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Hello! I have been tutoring a friend of mine in high school Chemistry. This person goes to a public school in America, and the class seems to be stereotypically bad. Unfortunately, my friend is just barely not failing the class despite putting in the work that an "A" student would put into it (though I don't know my friend's average..)--even to the point of staying late, late after school to go over things with the Chemistry teacher. I know it is not a matter of intelligence either. I can tell that my friend is brilliant from discussions we've had, yet, as said, my friend is still doing terribly in the class.
Now, I asked my friend if there was anything else I could do to help (e.g., attend one of the Chemistry classes, talk to the teacher to figure out what was wrong, etc.), and the answer was "no" because my friend and my friend's teacher already knew what was wrong: my friend thinks in such a way that it takes my friend a much longer time to grasp the concepts of Chemistry than other students. By the time my friend gets the concepts, it is too late and bad grades have already been given.
Naturally, this got me thinking about the whole right/left brain dominancy theory. I do not know how this theory currently stands in modern science, but if it is true, it is apparent that my friend is a "right brainer" while the teacher and class (and possibly the public school in general) are geared for "left brainers." So, this brings up two questions. I tend to be a "left brainer," yet I do well using my "right brain" too since I do well in "right brain" courses though they cost me a bit more effort. I also find it hard to believe that unless you're a "left brainer" that you can't be a "straight A" student (unless the public schools are just that bad...). So my first question would be how can one train the "weaker" side of the brain--more specifically to do well in math and science--and more specifically still, to do well and understand Chemistry concepts more quickly?
The other question has to do with tutoring Chemistry in a "right brain" manner. Especially if training the weaker side doesn't work or at least doesn't work quickly enough, how do you suggest I tutor my friend in Chemistry? Should I gather more information first by giving a practice test, by looking at my friend's old tests, or by reading through my friend's Chem text? Or are there some techniques already out there?
My main goal is to see if I can help my friend boost that grade a smidgen upwards while there is still time. My personal preference would be to teach my friend to think as a "left brainer" during Chem class so that my friend won't be lost in future lectures from the Chemistry teacher or other science teachers, but whatever works in this case will have to do. Perhaps a combination of both would do well? If so, what do you suggest?
I wasn't completely sure where to post this, so hopefully this was the right place. Thanks!
Now, I asked my friend if there was anything else I could do to help (e.g., attend one of the Chemistry classes, talk to the teacher to figure out what was wrong, etc.), and the answer was "no" because my friend and my friend's teacher already knew what was wrong: my friend thinks in such a way that it takes my friend a much longer time to grasp the concepts of Chemistry than other students. By the time my friend gets the concepts, it is too late and bad grades have already been given.
Naturally, this got me thinking about the whole right/left brain dominancy theory. I do not know how this theory currently stands in modern science, but if it is true, it is apparent that my friend is a "right brainer" while the teacher and class (and possibly the public school in general) are geared for "left brainers." So, this brings up two questions. I tend to be a "left brainer," yet I do well using my "right brain" too since I do well in "right brain" courses though they cost me a bit more effort. I also find it hard to believe that unless you're a "left brainer" that you can't be a "straight A" student (unless the public schools are just that bad...). So my first question would be how can one train the "weaker" side of the brain--more specifically to do well in math and science--and more specifically still, to do well and understand Chemistry concepts more quickly?
The other question has to do with tutoring Chemistry in a "right brain" manner. Especially if training the weaker side doesn't work or at least doesn't work quickly enough, how do you suggest I tutor my friend in Chemistry? Should I gather more information first by giving a practice test, by looking at my friend's old tests, or by reading through my friend's Chem text? Or are there some techniques already out there?
My main goal is to see if I can help my friend boost that grade a smidgen upwards while there is still time. My personal preference would be to teach my friend to think as a "left brainer" during Chem class so that my friend won't be lost in future lectures from the Chemistry teacher or other science teachers, but whatever works in this case will have to do. Perhaps a combination of both would do well? If so, what do you suggest?
I wasn't completely sure where to post this, so hopefully this was the right place. Thanks!
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