Left Brain Right Brain

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Are you Left Brain or Right Brain dominant?

Take a Quiz to determine if you are Right Brain or Left Brain dominant.
1. Quiz for Teens.
2. Another Quiz.
3. Hemispheric Dominance Inventory Test.
4. Another HDI Test.

This is a very recent positive development in society, allowing for the study of right brain or left brain dominance because of long held prejudices against left handed anything. For a very, very long time people who were left handed were not allowed to be left handed. This was attributed to the idea that Lucifer, the devil, sat on the left hand side of God before he fell from Grace. So the Latin word for left derived from sinister. If one was born left handed, that person was forced to be right handed. In fact today, left handedness is still discriminated against. School desks are right handed, very few left handed desks can be found. Consider tools like scissors. Even the keyboard is a bit right handed, but is more democratic than most tools. To find a left handed tool or glove, or whatever is getting easier, but still we are a right handed dominant world. So to see more and more studies emerging about right hand and left hand dominance is very encouraging. I suspect many students determined to be special education were actually left handed people who were not allowed to be their natural left handed and suffered as a result.

What does it mean to be right brain dominant or left brain dominant? The brain is divided into two hemispheres. They communicate which is good as we tend to be left brain oriented or left brain oriented. No one is completely left or right brain oriented. Each side processes information in different ways. Generally speaking we are in conflict perhaps between linear and holistic processing; sequential and random processing; symbolic and concrete processing; logical and intuitive processing; verbal and nonverbal processing; ands reality-based and fantasy-oriented processing. So imagine how it must be in a classroom when the single teacher is either right or left brain dominant and those who are of the opposite brain dominance. When a scholar says, the teacher doesn't like me or understand me, maybe the scholar is right. The same holds true when a teacher speaks about the frustration of a certain number of students. Does this difference in right brain and left brain have an impact in school? It has to have an affect. Consider your own experiences as both a student and as a teacher. It is a challenge as outlined here.

I would say schools are more Left Brain oriented in their presentation and operating procedures:
Left Brain characteristics:
Logical
Sequential
Rational
Analytical
Objective
Looks at part

As I look at these characteristics I see rigidity in instruction, one way instruction and a total loss of the individual. They reflect the NYState Regents and curriculum. Sequential is a key world in English, American Literature, British Literature, World Literature; Sequential Math A and B; Global, Us History, World History; Living Environment, Biology, Chemistry, Physics. Everything we do is sequential, no integration, analytical and objective. I have always found this wanting and lacking in pure education.

When we look at Right Brain characteristics we find a balance and a difference from Left Brain characteristics:
Random
Intuitive
Holistic
Synthesizing
Subjective
Looks at wholes

The key characteristic for me is subjective. I am constantly having heated discussions with other English teachers about the use of the word "I" in essays. I find all of the right brain characteristics important in the learning process. When these two brain sides work together some great work can be done. As I said earlier, NYState schools are too left brain dominant and should employ the right brain characteristics so we can achieve a more whole picture of our scholars. When Tom Sobel left the State Department of Education of New York State, he left us with an exit strategy of 50% portfolio (right brain) and 50% Regents exam (left brain) requirements. When Richard Mills took over he changed that to 100% Regents. This was and has been a huge mistake and a disaster to our scholars on an international level as those criteria show that compare United States education to the world.



Dan Eden has created a very interesting visual page that presents some fascinating ideas about the bicameral aspects of us. He uses visuals of many people you will recognize with very stimulating discussions about the left brain and right brain aspects of these individuals. This site must be visited to be truly appreciated.

So is this Myth or Reality? Your call.