Learning theorists such as Ned Herman have extended the idea of left and right brain thinking to a concept of four brain quadrants which can be used as a metaphor for how we think and learn. These modes are described as:
Themes includes:
In Australia Dr Julia Atkin has refined and extended this approach in her Teaching for Effective Learning courses.
In the past mathematics in schools has been very much confined to one brain hemisphere, the top left quadrant, involving principally analytical thinking. However mathematics in the real world usually involves all four modes.
In the Whole Brain Mathematics Course teachers investigate how they can extend their teaching repertoires to engage all four modes of thinking so that school mathematics becomes more like the way people do mathematics out of school. They consider how the whole brain model might apply to mathematics learners who think in different ways. Teachers also develop practical strategies for teaching the different thinking styles. They investigate how school mathematics can be creative, holistic, practical, emotionally rewarding, analytical and logical.
Workshops on whole brain mathematics are conducted by Dr Rex Stoessiger, Quality Educational Services. Dr Rex Stoessiger is the author of the book Natural Learning and Mathematics (Heinemann, 1992) which explores the use of language learning processes for learning mathematics. He has worked with Julia Atkin in developing the Whole Brain Mathematics course.
Send us an email if you want more information including prices on this course.
Quality Educational Services
2/23 Bowral Street
Hawks Nest, NSW 2324 Australia
+61 409 386 402
rex_stoessiger@southcom.com.au