Teaching and Learning Handbook (A Best Practice Guide)

The Whole Brain Model

The Whole Brain Model was developed as the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument. It was developed for use with adults in business and is therefore more suited to literate adults than younger learners and, as such, could be quite useful for our students. It takes the concept of the right/left brain hemispheres and identifies four learning styles. Like VAK this model emphasises that all styles should be developed by an individual, although there are likely to be strong preferences.

Left Brain – Logic

Students with this preference like to acquire and quantify facts, analyse, think through ideas and form theories.

Teaching Activities:

Formal lectures
Analysing data
Using case studies
Worksheets
Tests

Right Brain – Innovation

Students with this preference like to take initiative, use intuition, construct concepts and synthesise content.

Teaching Activities:

Practical tasks
Make posters / Leaflets
Experiments / Problem-solving
Open questions / Creative thinking
Research project

Left Brain – Organisation

Students with this preference like to organise and structure information, make sequences and practice activities.

Teaching Activities:

Taking notes / Summarising

Recipe-type exercises

Making time-lines / Lists

Essay-planning / Mind-mapping

Formal lectures

Right Brain – Humanitarian

Students with this preference like to share ideas, work with others, relate experiences to learning and be active.

Teaching Activities:

Discussions

Group work

Experiential activities

Physical activities

Musical activities

The benefit of the model is in encouraging a range of teaching strategies that will appeal to 'left and right brain' learners.