On the Coast – Families Issue 102 I October/November 2019 | Página 7

CENTRAL COAST GRAMMAR SCHO OL
Debunking Learning
“M
y left brain is stronger than
my right”; “I’m a visual
learner”; “Did you know we
don’t even use 90% of our brain?”
We’ve all heard these statements
before. We may have even said one or
two or a variance of them.
We’ve come a long way since
these myths first emerged. Yet
a number of learning myths
continue to stand the test of time
despite having no grounding in
scientific research.
George Orwell famously said,
“Myths which are believed in tend
to become true.”
What does this mean? If we
believe them, we start to define
ourselves and our abilities by
them. Worse, we could limit
our assumptions about what we
can and can’t do. We start to act
according to these self constructed limits
and – all of a sudden – we have made the
myth a reality.
In the case of learning, society has
fallen deep into this trap. According
to research done by Macdonald et al 1 .
68% of the public believe the following
learning statements to be true. They
have become so engrained in our
thinking that even 56% of educators are
reported to believe them too.
In this article, we seek to bust three
common learning myths and help put the
learning record straight.
Myth 1: Left brain vs right brain
The idea that we all have a dominant
side of the brain that dictates how we
learn has been around for a while. Left
brained people are logical, analytical and
methodical. Right brained people are
creative and artistic.
The truth is the left and right
hemispheres of the brain actually work
together. Of course, there is lateralization
– where certain functions are processed
by more than one region of the brain
than others. But we all use our entire
brain equally 2 . We can actually think
both creatively and analytically thanks to
the regions in our brain being connected. 
It’s important that we actively nurture
both creative and analytic skills in
ourselves and in our children.
Myth 2: We only use 10% of our brains
Barry Gordon, a behavioural neurologist,
and cognitive neuroscientist describes
this myth as incorrect. He says, “we use
virtually every part of the brain, and
that (most of) the brain is active almost
all the time.” 3
Some areas of our brain may be
more active than others at any given
moment, but we do use all of our brain.
In fact, according to the University
of Queensland 4 , our brain is the most
energy intensive part of our body, using
20% of our energy even though it makes
up just 3% of our weight. Now that’s food
for thought. 
It’s certainly true that we can make our
brains stronger. But that comes through
exercising it – not through unlocking a
vast mass of unused grey matter.
Myth 3: Every brain is hardwired to a
particular learning style
Individuals have different styles of
learning such as visual, auditory or
kinesthetic is a common myth. There
is no evidence to support the theory 5
that people learn better when they take
in information by listening to it, being
presented it visually or through hands on
practise. In fact, if we choose to limit our
learning to one particular style we may
actually reduce learning and our ability
to learn in the future.
Studies have found that students
benefit most when learning new
Myths
information in different ways – learning
across multiple modes. Multiple styles of
learning allow us to access richness and
breadth and help lock understanding in.
Mr Damon Cooper, Director of
Teaching and Learning at Central Coast
Grammar School explains, “Multiple styles
of cognitive input require multiple
areas of the brain to process that
learning. As a result, we are able to
access, process and connect new
ideas in rich and multi-faceted
ways. This creates a deeper
understanding and allows us to
strengthen neural pathways in
more than one area of our brain.”
Dynamic learning environment
and rich opportunities
Central Coast Grammar School
challenge their students. They
understand that learning is not a
predetermined biological ability. They
encourage all our students to be open to
developing skills, support them to think
laterally and push beyond their limitations.
“At Central Coast Grammar we create
rich educational opportunities at every
turn. We build learning experiences
through a range of modes and provide a
dynamic learning environment where
students are actively engaged in multi-
sensory experiences, practical activities,
independent and collaborative work,"
says Headmaster Mr Bill Low.
"We pride ourselves on treating every
individual child as a complete and unique
person. It is this kind of holistic learning
that helps students to grow, develop and
confidently apply their understanding in
meaningful ways," adds Mr Low.
Of course, don’t forget – adequate
sleep, good nutrition and regular exercise
will also help lay the foundations for a
healthy brain and a healthy life.
Don’t let these myths become a self-
fulfilling prophecy. Let’s rewrite these
learning myths and do the best for our
children.
For more information visit
www.ccgs.nsw.edu.au
1 www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01314/full
2 www.learningscientists.org/blog/2016/8/2-1
3 www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-people-only-use-10-percent-of-their-brains/
4 https://qbi.uq.edu.au/10-amazing-facts-about-brain
5 www.psychologicalscience.org/journals/pspi/PSPI_9_3.pdf
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER – ISSUE 102
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