Does Your Child Learn In a Right-Brain Manner?

By Cindy Gaddis, author of The Right Side of Normal: Understanding and Honoring the Natural Learning Path for Right-Brained Children

Cindy’s guest post is from the Introduction of her new book.

Just as there are always two sides to every story, science and research show us there are two working sides to the brain that impact learning: the left brain specialties and the right brain specialties. Schools use a scope and sequence that favors the strengths and gifts of a left-brained dominant person, which works well for these learners…Right-brained dominant people learn in a completely opposite manner…The school environment doesn’t work well for these learners. It’s time to tell the other side of the learning story and introduce a scope and sequence that honors the right-brained process and the people who use it.

Does Your Child Do These Things Differently?

Because most of us were schooled in a left-brained manner, we learned to value left-brained traits, too. If we have right-brained children, though, we’ll soon notice they do things differently. For instance:

• Do you hear your child say “this is stupid,” or constantly question why they are asked to do something?

• Do math facts not come easily to your child, or is your child a “late reader?”

• Does your child provide answers on his homework, but can’t explain how he got them, or does your child have trouble “showing his work?”

• Does your child occupy himself with something like building with LEGO®, drawing, or playing while you read aloud to him?

• Does your child watch TV or listen to music while doing his homework, or does your child doodle on his homework?

• Does your child have trouble completing tasks or keeping track of homework, or do people say your child daydreams instead of concentrating?

• Does your child struggle with spelling, have difficulty putting together a legible sentence, resist handwriting or have difficulty with it?

Or, alternatively:

• Does your child spend hours doing one of the following:  computers/video games, building/electronics, art/photography, music/dance, fashion/sewing, puzzles/mazes, cooking/gardening, or theater/showmanship?

• Does your child craft, draw, or build something in intricate detail?

• Does your child go on and on telling stories, or does your child enjoy dressing up in interesting costumes or creating complicated play scenarios?

• Does your child ask profound questions or know interesting facts that leave you wondering where he learned them?

• Does your child show compassion for the cares of the world and want to make a difference, or does your child act as an emotional gauge in the home?

• Did your child have an interest in ancient history, mythology, other cultures, the sciences, or nature and animals at a young age?

• Does your child remember directions to places she’s only been to once, or have a keen visual memory for stories or movies he heard or saw only once?

• Does your child have a knack for current technology?

See also Unlearning to Learn about Learning

Does Your Child Love to Learn But Hate to Be Taught?

If you recognize your child possesses many of these attributes, you may have a right-brained learner. These are intelligent, creative, and inquisitive children who often seem to flounder in school. The reality is creative children love to learn, but hate to be taught. They resist or perform poorly because we are not teaching in the way they learn. We use left-brained teaching methods on a right-brained child. The good news and hope within this book is that there exists a valid and strengths-based educational approach best suited for right-brained learners and, with it, they flourish and thrive.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“The Right Side of Normal is a fascinating look into the creative lives of children. Cindy Gaddis provides a cornucopia of ideas, resources, images, strategies, and experiences to help any parent with ‘interestingly different’ kids to find the key to unlocking their innate love of learning. I hope that parents (and teachers) will take this book to heart when working with children who learn ‘off the beaten track.’”    ~Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D., author of The Power of Neurodiversity and In Their Own Way

“The Right Side of Normal is a valuable addition to the relevant topic of how to educate the visual-spatial population. Because the number of these children is growing exponentially, any book that reveals the intricacies of this learning style is invaluable, and this book absolutely accomplishes that. Cindy Gaddis is experienced in the field and her techniques are good and valid…This book is a must-read for parents and educators alike.”  ~Jeffrey Freed, M.A.T., author of Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World

Cindy Gaddis is a 20-year homeschooling veteran and mother of seven right-brained children, ages 11-25, and married to her high school sweetheart, Weston. Her family lives in a log house on 15 acres in beautiful central North Carolina. A popular workshop leader and blogger, Cindy has helped thousands of desperate parents who have experienced life-changing improvements as they applied her Right Side of Normal principles. You can visit Cindy at her website, The Right Side of Normal (www.therightsideofnormal.com).

 Link to this page

 Link to this page