Teaching Left Brain Conceptswith a Approach

Nick Hudyma, PhD PECivil Engineering, CCEC

Teaching Left Brain Conceptswith a Approach

INTRODUCTION

What is all the fuss about?

1990 1993 study by Seymour & Hewitt 335 students at 7 institutions Validated via 125 students at 6 other

institutions

The number one reason for leaving the

sciences was POOR TEACHING

What is all the fuss about?

Professors are trained to perform research, not teach

There is a disconnect between how we teach and how students learn

Left Brain/Right Brain Theory

Left Brain/Right Brain Theory

Developed in the early 1970s by Dr. Roger Sperry from the University of California

Lateral lobes of our cerebral cortex function differently from each other

How does this Influence Teaching and Affect Learning?

Lateral lobes function differently from each other

Using the following pictures, think of KEYWORDS that describe the left brain and right brain

Keywords

LEFT BRAIN

Keywords

RIGHT BRAIN

Left Brain vs. Right Brain

Logical Mathematical Sequence Serious

Analysis Verbal Rational

Lateral lobes function differently from each other

Which are YOU?

Personality Traits

LEFT BRAIN Prefer rock music Cat lovers Occasionally absent

minded Enjoy creative story

telling

Prefer classical music Dog lovers Almost never absent

minded Like to tell stories but

not act them out Organized

Likely Professions

LEFT BRAIN Actor / Actress Artist Craftsperson Athlete

Engineering Sciences Financial Lawyer

Teaching Left Brain Conceptswith a Approach

Influence on Teachingand

Affects on Learning

Now you know

You have probably now figured out what I am doing here

I am a Right BrainedEngineer

Learning Styles

Based on the work of Felder and Soloman(http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/ILSdir/styles.htm)

Active and Reflective Learners Sensing and Intuitive Learners Visual and Verbal Learners Sequential and Global Learners

Active vs. Reflective Learners

Active learners must do something with the information they receive; Reflective learners must first think about the information they receive

Active learners like groups

Long lectures are tough for Active learners

Sensing vs. Intuitive Learners

Sensors like facts; Intuitors prefer discovering possibilities and relationships

Sensors like solving problems using well established methods and dislike complications and surprises; Intuitors like innovation and dislike repetition

Sensors are patient with details and good at memorizing and hands on work; Intuitors are better at grasping new concepts and mathematical formulations

Visual vs. Verbal Learners

Visual learners like diagrams, pictures, flow charts, etc.

Verbal learners get more out of words both spoken and written.

All people learn best when a combination of these methods are used

Sequential vs. Global Learners

Sequential learners gain understanding in linear steps (logical order)

Global learners tend to learn in large jumps (absorb material seemingly randomly and suddenly get it)

Global learners may have difficulty explaining how they arrived at a solution

Learning Styles Left Brain

Prefer verbal instructions Attentive during long verbal explanations Prefer well structured assignments over

open ended ones Read for specific details and facts

Learning Styles Right Brain

Prefer visual instructions with examples Become restless during long verbal

explanations Prefer to learn through free exploration Solve problems intuitively Read for main details

Thinking Styles Left Brain

Need total quiet to read or study Can think better sitting down Usually remember things specifically

studied Usually do things in a planned orderly way

Thinking Styles Right Brain

Think better when lying down Can listen to music or TV while studying Skilled in showing relationships between

ideas Prefer summarizing over outlining

Learning vs. Teaching

Most Engineering Students are (Zyno):

Visual Sensing Active

Sequential

Most Teaching is (Felder and Silverman):

Verbal Intuitive

Neither Active nor Reflective

Sequential

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Right Brained Methods for Left Brained Courses

R.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesMy Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy comes from my own learning experiences

I was never the top student

I always used creative methods for problem solving

R.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesEdutainment

Engineering education is dry and boring

I try to add some excitement to class by incorporating edutainment Fun way of learning

Sesame Street Bill Nye the Science Guy

R.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesEdutainment

Great but how to incorporate into the curriculum?

Humor Models Simple Hands On experiments that

incorporate engineering principles

R.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesHumor

Here are two text book examples I use when talking about torque

R.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesModels

Here is an example problem I use when discussing a force causing rotation about an axis

R.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesExperiments Squeeze & Tease

Make sure there is a water column in the tube Squeeze the sides of the container Describe what happens to the water column and

sand

R.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesExplanation Squeeze & Tease

The sand in the squeeze bottle is densely packed

In order to deform, the sand grains must ride over one another

This causes an increase in space between grains (dilation)

Concluding Remarks

In any course, there will be students who are: LEFT BRAIN DOMINANT, RIGHT BRAIN

DOMINANT or a combination of the two Active or Reflective Learners Sensing or Intuitive Learners Visual or Verbal Learners Sequential or Global Learners

Concluding Remarks

Try to incorporate many different learning techniques into your classroom sessions to break up the monotony of a long lecture Humor Demonstrations Problem solving Small group discussion

References

Seymour and Hewitt, 1997. Talking about leaving: why undergraduates leave the sciences. Westview Press.

http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/ILSdir/styles.htm

Zyno, 2003. A contribution to validation of score meaning for Felder-Solomans Index of Learning Styles. ASEE Conference Proceedings, Session 2351

Felder and Silverman, 1988. Learning and teaching styles in engineering education. Engineering Education, 78(7), pp. 674-681.

Teaching Left Brain Conceptswith a ApproachTeaching Left Brain Conceptswith a ApproachWhat is all the fuss about?What is all the fuss about?Left Brain/Right Brain TheoryLateral lobes function differently from each otherKeywordsKeywordsLeft Brain vs. Right BrainLateral lobes function differently from each otherWhich are YOU?Personality TraitsLikely ProfessionsTeaching Left Brain Conceptswith a ApproachNow you knowLearning StylesActive vs. Reflective LearnersSensing vs. Intuitive LearnersVisual vs. Verbal LearnersSequential vs. Global LearnersLearning Styles Left BrainLearning Styles Right BrainThinking Styles Left BrainThinking Styles Right BrainLearning vs. TeachingRight Brained Methods for Left Brained CoursesR.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesMy Teaching PhilosophyR.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesEdutainmentR.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesEdutainmentR.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesHumorR.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesModelsR.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesExperiments Squeeze & TeaseR.B. Methods for L.B. CoursesExplanation Squeeze & TeaseConcluding RemarksConcluding RemarksReferences