God has created our brains with both left and right hemispheres. Left-hemisphere brain functions include reasoning, reading, written language, number skills and spoken language. Right-hemisphere brain functions include imagination, intuition, art awareness, three-dimensional forms and music awareness. Every one of us has two sides to our brain; we all have reasoning and imagination, number skills and artistic skills. We usually have a stronger tendency towards one side or the other, but we all have both sides. So, how should that effect how we teach and how we learn?

Are Our Brains Lopsided?!

In America today, our worship of the left hemisphere is so complete that when we graduate from high school, the left hemispheres of our brains actually weigh slightly more than the right hemispheres! The primary focus of most elementary, middle school and high school education is reading, writing and math and every time there is a budget cut at a school, it seems the first things to go are the classes related to the right side of the brain, music, art, etc.

Train the mind, the whole mind:

Education should seek to go beyond simply training the left hemisphere. We should seek to offer training that involves both left- hemisphere and right-hemisphere brain functions. In Christian education, both private Christian grade schools and Christian colleges, this is especially true. God gave us both sides of our brain for a reason. He blessed us with the ability to reason and imagine, do math and create art, write literature and make music. It’s important that we engage all these aspects or our mental acuity when we learn. This way our brains are fully developed and we utilize both the logical and creative sides of our brains.

Teach as Christ Taught:

Additionally, we should seek to train our students to present both hemispheres of their brains to God to fill and flow through and guide. For example, "Without a parable, Jesus taught them not" (Matt. 13:34). Parables are picture stories. They require imagination. They utilize the right side of the brain. Christ’s teachings also engage the left side of the brain with reasoning and, today, we learn of Christ’s teaching through reading (a left hemisphere activity) the Word. The most powerful teaching comes from following the educational methodology of the world's most powerful Teacher, Jesus Christ, and learning to combine both right and left hemispheres with the anointing and flow of the Holy Spirit. That is what we should be committed to training students to do.