For many creative-minded students, lessons involving hard logic, deep critical thinking and analytical exercises can be particularly challenging; the same can be said for objective-minded students when faced with exercises steeped in intuition, subjectivity and randomness. These different ways thinking are often attributed to the division of the brain into two hemispheres—left and right—in which each hemisphere is responsible for a different mode of thinking. Here is how it breaks down:

  • Left hemisphere – Theorized to be responsible for logical, sequential and rational thinking. People that are “left-brained” often think and learn objectively, and tend to excel in fields grounded in hard fact and reason, like mathematics or physical sciences.
  • Right hemisphere – Said to be responsible for creativity, intuition and subjective thinking. Right-brained people often value aesthetic and emotion, preferring a holistic approach to learning over more rational methods.

Teachers are often challenged with creating lesson plans that engage both sides of the brain. Doing so not only guarantees that all students will be able to connect to the lesson on some level, but also helps students learn to incorporate thinking techniques from the non-dominant hemisphere. For example, a standard algebra lesson that would come easily to a left-brained student could be given a creative touch to click more with right-brained students, while thinking through a piece of literature critically and analytically might help a left-brained student connect to the material.

Plenty of students claim to simply not “get” a subject, when really they might just need to tap into their non-dominant hemisphere. How do you get through difficult subjects? Do you find that you do better when both sides of your brain are engaged? Do you consider yourself a left-brained or right-brained person? Let us know in the comments section!

To learn more, check out this article for a more comprehensive breakdown of the science behind this theory of thought and learning.