| HomeschoolingResourceCenter.org Home | Search | About Us | Contact Us |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Teaching Tips June 2010 |
 Learning is the ability to recognize, process, and retain information so it can be used anytime, anywhere. Several factors influence this learning process, including the child's thinking style, developmental age, learning environment, physical development, and attitude. Whenever learning issues arise, it's helpful to look at these various factors to see what clues can be gathered as to where and why the learning process is breaking down. The first place to start is identifying the learning style because it will often take care of the majority of the problems. The next “layer” to consider is dominance. This is actually closely related to learning style, particularly thinking style. Dominance has to do with which part of the brain directs thinking activities. It used to be thought that information processing was limited to the two lateral hemispheres of the brain only – you may have heard about right-brain thinking and left-brain thinking. Further research has shown that other parts of the brain impact the process as well, including upper and lower parts of the brain and front and back lobes. Traditionally, left-brain thinkers were considered more “logical,” sequential, and detail-oriented, and right-brain thinkers were more artistic, creative, and emotional. Yet further research showed, for example, that many musicians used the left-side of the brain, even though the right side was considered the center for musical abilities. Likewise, many chess players used the right side of the brain, even though the left side was considered the center for logic and analytical skills. The key is not which side of the brain is used, but that one side dominates in the processing of information. If not, then it is as if the various parts don't know which side is to take control or where information is filed, and processing is delayed. But then the next time the other side may take control, and the information is stored elsewhere. The result is a see-saw effect that is inefficient and inconsistent. That is why a child seems to know something one day, but not the next. Dominance is displayed in the hand, foot, ear, and eye. You can evaluate these informally yourself. Ask the child to do each of the following activities. Observe which side initiates the activity. • Ask the child to pick up a telephone – note which ear the receiver is placed against. • Tell the child you want to see how good he/she is at spying. Have someone go behind a closed door and begin talking in a normal voice. Ask the child if he/she can hear what is being said. If the child does not put an ear to the door, prompt him/her to do so – note which ear is used. • Using an empty toilet paper or toweling roll, ask the child to spy out the window like a pirate using the “spyglass” - note which eye the child puts the roll against. • Ask the child to hop on one foot – note which foot is used. • Ask the child to skip across the room – note which foot the child starts with. If the child cannot skip, have him/her kick or roll a beach ball. • If the child is old enough, make note of the hand the child uses to print or write; also make note of which hand the child uses to throw a ball or bat in baseball. • Put a small hole in the middle of a piece of paper (about ½ inch wide, in the center); have the child hold the paper in front of him/her, about half an arm distance out. Have the child look through the hole at something off in the distance. As the child is looking through the hole, cover one eye and ask if he/she can still see the object through the hole. Then do the same with the other eye. When you cover the dominant eye, the child will not be able to see the object. Dominance is usually established in infancy, when the child is crawling. Children who shorten or skip this stage, or use a method other than the alternating arm-leg crawl, often have dominance issues. Other factors that affect dominance are being forced to use one hand over the other, over-exposure to video and computer games, and being exposed to one type of information exclusively that is the opposite of the child's natural thinking style. If you get mixed results to the informal testing above, don't panic. There are a variety of exercises and activities you can do to develop dominance and the mid-line brain connections. Any physical activity that crosses the mid-line of the brain helps. The mid-line is the imaginary line that divides your right side from your left side. For example, have the child toss a beanie from one hand to the other while doing memorization drills such as multiplication tables. Karate and dance – activities that have the child do a skill on the left side and on the right side – can greatly improve the connections. For other activities, see the Total Learning Program from Paula Perron (www.brainworkoutcenter.com), Dianne Craft's website (www.diannecraft.com), and (www.littlegiantsteps.com). 849 Words To view more 'Teaching Tips' Articles please 'Log In' and visit the 'Achives' page. |
