Learning+Styles

=**Learning Styles**=

Laterality – Are my students right brained or left brained? The answer is that they are both! In each of your classes you will have students that are right and left brained. It is important for you as an educator to understand two things 1. What are my students' learning styles? 2. What is my own learning style?

The fact is that most educators tend to teach to the side of the brain with which they are most comfortable. This has broad implications for the population of students that do not learn the same way you do! • We can be trained to use both hemispheres. . . o It’s easier to gain knowledge or perform a task when the two hemispheres work together. o It helps to integrate new learning into a meaningful whole. o It helps to develop a non-dominant side of brain.

• Take an online Laterality (right brain/left brain) test - http://similarminds.com/brain.html


 * Some Facts About Laterality **
 * Left || Right ||
 * • Connected to the Right side of the body. || • Connected to the Left side of the body. ||
 * • Processes input in a sequential and analytical manner. || • Processes input more abstractly. ||
 * • Time-Sensitive || • Space-Sensitive ||
 * • Generates Spoken Language. || • Specializes in recognizing faces, places, objects, and music. ||
 * • Specializes in recognizing words. || • Interprets language gestures, facial movements, emotions, and body language. ||
 * • Active in constructing false memories. || • More truthful in recall. ||
 * • Better at arousing attention to dealing with outside stimuli. || • Better at internal processing. ||


 * For the Classroom**
 * In order to make it more meaningful to more of your students, we must design lessons that include activities directed at both hemispheres.
 * Be verbal and visual. Present the information in more than just one way! Alternate class discussions with models. It’s ok to lecture for our left brained students but don’t forget to use the overhead, videos, and a document camera (if you have one) for our right brained students.
 * Use music! Have students compose songs to remember multiple facts. If you were around in the 70's then you will most likely remember the Happy Days episode that taught us the parts of the heart! Check this out - media type="youtube" key="P_d0ykpzQgY" height="344" width="425"

Graphic Organizers are a great way to help students organize their thinking. They can be both logical/mathematical and visual/spatial. They also help point out relationships that might otherwise get lost to a thinker.
 * Graphic Organizers**

__Uses of Graphic Organizers__
 * Brainstorming ideas at the beginning of a lesson.
 * Write key words on the board and then use them in a simple graphic organizer to show relationships between the words.
 * Show a sequence of events.
 * Note taking and summarizing

There are many types of graphic organizers. Here is a site with downloadable Graphic Organizers: http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/

o For more information visit http://www.inspiration.com/Inspiration • **Bubbl.us** - Bubbl.us is a simple and free web application that lets you brainstorm and collaborate online. o For more information visit http://bubbl.us/ || media type="custom" key="2368505"
 * Tech Time**
 * • **Inspiration** – Great program to create graphic organizers to analyze, compare, and evaluate information. This one has all of the bells and whistles!

• Give auditory and visual cues • Be Logical and Intuitive. First give the facts and then have the students interpret the facts.

You can use an indicator from the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum for 6th grade science to develop activities that teach to both the left and right brains of your students. The following indicator is from Goal 6, Environmental Science (6.6.A.1.c) • Human activities, such as agriculture, beach preservation, mining, development/construction, and stream alteration affect the natural change processes.
 * Sample Right Brain/Left Brain Activities**

Compare the left brain approach with a corresponding right brain approach. ..
 * **Left Brain** || **Right Brain** ||
 * • Write a letter to a local politician about the affects of either agriculture, beach preservation, mining, development/construction, or stream alteration on the natural environment. Be sure to include facts about your topic to show your understanding. || • Write a poem or song about the affects of either agriculture, beach preservation, mining, development/construction, or stream alteration on the natural environment. Be sure to include facts about your topic to show your understanding. ||
 * • Research, read, and review children’s books that deal with an environmental issue. || • Create your own children’s book that helps explain one of the environmental issues. ||

Here is another fun activity that teaches about the Periodic Table by having the students create advertisements for a specific element. [|Element ADventure WebQuest]

Here is an interesting article about laterality in the classroom: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3629#quiz


 * ==== Introduction ==== || ==== Learning Styles  ==== || ==== Time to Learn  ==== || ==== Setting  ==== || ==== Give Your Brain A Boost  ==== || ==== 5 E Lesson Plan  ==== || ==== References  ==== || ==== Contact Me  ==== ||