You have probably heard by now that your brain has two distinct parts that work together to make a whole. Conveniently, these are located in the right side and the left side of your brain! You may have heard this aspect of learning style being referred to as "right-brained or left-brained."

The left side of most people's brains is the part that processes language. It "thinks" in a logical, linear fashion, and is highly orderly. Your left-brained self is the part of you that wants everything in its place, wants to organize information and wants to fit it together to form a coherent whole.

The right side of the brain is primarily visual. It "thinks" in a more intuitive and holistic fashion, and works in a more random, insightful way. This is the part of your brain that is usually more creative, more willing to bend the rules just a bit, and more likely to see the whole, then take it apart to find out about the pieces.

Most people have one side or the other dominant, which means that when you need to learn something new or difficult, or when you are feeling stressed, it automatically takes over how you take in the information and process it.

Of course, no one uses only one side of the brain or the other. Your brain is a marvelous piece of engineering, and it is completely interconnected. But just like you prefer to use your right or left hand, you probably automatically process information primarily on one side of the brain or the other.

What would happen if you were to lose use of your dominant hand, though? I'm sure you'd get by! You would learn to do basic tasks with your other hand. That means that the ability to brush your teeth or button your shirt is not contained solely in one hand or the other. Neither is learning contained on one side of the brain or the other. Just because your brain prefers one style of input and processing doesn't mean that you cannot do the other kinds. And practice helps immensely.

The right brain/left brain part of learning styles is important because it helps you choose strategies that will help you learn most efficiently. It's also important so that you can be intentional about exercising the non-dominant part of your brain and strengthening those skills. Many learning tasks simply happen more efficiently on one side of the brain or the other, and if you can learn to use your hemispheres at will, you'll be miles ahead of the learning game.