I found the title of this book to be intriguing and wanted to read how the idea that using the right brain would increase a person’s chance of success in the future. I teach science so using the left brain has been the norm. Yet, personally and as a teacher I didn’t think that using only half of your brain or the main focus on the left brain was ideal. Every teacher knows that students all have their own learning styles and different types of intelligences. I found many of the ideas in this book to apply to education and teaching styles.
I enjoyed the first part of the book where the author discusses being able to read or judge people’s reactions to different pictures. Knowing how to read body language is an important skill for an educator. I find myself watching to see if a person’s smile is joyful or just a put on smile. I know that some of my students do not understand how to read a person’s body language very well and it may be the cause of conflict with others at times. Maybe we should spend some time teaching how to read body language? It made me wonder what type of body language I use with my student’s. I’m going to be more aware of my body language especially when dealing with student discipline issues.
I think the main idea or concept of this book was that we need to become aware of and use all of our senses. For true success and well being both sides of the brain have importance. The author encourages the reader to start focusing on the attributes of the right side of the brain and even gives examples of how to develop those senses. He wants us to become more insightful humans. This is a trend that I think we have been striving for in education. The idea of the teacher just standing up in front of the class and talking has given away to the teacher as a guide, a facilitator, not just learn these facts. This is where telling stories to your students will help them to get involved in learning the required material. According to the book’s author, telling stories help people to remember the information better if it’s linked to a story. I like to use stories in my teaching to make the concept more real world for my students. It helps the students to make sense of the concept and to give it meaning. Students have a hard time finding meaning in much of the material that teachers are told they have to teach. After reading this book I find that it’s okay to spend some time on right brain skills instead of just the left brain focus of the past. I can have my students spend more time using their creative side in order to make meaning of a topic.
Teacher student relationships have become the key. A teacher needs to have empathy with his or her students. Students have a lot of things to deal with and it helps if the teacher has empathy. The students will be more willing to learn from a teacher that they feel understands them. I think that playing with your students will also help as well as give them a safe, relaxing atmosphere to learn and develop who they are. Playing and teaching science go well together. There are all types of new ideas to wonder about, to discover. I try to use humor whenever possible when teaching; it makes students more willing to take risks when learning new skills. As a teacher I find that a class I can laugh with gets more accomplished and is more willing to try new things. I’m going to try and play more with my students. One of the ideas I’m going to try and do next semester is have my students develop learning games for a difficult topic or chapter. I’m especially interested in seeing how using these right brain skills with my tougher classes will work. I think it will greatly improve the classroom atmosphere.
I did not have a great deal of input into the design of the school or even the classrooms that I teach in. However, I have tried to improve on the classroom design to make it a friendlier more welcoming learning environment. A design area that I can improve on is my teaching materials. I am taking a look at how I design power points, and handouts. I am trying to use my right brain to analyze how I arrange the text, or add a picture to improve on the design of these materials. I have begun asking some of my students how they create the designs they have used on their projects in hopes that I can borrow some of their techniques.
Symphony is taking all the parts and putting it together to create the whole picture. I think it comes down to attitude, the book talks about the difference between a maze and a labyrinth. If the teacher looks at learning as a maze that just has to be gotten through then the students will just hurry up to do the assignment and learning will be short changed. However, if the teacher encourages the students to see learning as a journey (a labyrinth) they will be happier and more willing to look in-depth into a topic. Learning will improve and both the teacher and students will find more meaning in the process if care is taken to use both sides of the brain, especially using the many skills and attitudes from the right side. I hope to use these right brain skills to improve my teaching as well as my personal life.
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