R-Directed Thinking

R-directed thinking has never been particularly easy for me. I love for things to be pretty and neat and perfect, and while there isn't anything in that that prevents me from being R-directed, it turns creating visual aids, powerpoints, and any type of multimedia into a long and tedious process. I think that to become a better 21st Century educator, I definitely need to more fully embrace the right side of my brain and further incorporate it into any and all activities and lessons that I design. However, I also need to try to loosen the grip on the left side of my brain and let things get a little bit messy sometimes - perfection can be good, but it is not always the best result. Sometimes results can mean more when they turn out imperfect!

As a current pre-school teacher, please don't think I don't let my students get messy. Please - when we paint it can become a child dipped in green and pink. But, I still think that I need to find the empathy portion of Daniel Pink's analysis of R-directed thinking a little bit more. In order to best meet the needs and interests of my students, I need to become more apt at seeing the lesson and activities from their perspectives, and include more and also new forms of multimedia, visual points, and fun activities and projects to enhance the lesson. I think my left brain has a very rightful place in being a 21st Century teacher, but, like I said, I need to loosen the grip over there and reach a little harder for the right side of myself.