The Hemisphere Dominance Test measures whether the right or left side of your brain is dominant. What does this mean? Well, different tasks are associated with different parts of the brain. So, for example, when I took the test, I ended up being primarily right hemisphere dominant. According to the site, "the left side of the brain is the seat of language and processes in a logical and sequential order. The right side is more visual and processes intuitively, holistically, and randomly." My results indicate that my type of cognitive processing is:
Holistic Processing information from whole to part; sees the big picture first, not the details.
Random Processing with out priority, jumps from one task to another.
Concrete Processes things that can be seen, or touched - real objects.
Intuitive Processes information based on whether or not it feels right; know answer but not sure how it was derived
Nonverbal Processes thought as illustrations.
Fantasy-Oriented Processes information with creativity; less focus on rules and regulations.
This suggests that when learning something new or stressful, I prefer to learn in ways that involve, for example, illustrations or creative examples. I would have to say that this test is pretty accurate. Since my dominant side processes information from whole to part, I am definitely the type of learner that needs to read the chapter before coming to class, I don't like to jump into experiments or projects without some sort of example or model from the teacher, and I definitely am more comfortable using creative means to express myself.
The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II measures personality rather than cognitive learning preferences. The questions were interesting, and my results indicate that I'm an Idealist. Again, I'm not too surprised. According to the results, some of the characteristics I share with other idealists are enthusiasm, passion, intuition, a desire to attain wisdom, trust, valuing meaningful relationships, a giving spirit, and inspiration. As the results sheet states,
Idealists strive to discover who they are and how they can become their best possible self -- always this quest for self-knowledge and self-improvement drives their imagination. And they want to help others make the journey...Idealists are incurable romantics who prefer to focus on what might be, rather than what is.Only 15-20% of the population are idealists. I am, apparently, a rare breed.
All of this information is especially important for me to know as I enter the teaching world. A lot of emphasis is put on understanding the different learning styles that exist, creating strategies for working with diverse learners, and cultivating an awareness of the variety of learning styles that exist in individual classrooms in order to be as inclusive as possible.
While I agree that these are crucial steps for teachers to take, it is just as important that I am aware of my own personality traits and learning styles so that I am aware that I will tend to teach using strategies that are familiar and comfortable for me, but that might not be the correct strategies for my students. Knowing, for example, that I learn best in creative situations, through visual representations, and by randomness of thought means that I will need to build other options into my lesson plans for students who don't learn best through these methods.
As I develop units, I will need to be aware that my weaknesses may be my students' strengths; if I don't give them the chance to explore their full potential simply because it seems foreign to me, I am not doing my job.
On the other hand, it's also good for me to realize that just because I am a highly motivated individual who has found her passion in life, this does not mean that my students will share my feelings toward my subject matter. Nor will all of my students necessarily share my penchant for abstract expression, a rich imagination, and a tendency to be impractical. Some students will need more order and might be confused if I jump from one thought to another; others might become frustrated if I don't explain how I came to a conclusion or made a prediction.
In order to teach to the best of my abilities, I will need to accept these differences and many others in order to create a harmonious classroom that varies in its learning styles and fosters open acceptance of all ideas.
