Individual Diversity needs to know Brain Hemisphericity

Transcription

1 Individual Diversity needs to know Brain Hemisphericity Pragya Tripathi Dr. Rajani Ranjan Singh Abstract Classroom is a place of individual diversity. Children appear different from each other. The classroom diversity demands the teacher more competent while taking individual needs of learners. To understand the learners it is very important for a teacher to know the Brain Hemisphericity of the child that how he prefers to learn, understand and express anything. Brain Hemisphericity is the tendency of an individual to process information through the left hemisphere or the right hemisphere or in the combination. Various studies have shown that left hemisphere is responsible for verbal, analytical, abstract, temporal and digital operation while right hemisphere is responsible for non-verbal, holistic, concrete, creative, analogy and aesthetic functions. The present study is important for educational planners for framing curriculum as per the brain hemisphercity of the child. The study also suggests that teacher should know the brain hemisphercity of the child for effective teaching. Key-words- Brain Hemisphericity, Left hemisphere, Right hemisphere, Curriculum, Effective teaching. Introduction- Before starting this paper, I will take you in a class room situation. When we enter a class, we see lots of children. These children appear different from each other. When a teacher teaches children, he or she faces many problems. As some children learn very fast while some are very slow. Some children focusing on words while some focusing on images. Some children like mathematics class while on the other hand some enjoy the art class. Some children solve problem logically while some intuitively. Have you ever thought that what is the reason behind these differences between children? Why it does not happen that each and every child learn and response everything in a same manner? To find the answers of these questions it is very important for a teacher to know the brain hemisphercity of the child that how he prefers to learn, understand and express anything. To understand brain hemisphercity, very first and foremost we should know about human brain and its functions. ISBN no Page 930

2 Human brain : Structure- Brain is an important and complex part of our body. It is truly remarkable organ. Its nerve cells start their activity long before birth and constantly work even when we are asleep. This three-pound organ is the seat of intelligence and controls the body movements and different behaviors. We can say it is just like a C.P.U. which controls the function of whole body. In anatomical terms, the brain can be divided into three parts namely, the hindbrain, midbrain and the forebrain. Each part of the brain does its functions distinctively. The Hindbrain- The hindbrain consists of three separate structures and performs many of the functions essential to our life. The three separate structures of this part of the brain are medulla, cerebellum and the pons. The hindbrain mainly controls the body s vital functions like respiration and heart rate. The Mid Brain- The mid brain acts as a relay and transmission center involved in the control of eye movements and other voluntary movements. The Fore Brain- ISBN no Page 931

3 The forebrain is the largest and highly developed part of the brain, contains four structures namely, the thalamus, the hypothalamus, the corpus callosum and the cerebrum. Cerebrum is again divided into two lobes or hemispheres- left hemisphere and right hemisphere.. The shapes of these hemispheres are similar but lots of differences found in their functions. The corpus callosum transmits messages between the two hemispheres. Brain Hemisphericity concept- In the mid-nineteenth century, there have been many researches carried away in Neuroscience which indicates that a brain is divided into two hemisphere left hemisphere and right hemisphere. Each hemisphere has its own set of functions in information and thought process. Neuropsychologist Dr. Roger Sperry (1975) of the California Institute of Technology and Joseph Bogen (1969) of the Ross Loss Medical Group and their associates (Bogen, Fisher, Gazzaniga,1970; Gazzangia and Sperry, 1967; Galin and Orenstein,1974) have confirmed that brain consists of two distinctive but symmetrical units, the right and left hemisphere. These studies indicate that the two hemisphere organize and encode information differently. On the basis of studies of patients of brain lesions, firstly noted the functional differences between the two hemisphere. Such studies (Ettlinger, Warrington and Zangwill, 1957; Luria1976; Milner 1971; Geshwind,1970) indicate that right hemisphere lesions resulted in loss of spatial ability, while left hemisphere lesions resulted in loss of speech and reasoning ability. In 1981, Dr. Roger Sperry won Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking research on aphasic patients and split brain model of intelligence. He stated that human brain is left or right side dominant and each side of brain controls the different types of work. A number of researches explain that the left hemisphere is to be specialized for verbal, analytical, abstract, temporal and digital operations (Bogen, 1989, Gazzaniga, 1990, Fitzerald & Hattie 1993). The same research revealed that the right hemisphere is to be specialized for non verbal, holistic, concrete, creative, analogical and aesthetic functions. In general, the left hemisphere is also referred as a digital brain while right hemisphere is referred as analog brain. Springer and Deutsch found that the right hemisphere gathers information more from images than words while left hemisphere gathers information more from words than images. Hergenhahn & Olson ISBN no Page 932

4 stated that body functions have been assigned to both hemispheres but in crossed order. Simply right hemisphere control the left side of the body while left hemisphere control the right side of the body. Brown enumerated following features of the left and right brain dominant learners- Left brain dominant learners Intellectual, remembers names, make objective judgments, analytic readers, prefer writing and talking, prefer multiple choice test, control feelings, favor logical problem solving. Right brain dominant learners Intuitive, remember faces, make subjective judgments, synthesizing readers, prefer drawing and manipulating objects, prefer open ended questions, emotional, favor intuitive problem solving. Hemisphericity- Brain Hemisphericity or Hemispheric dominance is the tendency of an individual to process information though the left hemisphere or the right hemisphere or in the combination (Bradshaw & Netteleton, 1981; McCarthy, 1996; Springer & Deutsch, 1993). For example, when a person is referred to as right brained or left brained it does not mean that the person uses only one hemisphere but that one hemisphere is used to a greater extent than the other. So in general, hemispheric dominance refers to which side of the brain is dominant in a person and this indicate that how a person thinks and learns best. Whole brain dominant are those who process information through both hemispheres equally and exihibit characteristics of both hemispheres. Those individuals are called ambidextrous. (McCarthy 1996) Learning patterns of left brain and right brain learners ISBN no Page 933

5 Left Brain Right Brain Linear Symbolic Sequential Logical Reality based Temporal Holistic Concrete Random Intuitive Fantasy based Non-Temporal Linear Vs. Holistic The left brain learners processes information from part to whole, while right brain learners moves from whole to parts. Symbolic Vs. Concrete ISBN no Page 934

6 The left brain learners think in symbols such as letters, words and mathematical notations. On the other hand, the right brain learners deal with the concrete, they learn by doing, moving, seeing or touching the real object. Sequential Vs. Random The left brain learners processes information in order/ sequence. By, contrast, the right brain learners done their tasks randomly. Logical Vs. Intuitive The left brain learners use information piece by piece to solve, decisions is made on logic, while right brain learners pull the answer right out of the air. They rely on their feelings. Reality based Vs. Fantasy based The left brain learners deal with reality, with the way thing are. On the other hand, the right brain learners find the answer intuitively. Temporal Vs. Non-Temporal of time. The left brain learners have a sense of time while the right brain learners have very little sense Knowing of brain hemisphericity is useful To know brain hemisphericity is useful to learners as it facilitates him to better understand his or her natural learning process. It can also provide the learners to understand their own strengths and challenges in classroom situation. For example, a person who is right brained, learn a concept to break it down into parts. On the other hand, a left brained person, learn components and parts and then can understand how they make up a whole. It is helpful to the learners to choose their career according to their hemispheric preference. It can also provide the opportunity to improve your study, learning and process information. Teaching Techniques for left brained learners- ISBN no Page 935

7 Write an outline of the lesson on the board. Students with left brain strengths appreciate sequence. Go ahead and lecture. These students love to listen to an expert and takes notes. Discuss vocabulary words and create a crossword puzzle. Discuss the big concepts as left brain students love to think about and discuss abstract concepts. Assign individual assignments so students may work alone. Ask the student to write a research paper. Keep the room relatively quiet and orderly. Give verbal instruction Left brained learners prefer talking and writing Left brained learners prefer multiple choice tests Teaching techniques for right brained learners During the lecture write the main points on the board. Use visual resources like white board or the chalkboard frequently. Have some time for group activities as the right brained students enjoy the company of the others. Let the students to create a project (poster, comic, strip, etc.) Play light music during study Bring maps and charts Give demonstrated instruction Right brained learners prefer drawing and manipulating objects Prefers open ended question Brain Hemisphericity and Curriculum In India, the current educational system generally favors the left brain dominant students. It is unfriendly and unsympathetic for the right brain dominant students. As per curriculum, most classroom teaching styles are also helpful to left hemispheric students while it makes learning difficult to right ISBN no Page 936

8 hemispheric students. Well- known educationalist, E.P.Torrance and Madeline Hunter recommended that schools change the existing teaching methods and assessment procedures according to the concept of hemisphericity. Hunter stated that school curricula are predominantly aimed at left brained learners. E.P.Torrance argued that schools favor left brained activities, such as sitting erect or learning algebra, while right brained functioning include such as lying down or learning geometry. Others also supported that the educational agenda of most schools revolves around left brained subjects, such as language and mathematics. So it is felt that before framing curriculum, it is important for the educational planners to make curriculum according to the brain hemisphericity of the children so as they maximize their academic accomplishment. Educational Implications The present study is important for educational programmers in much way. It is also important for educational planners for framing curriculum. According to the left brain and right brain characteristics, there are profound implications for education- Selection of appropriate course that suited for both hemispheres. Proper assessment methods should be using those different styles. Teaching techniques should be matches to the student s hemispheric preference. Activities that appeal to and give strengthen to different styles of learners. Conclusion There are many researches done in neuroscience that explain the different functions of two hemispheres. It has now reached on general consensus. But, this theory of hemispheric dominance raises many important questions for education. There is still much work to do on appropriate curriculum which suited for both hemispheres. ISBN no Page 937

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