We come across different students in a classroom. Some students demonstrate brilliant abilities to grasp but have difficulty thinking out of the box. Some have wonderful artistic skills and are very imaginative but do not do well in standardized tests. There are students who have very interesting ways of thinking but do not fit in the traditional classroom scenario. There is this difficulty among teachers as to how to handle and stimulate creativity and unorthodox thinking. Did you know that it is possible for imaginative people to do well in standardized tests as well? Teachers need to teach students how to use their strengths to crack exams. For long it was thought that as students have their unique strengths they cannot do well in subjects that require other faculties which are perceived to be weaker. This is mistaken as there are umpteen examples of individuals learning to use their strengths in areas where they have difficulty successfully.
There are some strategies which can help teachers harness in students cross coordination of thinking. Cross coordination of thinking is about coordinating between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This is difficult. For example; in Maths if a student uses imagination the method of problem solving can be drastically different. The solution may be seen as a hunch and the student may have to work backwards from the solution to the problem. This approach is still perceived as counter intuitive as we rely on linear approaches for the most part, in all walks of life. Similarly in drawing if a student uses his logical faculty he/she will bring about a completely different flavor to the art in consideration. Schools in the past discouraged this approach as it runs contrary to the systematic way of problem solving as prescribed in text books.
The common perception affected many students as they could not use their strengths to their advantage. The sharp boundary that separates the left brain and the right brain is often misunderstood. This has not been assessed accurately and research continues unabated. Irrespective of the dominance of thought process teachers can help students, master skills by guiding them along their lines of thinking. Instead of curbing unique approaches and perspectives they need to be developed and remember we do not grow up to do everything equally well. But when we are in school we have the best occasion to discover our hidden gifts and independent signatures. Online tutors are up to speed in matters of learning and cognition. They surely can make a difference.