We believe that education is best when people are actively engaged with the topic they are learning. Funderstanding.com provides information for educators, corporate trainers, and students from all fields and of all ages. Our goal is to help you improve the quality of education you provide or receive. We provide instructional content, reference, examples and a forum for discussion. Please join the conversation!

Left Brain vs. Right Brain Teaching Techniques

The human brain is separated into two distinct hemispheres connected by a corpus callosum, or a bundle of nerve fibers that facilitates communication between the two hemispheres. It is known that popular psychology sometimes makes broad generalizations about certain functions of the brain being lateral, that is, located in either the right or left side of the brain. The lateralization theory — developed by Nobel-prize-winners Roger Sperry and Robert Ornstein – helps us to understand our behavior, our personality, our creativity, and our ability to use the proper mode of thinking when performing particular tasks. Understanding how we learn and process information is valuable for educators in numerous ways. Read the rest of this entry »

Left Brain vs. Right Brain Function in Learning

The notion that some of us are left-brained (logical, analytical) and some are right-brained (intuitive, creative) is nothing new. The eyes of the masses fixed on this idea starting in the 1860s when Dr. Paul Broca (and a few years later, Dr. Carl Wernicke discovered areas in the left hemisphere of the brain that were used for language. Interest in the brain’s duality can be seen in literature from the era, such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This article explores left brain vs. right brain function in learning theories in-depth and here is where you will find our general overview on right brain left brain. Read the rest of this entry »

Sustainability and Kids, In the Classroom

Today’s kids are much more aware of the environment and the impact they have on it than their parents. The current generation of elementary and middle schoolers had never known life without Earth Day, curbside recycling programs or a range of other awareness efforts.

Yet there is always room to learn more. As a teacher, how can you incorporate sustainability into the classroom? Sustainability and kids go well together. Below are some examples of successes at teaching sustainability as well as resources you can turn to for your own students. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: sustainability and kids, sustainability in the classroom, teaching sustainability

Padosa.com, Educational Resource for Businesses Going Green, Profitably

An off-topic, shameless plug…

We wanted to introduce you to a new blog we’ve started. This blog, Padosa.com, is a community site to help businesses go green profitably. There is plenty of content relevant to educators on how to build sustainable practices and also, on how to involve students in the process of building sustainability into the organization. This is good for the organization, and good for the planet! There is also a forum for you to get expert advice on issues related to sustainability in your organization.

Starting with Your Learning Management System

You manage a training function and you have decided to utilize a learning management system (LMS). Great choice. Now you need to figure out where to start. Regardless of whether you are using a home-grown system made in Excel or a database, or if you are using a commercial program, the initial steps are straight forward. Thinking through those steps should help you better understand the value of the LMS. A recommended approach might be:

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Tags: corporate training, e-learning, learning management system, LMS