What Does Your Brain Have To Do With It? Part 3

Another idea to consider would be screening then applying intellectual or IQ testing information for the appropriate education of our youth. Traditionally, the high schools have a college preparatory curriculum and a non-college preparatory curriculum for our high school students. We also have the problem of underachieving students and a high dropout rate in urban school districts. Perhaps, we might design a curriculum and graduation requirements that plays to the strength of those students that are strong in the right hemisphere of cognitive functioning. Yes, it would take creative thinking, utilizing both right and left hemispheres in order to design a curriculum that enables these students to flourish. In that creative curriculum, we could develop an abundance of classes and subjects that utilize right hemisphere functioning. Classes in fine and graphic arts; computers and programming; fixing, making, welding, carpentry, plumbing; athletics, etc. For example, for those individuals hoping to attend college, on a football or sports scholarship, a science curriculum could be developed in dealing with such topics as the nature sport injuries, rehabilitation, stretching, conditioning, nutrition, and physiology of muscle and muscle groups where these injuries likely occur. These classes could then satisfy a graduation science requirement. Don’t lose sight that the community college system has remedial classes necessary for entrance into a four-year college. It seems to me having one graduation degree requirement to fit all students seems erroneous. Why not take advantage of the cognitive strengths of the many individuals and design graduation requirements that correlate. In years prior, we had vocational programs that took care of some of that need. If those right brain students wanted to take traditional courses, which would be okay as well. For those students that have handicaps in the verbal area of intelligence testing, a number of creative ways can be implemented to help them. Smaller class size, individual tutoring, student mentoring and class projects designed with enthusiastic and passionate teachers to help these special students problem solve, work together and make learning in high school more fun.