How Do You Spell Creative with a Capital C?!!
While I have long known the difference between left brain and right brain styles of learning, I have only recently begun to realize the depth of the difference between the two. Right brain learners do not simply have different strengths than left brain learners - their brains function in a totally different way.
They see in 3D. Every child has imagination but theirs are extraordinary. They think in 3D. They see the big picture before they see the parts.They would rather quit than fail. They will argue to the death for their ideas. Hard is easy and easy is hard for them.
They may not fit at all in our schools as children, but they are irreplaceable pieces of our community as adults.They are the artists, the movie directors, the pianists, the architects, the math geniuses, the computer geeks, the entreprenuers of the future. Learn how to nurture their special and unique gifts and you will see miracles unfold.
The Creative Gifts of Visual Spatial - Right Brained - Learners
If your child exhibits strengths in one or more of these areas, they may be a right-brain or visual-spatial learner.
- Drawing / Art
Computers / Video Games
Theater / Showmanship
Fashion / Sewing
Music / Dance
Building / Legos
Math / Numbers
Puzzles / Mazes
Animal School
This YouTube video speaks powerfully to what we are talking about in this lens...
Links to Help You Learn about Right Brain Learning
- Welcome to Visual-Spatial Resource
- Welcome to the Visual-Spatial Resource!
Dr. Linda Silverman - Visual-Spatial Learners -- Homeschooling Special Situations -- Homeschool Diner -- homeschool website links
- The Homeschool Diner's Guide to Visual-Spatial and Creative Learners
by Julie Shepherd Knapp, copyright 2006 - Right-Brained (Visual-Spatial) Learner Resources | Throwing Marshmallows
- Throwing Marshmallows
Right-Brained (Visual-Spatial) Learner Resources - Hoagies' Gifted: Visual-Spatial Learners
- Many great articles...
"The visual spatial learner thrives on complexity, yet struggles with easy material; loves difficult puzzles, but hates drill and repetition; is great at geometry and physics, but poor at phonics and spelling. She has keen visual memory, but poor auditory memory; is creative and imaginative, but inattentive in class; is a systems thinker, all the while disorganized, forgets the details. He excels in math analysis, but is poor at calculation; has high reading comprehension, but low word recognition; has an excellent sense of humor, and performs poorly on timed tests." by Linda Kreger Silverman - Brain learning
- Great explanation of the different sides of the brain.
- Right Tool
- EarthWalk for highly aware children and families
What I discovered about my son's learning style was that he thinks in images... - The Eclectic Telegraph - Current Edition
- Do you have bright kids at home? Do you need ideas about homeschooling your kids? A Newsletter featuring articles about educating Bright Kids at Home. From a mom who has been homeschooling a highly gifted student for more than 5 years.
- Help for Learning Disabilities. Alternatives for ADD/ADHD. Therapies to correct Dyslexia. Right Brain products. Educational Evaluations.
- Overcoming reading and writing problems at home. Dyslexia, Dysparaxia, ADD ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, down syndrome, nutrtional alternatives. Right brain products.
- If You Could See the Way I Think
- This book is a celebration of the gifts of those who prefer a visual-spatial learning style. The 21st century will demand the skills set these students were born with: multi-dimensional imagery, facility with computers, and an innate ability to "think outside the box."
If You Could See the Way I Think:
A H - Nurture Your Child's Visual-Spatial Intelligence
- Children with high visual-spatial intelligence are the artists among us.
- Visual Thinking
- Describes the experience of the visual spatial learner or thinker, and their unique needs.
- How to Tell Why Your Child is Struggling
- Many educators who follow brain research believe that there are four learning gates that need to be properly functioning for a child to have an easy time learning.
Apple Stars - the blog of Cindy Gaddis
My Favorite Source of Creative Learning Help!
If you have a right brained learner, Cindy has loads of help for you. She even has her workshops on CDs. Check it out!
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byEducate Yourself...
Help Your Right Brain Learner Survive a Left Brained World!
It is critical to learn as much as you can about the very special way in which your child sees the world. He may read later, write later, interact with others in a different manner than other children of the same age. Who can help nurture his unique qualities better than the parent who loves him?My own right brained eldest daughter did not read above a "cat sat on the mat" level until well into her 3rd grade year. Once her brain was ready, and the light bulb went on, she was reading on a 6th grade level in 6 months.
The same child didn't write hardly at all by 4th grade. Ironically, she became a published author by the age of 15. Can you say Visual Spatial Learner?!
In order to do what you must to nurture these kinds of learners, you must be armed with information. Most people still do not truly understand their needs and will give you all sorts of well intentioned, but totally wrong, advice. Check out these books...
Resources for Learning
Understanding the Right Brained Learner
Test Yourself! Are you Right Brained or Left Brained?!!
This is the best online freebie test I could find. As such, you will have to skip through the ads at the end and you don't have to buy the full report. Just see if you are right brained, left brained or balanced and then share with us!
- The Brain Test
- A short fun test to see which side of your brain dominates!
What Kind of Brain do You Have?!!
Loading poll. Please Wait...
Please Read About the Tickle Test
This online test is fun and fairly quick, but PLEASE...don't rely on it exclusively! If you "see" you or your child in this lens somewhere, find out more. No one test is conclusive when it comes to something like right brain/left brain because the way we think can interact with the test to make it inaccurate. Yikes! I will post other online tests as I find them but the power is in the education. Keep reading - there are many resources here - if you think you are teaching a visual spatial learner...
Is this Really a Brain Dominance Test?
Have you watched the dancer?
It might be interesting and fun to see which way the dancer spins for you BUT it is not a test of right brain vs left brain dominance. It is more of an optical illusion. I only wish it were that simple!
- The Dancer
- This will take you to just one of the places that are hosting the Dancer who is supposed to tell you whether you are right or left brained.
Best New Brain Quiz!
Just found this online quiz that is free, easy and effective. Try it out! It pegged me as strongly right brained.
- Scholastic Left Brain Right Brain Quiz
- Scroll down until you see the Quiz!
Living With Your Right Brained Learner
Always exciting but not always easy!!
One of the most difficult parts of parenting a right brain learner is dealing with the expectations of everyone else around you. These children are often seen as lazy, ill mannered, working below their potential, undisciplined or messy. It can go beyond what is easily camouflaged. I have developed a thick skin as a mother over the years deflecting pointed criticism away from my children's sensitive psyches.Living creatively and successfully with a right brained or visual spatial learner means learning new strategies for dealing with their unique qualities - keeping your sanity without squashing theirs.
Nothing works every time so the more strategies you have up your sleeve, the better. And learning to tune into your own special parental intuition is vital. I find reading books like these helps me listen to my own little voice easier because I can see that we are not alone.
One more note to parents who are here because they are exhausted. These very special children can be very draining. They may have a gazillion questions a day. They are intensely focused on whatever it is that has caught their attention. They are less amenable or "bribable" than other children and will wear you down. They are the Olivias of the world. You know that they have so much to offer if you can just survive their childhood. Please know that with understanding can come peace and ideas of ways to co-exist with these little people that will help guard your sanity while nurturing their abilities. Hang in there - it is soooo worth it!
Resources for Living with a Right Brain Learner
How Many Special Needs are just Right Brained Learners?!
I am not an expert on learning disAbilities or Special Needs. However, I would urge every parent of a child who has been, or might be, labeled ADD, AD/HD, autistic, dyslexic, slow, underachieving, or lazy to consider the possibility that they may simply be a visual spatial learner and they just don't fit in...yet.
Even if your child truly does have a special need, if they are also a right brained learner, understanding how they think can help in so many ways.
Even if your child truly does have a special need, if they are also a right brained learner, understanding how they think can help in so many ways.
Special Differences
Unique Challenges for Right Brained Learners
Mom's Brag Time!
See My Daughter's Novel...
My creative oldest daughter was obviously right brained from the gitgo. I wish I had known at the time that visual spatial learners typically read later. I am glad I homeschooled her as that spared her all the labels but we did try every known reading method only to find that she just wasn't ready. I will never forget the day that the light bulb turned on. She was 8 and 1/2. She went from reading The cat sat on the mat to Nancy Drew books in 6 months. Her writing took much longer to take off. She was 13 before I could drag more than a paragraph out of her. But at 14, she started the rough draft of this novel below. Moms of right brained learners could tell you stories like this all day long. It is not unusual...but when it is your child it is totally awesome.
- Pax
- Pax is a fantasy story in the tradition of the Lord of the Rings. While written on a pre-teen level, this story has been loved by all who have read it from children to adults; anyone who loves a good story full of adventure and romance.
Links to Related Articles and Websites
- Parenting A Highly Sensitive Child
- Mothering.com - The Natural Family Living magazine online! Advocating natural family living through practical advice and informed choice.
Learning Links and Websites
These materials may be great for your Right Brained Learner!
- Act Up DVD
- Home School Acting Program
Act Up
Add Acting lessons to your home school curriculum Now you can add acting lessons to your home school
curriculum. It is easy with this simple to use and easy to teach program. In each lesson, Debbie teaches an acting technique... - Homeschool 2.0 - Free ideas for integrating technology with home education.
- Web 2.0 tools for integrating technology with homeschooling. Ideas for using digital storytelling, online simulations, comic creators, blogs, wikis, and podcasting with home education.
- Living Math
- Living Math!
"Beauty in mathematics is seeing the truth without effort." -George PolyaRecent
This site is dedicated to sharing resources for learning, exploring and enjoying math in a dynamic and holistic manner, for all ages. - Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching - Mathematics Enhancement Programme
- Mathematics Enhancement Programme
An innovative British program that may work for some right brained learners. Scroll down to the links to the materials. It is free!
Great Parenting Resources
Experienced Parents Pick their Favorites!
Learning Modalities are NOT Learning Styles!
For years I was confused by the difference between learning modalities and learning styles. This kept me from truly understanding my right brained children.
Learning modalities are typically divided into visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. I am a strong visual learner; I prefer to learn by reading, particularly if illustrated by maps, charts, diagrams, etc. My older son is a strong auditory learner; he learns best by listening and will spend hours with books on CD and still likes having me read parts of his schoolwork to him.
I kept trying to think that my oldest daughter was a kinesthetic learner because I mistakenly associated that learning modality with the visual spatial learning style. [Kinesthetic learners learn best through hands on activities]. In reality, visual spatial learners can have any of the learning modalities as preferred.
Learning modality is merely one aspect of a learning style. It is helpful but falls far short of helping parents with right brained learners to create a rich learning environment for their children.
Learning modalities are typically divided into visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. I am a strong visual learner; I prefer to learn by reading, particularly if illustrated by maps, charts, diagrams, etc. My older son is a strong auditory learner; he learns best by listening and will spend hours with books on CD and still likes having me read parts of his schoolwork to him.
I kept trying to think that my oldest daughter was a kinesthetic learner because I mistakenly associated that learning modality with the visual spatial learning style. [Kinesthetic learners learn best through hands on activities]. In reality, visual spatial learners can have any of the learning modalities as preferred.
Learning modality is merely one aspect of a learning style. It is helpful but falls far short of helping parents with right brained learners to create a rich learning environment for their children.
Example of a Different Stroke
Right Brained Learners will usually detest the usual book report. Not only does it seem to drain all the fun out of the reading, but the format is left brain to the max!
Here are some examples of ways that a visual spatial learner might prefer to document their reading and understanding of a book...
***Create a comic strip based on or about the book
***Write a review for a movie based on the book for netflix or similar site or to send to family/friends
***Making a collage or other artistic representation of the main idea or theme of the book
***Make a movie poster for the book
***Make a book cover that includes a summary, author bio and cover art
***Write an alternative ending
***Write a children's version of the story
***Do a story board for a video game based on the book
Here are some examples of ways that a visual spatial learner might prefer to document their reading and understanding of a book...
***Create a comic strip based on or about the book
***Write a review for a movie based on the book for netflix or similar site or to send to family/friends
***Making a collage or other artistic representation of the main idea or theme of the book
***Make a movie poster for the book
***Make a book cover that includes a summary, author bio and cover art
***Write an alternative ending
***Write a children's version of the story
***Do a story board for a video game based on the book
Love to hear from YOU!
Post your comments or your questions right here...
This is an interactive site. Please tell me what you need and I will find and post it if I possibly can! Or point it out if it is here but being passed over. This has been life changing information for me and I want to pass it on to as many parents as possible. Thank you for posting my link on your forums! You never know whose life you may impact in a profound way.
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AtHomeSource
Thanks for the great lens. I'm reading Left Brained Children in a Right Brained World. Wow! what an eye opener! My child is totally right brained - now I can FINALLY help him. Posted August 27, 2008 |
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RedSportNiac
Great lens. You got a lot of useful resources on this topics. Thanks for your time in making it. Posted July 19, 2008 |
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HerbalRemedies
Hi, Posted June 01, 2008 |
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KarenMcLaughlin
Really enjoyed your lens! I made one of my own (Celebrating Visual Spatial Learners), then found yours! Both my boys are extremely visual spatial. I'm glad we unschool because I don't think public school meets the needs of VSLs at all! I have added this lens to my lensroll. Posted April 07, 2008 |
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CLB
Well, I rated and lensrolled your lens but can't find how to add it to my favorites, darn it! :) I really love what you did here, very complete, lots of info. Posted February 29, 2008 |
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