Our students possess a variety of learning styles.  As Master Educators, we know that our students learn in many ways.  Our brain is the source of who we are and how we learn.  The theory of Brain Dominance is based on research showing us that we use different sides of our brains to process different kinds of information.

The left hemisphere is linear, it’s thinking skills are high order and uses language, analysis, sequence, logic, and objectivity. The right hemisphere knows more than it can tell.  It creates connections, solves problems sideways, it sees the “big picture,” it’s not attentive to detail. The right hemisphere relates to feelings versus facts.  In other words, the right hemisphere creates, it comes up with ideas and inspires us to greatness.  The left hemisphere brings our ideas to function. For example, the right hemisphere helps us communicate and consult with a client.  It’s our left hemisphere that allows us to strategize our plan and make recommendations.

Taking the Brain Dominance Theory into consideration when teaching or lesson planning can have a huge effect on how our students learn.  It can allow us to create a more engaging learning experience for students, helping to increase student engagement and student retention.

Here are a few classroom ideas:

Right Brain Student

• Students prefer working in groups
• Use PowerPoints or other visuals
• Let students create projects (posters, collages)

Left Brain Student

• Students prefer to work alone
• Use an outline format
• Ask students to write a research paper

If you’re looking for a fun way to determine if you are right- or left-brained, here is a quick, fun assessment I found on BuzzFeed https://thescene.com/watch/buzzfeed/are-you-right-brained-or-left-brained.