A WHOLE new mind

Daniel H. Pink's A Whole New Mind shows us the physical attributes of each side of the brain, how each functions and how they are co-dependent opon one another. Being left handed, I had often heard the phrase "Only left-handed people are in their right mind." Pink re-affirms this fun fact in the first section of A Whole New Mind. After reading the introduction, my initial reaction was, "Oh great a different person presenting the same ideas on how the world is changing and we need to change with it." Although I agree with this idea, my assumptions of Pink addressing the same issues as Friedman or Alverman was definitly wrong. It is interesting to me that the shift from a Left-side dominance to a Right-side dominance is underway. As the world becomes larger and more people begin to contribute it makes since that our more objective emotions and critical thinking would be needed. Pink shares, "Our broader culture tends to prize L-Directed Thinking more hightly than its counterpart, taking the approach more seriously and viewing the alternative as useful but secondary" (27); I agree with Pink's observation and think that this idea could best be applied in the classroom. Just as Friedman discusses about a changing world, the classroom structure needs to change to... from a one direct-teaching strategy to a more collaborative team learning.
Incorporating the thinking of right side of the brain more will be benificial in the classroom as it is often said that students favor one method of learning. However, one thing that Pink leaves out, and the Professor Reid in the ENG 506 blog has pointed too, is that the physiological brain structure and how it works is not nearly as important as what it's working on. As teachers our job is to develop learning, students are already equipt with the necessary tool. Being more consciensious and flexable in regards to the teaching style technique however, is an important concept to gain from the first section of Pink's book.