Ignited Child!
3rd September 2010
The child shows the man as morning shows the day.
John Milton
You know you have two ears, two eyes, two hands, you legs and two nostrils. Do you know that you have two brains? Perhaps you would have heard about it. But getting to know what is called the `split brain' theory will explain many of the education and learning related issues. Dr.Roger Sperry was the first person to announce his research findings that the human brain consists of two halves, the Right and the Left and each of these halves have their own specific functions to perform. He was given the Nobel Prize for this breakthrough discovery in 1981.
Some understanding of the split brain theory will clarify some of the education and learning related problems parents encounter. Some examples of the problems which parents raise in my training sessions and counseling are:
· My child has very high ambitions, he wants to become an IAS officer, but he does not work hard
· My child is very enthusiastic in games, but he does very poorly in studies
· My child is highly disorganised and does not keep things in their places
· My child is very emotional and break down very often
As I mentioned elsewhere, there is no point in getting angry and try to change the behaviour. We can use force and authority and try to `discipline' the child. But this approach will yield only a very limited and temporary result. We need to address what causes the problem and remove the same.
The right side of the brain is responsible for some behavioral pattern and the left side of the brain is responsible for some other behavioral pattern. For example, discipline is decided by the left brain, whereas emotional outburst is triggered by the right side of the brain. Interest in sports and arts is decided by an active right side brain, but excellence in studies is decided by the logical left brain. While ambitions and goals are triggered by the right side of the brain, working logically and remaining focused is controlled by the left side of the brain.
Want to know how the split brain theory will decide your child's behaviour? Read further…
N C Sridharan and Radha Sridharan
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