Cerebral influence in Malaysian science teaching and learning: words, images or both?

Science teachers have been using numerous techniques and approaches in teaching based upon learning theories which have advocated various mechanisms of thinking. Recently, how the brain plays a part and how specific abilities of our cerebral hemisphere fit in with teaching and learning have been investigated in brain science research. Further, how has this research in brain science contributed to neurocognition, and how this knowledge can be used for more effective teaching in science classrooms have also been researched. This paper will focus upon the right and left brain dominance theory of learning based upon a simple study conducted among 22 teachers teaching varying science subjects in 6 secondary schools and 147 students from two schools. Data were collected using The Alert Scale of Cognitive Style Questionnaire (Crane, 1989). Results show that the majority of teachers and students are more left brained. Information about the teaching techniques used by the teachers were also obtained. In addition data collected via drawing of wordwebs and imagewebs indicate that students can be assisted in using both the brain hemispheres