What We’ve Learned About Lefty Learning
What we’ve learned about Left Handed Learning
It’s no secret that Left Handed People are extremely bright. What’s also well known is that many Left Handers start school with a disadvantage that can make them seem “behind” in school.
The Team Members at Left Handed Clubhouse have had our fair share of tough times throughout school. Like most Lefties, we have found it difficult to learn many subjects that can be challenging to the southpaw brain. As we came together to write this article, we took a combination of all of our experiences in an attempt to share our ideas with others. By understanding the challenges that Lefties have faced during school, we hope that we will be able to provide insight and tips for Left Handers so that some of the difficulty we have faced can be avoided.
If you’re like many Lefties, the biggest learning challenges with learning usually come along with science and math. Because these subjects are usually taught in a manner that is very different from topics such as English and History, the Left Hander brain does not usually receive the information as effectively.
In our brainstorming session for this article, we looked back on our school years. It was common that among most of us, English and History were subjects in which we excelled and enjoyed. Upon looking further into it, it’s easy to see why this is. English, often a subject that is challenging to Right Handed people, comes very easily to many Lefties. That is because we are often able to organize thoughts and keep “flowing” while expressing an idea or opinion in writing. Left Handed people are often able to turn a thought or idea into a “bigger picture,” which makes it easy to create an outline for a writing piece.
Similarly, Left Handed people often have a gift for learning history. In our early years of education, all of our Team Members recall enjoying and retaining information from History and Social Science classes. We believe that our Left Handed brains played a big role in this. Many studies on the Left Handed brain have revealed that Southpaws tend to think in “pictures.” While this has not been proven for all Left Handers, it would explain why we all did so well in History classes. While learning about historical events, Lefties are able to imagine the stories in pictures. We are able to create images based on the stories that are told in the history books. When demonstrating knowledge of the historical events, Lefties are able to recall the pictures in their mind, which helps in test taking and evaluations.
Knowing this information is the key in Lefty Learning of other topics such as math and science. One of our Team Members shared a story with us about a college level Biology class that was very difficult for her. The class involved Lectures and Labs, but this intelligent Left Handed Girl found the material very difficult to understand. The first time she took the class, she failed the class with a D. The next semester, instead of taking the class with the same instructor, she opted to take the class in a new “online” format that was offered through her school. The same material was covered, but evaluation was done a little differently. Because it was done online, each week an “essay” was due about the material that was covered. Writing an essay each week allowed the Lefty to do her research on the topic, and arrange the information in a way that worked for her brain. Needless to say, she completed the course with an A.
A lot can be learned from our Lefty friend who was able to successful complete the course and learn the desired information. Even if you are unable to take a course online, there are still many ways that Lefties can make education more effective.
If you are having trouble with science courses, try to look at the material from a Lefty point of view. It can be helpful to arrange the information in a way that works for your brain. Comparing science to something that appeals to you, like cars, food, business, or anything can be very effective in understanding the information. Some people have suggested that making up “stories,” “songs,” or “skits” about topics help the Left Handed brain in comprehension as well.
While there are many other ways that a Lefty brain can approach learning more effectively, these are just a few. At Left Handed Clubhouse, our goal is to make education and learning and more fun and enjoyable experience for Left Handed People everywhere.
If you have tips on Lefty Learning, we would love to hear from you. Please tell us your story by contacting us.