Teaching right brain learners by Wade Hulcy (conference notes)

Teaching right brained learners by Wade Hulcy
http://www.konos.com/

Mr Hulcy gave the background information about Patrick Henry. It was said that he would not reach any success in his life and would be, at best, mediocre. (Guess they were wrong, huh?)

He shared this information because it seems, like many others, Patrick Henry was a right brained child.

I'm sure we've all heard before that left handed children tend to be more sensitive and creative. We've also heard that left handed children use the right side of their brain which explains why they are more sensitive and creative. I know I had heard this before but had never heard about right brained learners. I hadn't planned to attend Mr. Hulcy's class, I had planned to attend a teaching Latin class. But, one look at the curriculum and I ran for the closest class available and as such stumbled into Mr. Hulcy's right brained learners class.
It was amazing! It seemed he was speaking about my 8yo child, Devan.

Left brain thinkers-
Taxon memory
Facts, stats, names, lists, etc…
Learn best parts to whole

Right brain thinkers-
Spatial memory
Colors, feelings, storytelling, experience
Learn best whole to parts

Think you may have a right brain learner?
Does he/she have an aversion to desk work?
Does he/she become easily distracted?
Does he/she learn best with immersion and activity?
Is he/she sensitive, artistic, more of a free spirit, "opposite the norm"?
Have you been told your child may have a learning disability?

Perhaps they have no learning disability but have lessons presented in a manner, which they cannot grasp. Traditional school methods focus on rote memory . This is just fine for left brain learners who thrive on facts but for a right brain learner it is torture. They just can't make it work.

So, what do you do? First you remove all obstacles.
How is your child's vision? Does your child have problems with eye tracking ?
How is your child's hearing?
Does your child have allergies?
The body greatly affects the mind's ability to learn and retain information. If the child has problems tracking the words on a page, hearing the lesson or an allergy headache he/she will have problems focusing on the lesson.

Are you giving your child the "fight or flight" mentality?
Picture this, you are sitting at your kitchen table with Johnny. Your main goal is to teach Johnny 4x3. This should be no problem because you have gone over this one again and again and sometimes Johnny can pull out the answer, but not always.
"What is 3 times 4 Johnny?" you ask nicely.
"Ummmm, wait a minute… I know this one. Oh man, I just can't remember. Aagh." Johnny is becoming frustrated. He knows the answer but just can't come up with it.
Equally frustrated you say, "What is 3 times 4 Johnny? I've taught you this one hundred times, you should know this." (Sometimes we talk through our teeth at this point. I know I do.)

Sound familiar? (It does for me.) Guess what we've just done? We have given Johnny's brain the "fight or flight" mentality. Johnny now knows you are frustrated and is wondering just how angry you will be if he cannot come up with the answer. His brain has down shifted because adrenalin produces cortisol which decreases one's ability to learn and remember.
Remember; do not dump adrenalin into your children. Watch your tone of voice, it causes stress with causes adrenalin which causes cortisol which causes downshifting into the lower functions of the brain.

So, how do you teach right brain Johnny?
Try brain gym before a lesson.
Remember how Johnny learns best. He is a right brain learner; he needs the experience.

Try these methods over rote memorization-
Maps, measuring, props, models, costumes, experiments, cut aparts, cooking, timelines and figures, games, arts and crafts, music, singing and color.
Remember, you are trying to get the lesson into Johnny's right brain that will require more than a textbook. If you use a textbook the information will be stored in Johnny's left brain which he has severe problems accessing.

Remember the multiplication lesson described above? Try showing Johnny the problem using manipulatives. Or, if you want to stick with flash cards try writing the proble with the answer. 3x4=12 Better yet, make it a colorful flash card.
"But wait, I'm giving Johnny the answer!" you may say. Well, yes. We are giving Johnny the answer; we do want him to learn it, right?

If Johnny is learning about the globe and all it's parts turn him into the globe. Pull out the tape and tape down the center of his body and around his waist. Explain the prime meridian and equator now; he'll get it.

If you want Johnny to understand the size of something give him a visual. If he is learning about hummingbirds go to the fridge and pull the cap off our milk jug. Show Johnny the cap and explain that a hummingbird's nest is the same size. Throw in a pea to show the size of a hummingbird's egg.

Want Johnny to understand who long the human lower intestine is? Pull out the twine, cut it to length and allow Johnny to stretch it out. He needs the visual cue to remember the fact.

Are you studying a historical time period? Perhaps you are studying the colonial time period. Make an easy costume and act out daily life for the period.
Mr. Hulcy says the did not sew one costume. They stuck with the simple versions. If you need to have short pants try sweat pants pulled to under the knee with gym socks pulled all the way up. Add a cowboy hat shaped into a triangle form and you've got the costume! Keep it simple.

Are you covering Columbus' trip to America? Try laying three dishtowels on the floor; you've just created the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria! Let the kids sail across the floor while singing, "In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue."

I'm sure by now you get the point. Make the lesson come alive! Also, do not get so caught up in creating the best experience that you spend more time preparing the lesson than covering the lesson; keep it simple.

Little Johnny is easily distracted: the tag on his shirt is bothering his neck, his pants have a bit of wool in them and are itchy, a bird just landed outside the window, he's wondering if he will be able to play with those new trucks after lessons, the chair is hard and he wants to get up and move, etc… He needs the lessons to be engaging. He needs to move about and be active.

Don't fight Johnny's energy; it is a losing battle. You can get Johnny to sit in a desk but he is daydreaming of walking around; think he can concentrate while he is daydreaming?
Get him up, moving and experiencing the lesson. He will remember because it will be stored in his right brain.

This doesn't sound as easy as handing Johnny a workbook, does it? You may LOVE workbooks but Johnny doesn't; he hates them. Think he will learn a lesson delivered in a manner he hates? Remember; this is not about your preferred teaching style. This is about teaching Johnny in a matter he can learn.

Sometimes Johnny will look off into space while answering the question and you will be tempted to call him back in. Don't! When Johnny looks to the side he is using a different part of his brain. (Our FBI and other agencies have long trusted eye movement as an indicator of lying.)