.

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The Hemispheres compliment each other!

• A brain can be half left/half right,
  predominantly left, or predominantly right.
• Left brains learn by hearing.
• Left brains like lectures!
• Right brains need to DO something.
• Once they EXPERIENCE the process they will
  remember it!

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Recallat a party

• Left brains will meet 12 people and remember
  their names the next day
• Right brains will NOT remember their names, but
  will know what they wore, where they were
  sitting, how their hair was done, and maybe even
  what they were talking about.

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How the different hemispheres approach a project

• Left-arrange the steps in order and begin with
  the first on the list
• Right-ricochet
• method-no obvious
• order needed, they
• do the step that
• comes to mind
• Both can get the
• job done

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Neatness

• Left- tidy spaces, know where things are
• Right-Dont touch my piles!!! I know where
  everything isother rooms may be tidy, but
  personal space rarely is

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Planning

• Left-much advance planning
• Right-spur of the moment

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Testing

• Left-memorize well, can memorize facts and dates
• Rights-remember images and patterns, can see the
  picture of a soldier in their mind, can remember
  details in his uniform, know what season it was,
  and know there was a date below the picturejust
  have a terrible time remembering that date!

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Impulse Control

• Left-more easily control behavior, innate ability
  to weigh consequences
• Right-more impulsive, Not always cognizant of
  possible consequences

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Punctuality

• Left-on time or early for everythingthey are the
  first ones in the movie theater
• Right-on time for only the most important things.
  

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Gestures

• Left-not very animated
• Right-lots of hand movementsfacial expressions
  and voice can be expressive and entertaining!

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Best time of the day to learn

• Morning
• Afternoon
• Evening
• No preference

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Temperature and Learning

• If it is too warm or too cold, the brain is in a
  constant state of distraction. It is constantly
  seeking a way to improve the condition.

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Left Brain, Here You Are!

• Left brain individuals process information in a
  linear manner.
• They take pieces to the puzzle, line them up, and
  arrange them in logical order. From this drawing
  their conclusion to the puzzle.
• Left brain persons are list makers. They enjoy
  making a master schedule and doing daily planning.

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Left Brain, Here You Are!

• People of left brain are usually good spellers
  because spelling involves sequence.
• Left brains also work in the linear and
  sequential processing of math and following
  directions.
• They have no trouble processing symbols,
  memorizing vocabulary words and math formulas.

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Left Brain Characteristics

• Rational
• Respond to verbal instructions
• Controlled, systematic experiments
• Problem solves logically and sequentially looking
  at the parts of things
• Makes objective judgments
• Looks at differences
• Is planned and structured
• Prefers established, certain information.

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Left Brain Characteristics

• Analytic reader
• Primary reliance on language in thinking and
  remembering
• Prefers talking and writing
• Prefers multiple choice test
• Controls feelings
• Prefers hierarchical authority structures
• Talks, and talks, and talks
• Sees cause and effect
• Draws on previously accumulated, organized
  information.

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Right Brain, Here You Are!

• While left brain people think in logical order,
  right brain process from a whole to a part,
  holistically.
• Right brain have difficulty in following a
  lecture unless they are given the big picture
  first.
• It is important for a right brained person to
  read a chapter prior to lecture to better
  understand what is being discussed.

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Right Brain, Here You Are!

• The approach of a right brained person is random.
• Because of the random nature of a right brain,
  they should make list and schedules to help them
  stay on track.
• Right brain people are color sensitive. Try using
  colors to establish sequences.

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Right Brain, Here You Are!

• Right brain people are concrete.
• They want to see, feel, or touch the real object.
• Right brain individuals may have trouble learning
  to read using phonics.
• They prefer to see words in context and to see
  how formulas work.
• Create opportunities for hands on activities to
  use your right brain.

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Right Brain, Here You Are!

• When processing being a right brain, they use
  intuition.
• They may know the right answer to a problem, but
  are not sure how they got it.
• On a quiz, they have a gut feeling as to which
  answers are correct, and they are usually right.
• The right side of the brain pays attention to
  coherence and meaning, tells you if it feels
  right.

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Right Brain, Here You Are!

• Right brained people may know what they mean but
  often have trouble finding the right words.
• Right brain individuals need to back up
  everything visually.
• When giving directions, they use their hands and
  give names of places along the way verses hard
  north, south, east, west.

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Right Brain Characteristics

• Intuitive
• Responds to demonstrated instructions
• Open-ended, random experiments
• Problem solves with hunches, looking for patterns
• Makes subjective judgments
• Looks at similarities
• Is fluid and spontaneous
• Prefers elusive, uncertain information

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Are You Right-Brained or Left Brained?

• Your learning style is influenced by whether you
  are right-brained or left-brained.

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Background

• What does hemisphere mean?
• Half of a sphere
• Does this mean that we only use half of our
  brains? No! Researchers often criticize popular
  psychology for this, because the popular
  lateralizations often are distributed across both
  hemispheres, although mental processing is
  divided between them.

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1. Which is more true of you?

• I am tense about getting things right.
• B. I am relaxed and let things happen.

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2. Which do you enjoy more about music?

• The beat
• B. The melody

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3. Which ways of learning do you like best?

• Workshops and field trips
• B. Books and lectures

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4. Which of these two subjects do you like more?

• Art
• B. Math

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5. When you buy something, do you make sure you
have received the correct change?

• Yes, I count.
• B. No.

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6. How do you figure things out?

• The answer comes to me all at once, like a light
  going on.
• B. A piece at a time, then I put it all
  together.

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7. Which would you rather do?

• Read
• B. Watch TV

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8. How are you at putting your feelings into
words?

• Very good
• B. It is hard for me

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9. If you practice an instrument or a sport,
how do you do it?

• When I feel like it and have the time.
• B. The same time each day, for a certain amount
  of time.

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10. You are riding your bike to a friends
house. You have never been there before. Which
method do you use to find your way?

• I ask for directions, then I look at a map.
• B. I ask for directions, then write down street
  names and landmarks.

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11. Which of these types of fabrics do you
prefer?

• Fabrics without much texture (cotton and denim)
• B. Fabrics with lots of texture (corduroy,
  suede, velvet)

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12. Are you good at remembering faces?

• Yes
• B. No

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13. Are you good at remembering names?

• Yes
• B. No

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14. How do you feel about psychic claims that
there is such a thing as ESP (extrasensory
perception), for example?

• Science cannot explain everything they are worth
  looking into.
• B. They are foolish and non-scientific.

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It is time to score your results

• Record a L for left or a R for right beside
  your respective selection.

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1. Which is more true of you?

• I am tense about getting things right. (LEFT)
• B. I am relaxed and let things happen. (RIGHT)

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2. Which do you enjoy more about music?

• The beat (LEFT)
• B. The melody (RIGHT)

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3. Which ways of learning do you like best?

• Workshops and field trips (RIGHT)
• B. Books and lectures (LEFT)

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4. Which of these two subjects so you like more?

• Art (RIGHT)
• B. Math (LEFT)

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5. When you buy something, do you make sure you
have received the correct change?

• Yes, I count. (LEFT)
• B. No. (RIGHT)

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6. How do you figure things out?

• The answer comes to me all at once, like a light
  going on. (RIGHT)
• B. A piece at a time, then I put it all
  together. (LEFT)

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7. Which would you rather do?

• Read (LEFT)
• B. Watch TV (RIGHT)

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8. How are you at putting your feelings into
words?

• Very good (LEFT)
• B. It is hard for me (RIGHT)

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9. If you practice an instrument or a sport,
how do you do it?

• When I feel like it and have the time. (RIGHT)
• B. The same time each day, for a certain amount
  of time. (LEFT)

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10. You are riding your bike to a friends
house. You have never been there before. Which
method do you use to find your way?

• I ask for directions, then I look at a map.
  (RIGHT)
• B. I ask for directions, then write down street
  names and landmarks. (LEFT)

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11. Which of these types of fabrics do you
prefer?

• Fabrics without much texture (cotton and denim)
  (LEFT)
• B. Fabrics with lots of texture (corduroy,
  suede, velvet) (RIGHT)

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12. Are you good at remembering faces?

• Yes (RIGHT)
• B. No (LEFT)

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13. Are you good at remembering names?

• Yes (LEFT)
• B. No (RIGHT)

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14. How do you feel about psychic claims that
there is such a thing as ESP (extrasensory
perception), for example?

• Science cannot explain everything they are worth
  looking into. (RIGHT)
• B. They are foolish and non-scientific. (LEFT)

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SoAre you Left-Brained or Right-Brained?

• Total up your worksheet to determine your
  dominant side.

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So, what does this mean?

• People who are Right Brain Dominant
• Are often good at...
• Seeing the big picture
• Cooperating in groups
• Giving and receiving praise
• Reading Body language
• Going with the flow
• Doing several things at once
• Focusing on ideas/themes
• Reading between the lines

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Right-Brain Dominant

• They almost always...
• Visualize the future
• Think fast on their feet
• Have good rapport with others
• See many solutions
• Accept many kinds of people
• Try to avoid conflict

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Right-Brain Dominant

• They may be frustrated by
• Having to explain things step by step
• Accepting criticism without taking it personally
• Not knowing the meaning of or purpose in doing
• something
• Keeping detailed records
• Having to choose one answer
• Re-doing anything once it is done

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Right-Brain Dominant

• Questions they may ask...
• What does this have to do with me?
• How can I make a difference?
• How much of this is really necessary?
• They are often more
• Visual, intuitive, holistic, abstract, special
  and oriented
• toward main ideas.
• They may prefer to organize material and study
  with
• Charts, maps, time lines, graphs using colors and
• different formatting.

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Left-Brain Dominant

• People who are Left Brain Dominant
• Are often good at...
• Looking at details
• Focusing on one thing
• Giving direct answers
• Organization
• Individual competition
• Establishing routines
• Working through ideas
• Following schedules

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Left-Brain Dominant

• They almost always...
• Do things the same way
• Like a neat environment
• Are self-motivated
• Value facts over feelings
• Ask "how do I do it?"

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Left-Brain Dominant

• They may be frustrated by
• Not knowing the purpose
• Not understanding how a teacher grades
• Dealing with generalities
• Having an opinion expressed as fact
• Having to find personal meaning in what you learn
• Working in groups
• Questions with no right answer

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Left-Brain Dominant

• Questions they may ask...
• What facts do I need to know?
• What should it look like?
• When is it due?
• They are often more
• Verbal, logical, linear, concrete, time and
  detail oriented.
• They may prefer to organize material and study
  with
• Outlines, The Cornell Format for notes and linear
  forms
• of detailed notes.

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What if I scored both sides equally?

• Balanced Brain (no clear dominance)
• A balanced score means you are able to draw on
  the strengths of both the right and left
  hemispheres of your brain,depending upon a given
  situation.
• This combination makes you a creative and
  flexible thinker.
• The down side to having a more balanced brain
  is that you may sometimes feel paralyzed by
  indecision when the two hemispheres of your brain
  are competing to solve a problem in their own
  unique ways.
• You may also find career choices difficult due to
  your proficiency in several different areas.
• As mentioned above, you will benefit from using
  both right and left brain tools.