FUNCTIONS OF LEFT BRAIN Vs RIGHT BRAIN

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FUNCTIONS OFLEFT BRAIN VsRIGHT BRAIN
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Are you Creative or Analytical?

• Our brain has two halves the right and the
  left. People using left part of the brain are
  usually logical and analytical. While those who
  use the right half of the brain are creative,
  innovative and imaginative.
• Do you want to know whether you are right or left
  brained?

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Try this! Read aloud, as quickly as possible,
the colour in which the words are written but
not the actual words.

• GREEN YELLOW BLUE ORANGE WHITE RED GREEN BLUE
  ORANGE YELLOW WHITE GREEN RED BLUE WHITE GREEN
  ORANGE YELLOW ORANGE BLUE GREEN RED WHITE YELLOW
  RED BLUE YELLOW ORANGE RED WHITE BROWN WHITE

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• If you merely read the words,
• you are likely to be using right brain.
• Whereas, if you read the colours,
• you are using your left brain.

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This topic is presented in three parts with
detailed information on each

• Left Brain vs. Right Brain - this document
  provides fundamentals of Left Brain thinking vs.
  Right Brain thinking.
• Left Brain and Right Brain Inventory - this
  document throws light on how left and right brain
  control different characteristics of human
  beings.
• 3. Left Brain - this document provides
  information on differences between left brain
  thinking and right brain thinking.

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I'm creative and he's analytical
Left Brain vs. Right Brain

• Have you ever thought why some people can paint
  beautifully, but have difficulty adding two and
  two? Or why some people can understand the
  intricacies of calculus effortlessly, but
  struggle to write a one-page essay?
• It's all about which side of your brain dominates
  - the left or the right.

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• The human brain is bifurcated down the middle
  into two parts, popularly known as the left brain
  and right brain respectively. We know that
  different parts of the brain control different
  bodily and mental functions.
• Over the years, a theory that has gained in
  popularity is that the right brain and the left
  brain are responsible for different modes of
  thought and that the way in which a person thinks
  will depend on which side of his brain
  predominates.

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Left brain vs. right brain

• People who rely more heavily on the right half of
  their brain tend to be more imaginative and
  intuitive. They see things as a whole and are
  interested in patterns, shapes and sizes. The
  right brain is associated with artistic ability
  like singing, painting, writing poetry, etc.
• Left-brain dominated people may find their
  thought processes vague and difficult to follow,
  for they are quite opposite in the way they
  think. Left-brain dominated people tend to be
  more logical and analytical in their thinking and
  usually excel at mathematics and word skills.

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• But this does not mean that a person who is left
  or right brain dominated does not use the other
  part of his brain. For most people, the two parts
  of the brain work in tandem to enable them to
  function as well-rounded personalities.

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• The right brain absorbs new information in
  chunks, but it is the job of the left-brain to
  sift and sort it in an organized fashion.
  However, there is no clear-cut definition of the
  functions of the two parts of the brain. Each can
  do the other's work, just not as efficiently.
• Most people have a tendency to lean towards using
  the left or right brain while thinking or
  learning. For instance, right brain dominated
  people are often poor spellers as they tend to
  rely more on their intuition rather than actually
  studying the order in which the letters in a word
  occur.

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Academics and thinking

• At the time of their birth, babies are not
  predisposed to be either left brain or right
  brain thinkers. Unfortunately, our education
  system with its emphasis on rote learning and
  exam syllabi is more tuned to encouraging
  left-brain activity, often to the detriment of
  right brain creativity.
• School examinations are designed to test
  left-brain activity and encourage conformity in
  thought. There is a possibility that if right
  brain skills are not exercised, they may not
  develop sufficiently.

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• When it comes to academics, left brain dominated
  children do well at school, as they are more
  likely to respond to formal learning. They
  exhibit greater responsibility, are quite content
  to study by themselves and have greater
  concentration.
• Right brain dominated children, on the other
  hand, are less likely to perform well
  academically. They prefer to study with company,
  cannot sit still for very long and are more
  responsive in informal settings.

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Convergent and divergent thinking

• Left brain and Right brain dominated people can
  also be categorized as divergent and convergent
  thinkers respectively. A convergent thinker has a
  systematic approach and plays by the rules. He
  analyzes everything and reaches a logical
  conclusion. Thus, scientific and mathematical
  activities are more up his street. Such people do
  very well on straightforward question and answer
  type tests.

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• Divergent thinkers, on the other hand, are
  creative and tend to throw the rules out of the
  window. They are artistic and always looking for
  ways to express themselves. They do much better
  in exams that require essay-type answers.
• There is no such thing that it is better to be
  left brain dominated or right brain dominated.
  You need both kinds of thinking to function well.
  While a person may have a dominant style of
  thinking, it would be interesting to see how the
  other half works and even learn to develop the
  skills that you lack.

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Left Brain and Right Brain Inventory

• An inventory of the different ways the left brain
  and right brain process information.
• While we have a natural tendency towards one way
  of thinking, the two sides of our brain work
  together in our everyday lives. The right brain
  of the brain focuses on the visual, and processes
  information in an intuitive and simultaneous way,
  looking first at the whole picture then the
  details. The focus of the left brain is verbal,
  processing information in an analytical and
  sequential way, looking first at the pieces then
  putting them together to get the whole.

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Left Brain vs. Right Brain

• Definition
• This theory of the structure and functions of the
  mind suggests that the two different sides of the
  brain control two different "modes" of thinking.
  It also suggests that each of us prefers one mode
  over the other.

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• Discussion
• Experimentation has shown that the two different
  sides, or hemispheres, of the brain are
  responsible for different manners of thinking.
  The following table illustrates the differences
  between left-brain and right-brain thinking

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• Left Brain Right Brain
• Logical Random
• Sequential Intuitive
• Rational Holistic
• Analytical Synthesizing
• Objective Subjective
• Looks at parts Looks at whole

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How Left-Brain vs. Right-Brain Thinking Impacts
Learning

• Curriculum--In order to be more "whole-brained"
  in their orientation, schools need to give equal
  weight to the arts, creativity and the skills of
  imagination and synthesis.
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• Instruction--To foster a more whole-brained
  scholastic experience, teachers should use
  instruction techniques that connect with both
  sides of the brain. They can increase their
  classroom's right-brain learning activities by
  incorporating more patterning, metaphors,
  analogies, role playing, visuals and movement
  into their reading, calculation, and analytical
  activities.
• Assessment--For a more accurate whole-brained
  evaluation of student learning, educators must
  develop new forms of assessment that honor
  right-brained talents and skills.

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Left Brain, Right Brain, Whole Brain?

• Basic brain biology
• A simplified model of the human brain consists of
  many parts
•       Brain stem, hind brain, mid brain
  cerebellum - the most ancient
• parts, connected to the spine, controls
  movement, breathing and
• heartbeats.
•       Limbic system - consisting of many
  specialist organs including the
• Hypothalamus, hippocampus -developed in
  mammals. Some
• memory functions and generation of
  emotional responses.
•       Cerebral cortex - the distinguishing
  feature of human brains
• The cortex is divided into two hemispheres, left
  and right connected by a thick layer of cells
  called the corpus callosum. Most other parts of
  the brain are also divided laterally.

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• A lot of research has been done and is being done
  extending the theory of brain lateralization,
  learning styles and the implications for
  education.

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• The above information helps us to understand the
  vast range of difference in peoples thinking and
  the need to use both sides of the brain
  effectively.