1. FUNCTIONS OF LEFT BRAIN Vs RIGHT BRAIN

2. 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?

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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.

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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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:

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

22. 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.
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.

23. 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.

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

26. The above information helps us to understand the vast range of difference in people’s thinking and the need to use both sides of the brain effectively.
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