The left brain works differently from the right brain. The more dominant part of the brain determines the kind of person you are likely to be. It will affect your personality and even the way you learn. Why is this information important to a homeschool teacher? Knowing the way your homeschool student leans will make it much easier to teach them.
Left Brain Curriculum in Regular School
In regular school the teaching methods are geared towards children who are left brain learners. This involves having a set structure to the day in terms of classes to attend, learning new concepts by repeating them orally and in written form, and in general a predictable work day. Unfortunately a right brain learner would be a terrible fit for this system.
Right brain learners are constantly seeking change. They do not like check lists and reminders to do assigned tasks. These children enjoy spontaneous events which can help them learn new things. They like to do projects which involve loads of discussions rather than solving worksheets to gain the same knowledge. Most of them find mathematics boring.
Identify Your Homeschool Student
If the homeschool parent is having trouble getting the homeschool student to sit down and learn, they may consider the fact that they have a right brain learner on their hands. While these children can adapt to a left brain curriculum fairly easily, they will not enjoy all that it entails.
Here it would be the parent’s job to get them more involved with the activities being planned for the homeschool classroom. They are far more likely to enjoy doing something that they have been anticipating. Specially if it is somewhat creative in nature and allows them to do something out of the ordinary.
Teaching a Right Brain Learner
The best thing to do is to give them plenty of space to explore what interests them. Keep a general guideline but be flexible and open to switching plans for the day. Don’t make detailed lesson plans, instead make learning goals in general and go after them. Keep things as visual and emotionally charged as possible for the learning to stick in their memories.
