Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
The Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
Model
Learners tend to demonstrate patterns in the way they prefer to deal with new and difficult
information and ideas. The majority of us are most confident and successful when we approach
difficult tasks by using our strengths.
The Dunn and Dunn Learning Style Model indicates a range of variables proven to influence the
achievements of individual learners from kindergarten age to adulthood.
Each learner has his or her own unique combination of preferences. Some preferences may be
strong, in which case the learner will benefit significantly if the need is addressed when he or
she is learning challenging content.
Others preferences may be moderate worth addressing if learning isnt progressing smoothly.
For some variables, no preference may be indicated. The learners ability to engage with the
work and to achieve success may depend on extraneous factors or his/her level of interest in
the subject - or it may be that that particular variable has no real bearing on the learners ability
to concentrate and study.
ILSA trainers have considerable experience in the Dunn and Dunn Model. We would be
delighted to provide your school or business with in-depth training in the practical applications of
this research-based approach to teaching and learning.
The Dunn and Dunn Learning Style Model anticipates an observable improvement in student learning
and behaviour when a match has been achieved between instructional environments and Learning
Styles. It has been developed for use across all learning levels aimed at improving the effectiveness of
instruction, in particular for learners not demonstrating appropriate progress.
The model emerged out of 30 years of work that included a review of over 80 years of research on
how children learn differently, by Professors Rita and Kenneth Dunn in the 1970s - an outcome
initiated by the New York State Department of Education. In the classroom both observed distinct
differences in the way learners responded to their instructional materials; some liked to learn alone
and others with a teacher, resulting in the hypothesis that learning achievements were heavily
influenced by relatively fixed characteristics, and that elements environmental, emotional, sociological,
and physical contributed to the learning environment, and approaches individuals took when learning.
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
Motivated to raising awareness that students learn in different ways, both Rita and Kenneth Dunn
believed instructors needed to provide multiple strategies to address all the learning styles of their
students and maximise teaching materials for more efficient learning.
Refinement with the Dunn Learning Style model has been an on-going process based on extensive
field work and studious research; further elements have been added of a cognitive nature and
hemispheric preference. Subsequently, researchers at more than 130 institutions of Higher Education
have participated in international research on the Dunn and Dunn Model and published more than 830
studies.
The Model
The five strands and elements:
1. Environmental
Where do learners prefer to learn in a cool and quiet place, or warm and noisy?
2. Emotional
Does the learner need motivational support to learn effectively?
Will the learner continue to follow-through a learning task?
Can the learner assume individual responsibility for their learning?
Does the learner need structure?
3. Sociological
Does the learner work better alone, or with a colleague, or team, or in a variety of ways, or in
a routine pattern?
How much guidance does the learner need from the instructor?
4. Physiological
When and how does the learner physically engage most in learning?
Is the learner Visual, Auditory or Kinesthetic (VAK)?
5. Psychological
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
How does the learner process and respond to information and ideas?
Guide for Instructors
The learning environment (real or virtual) should be divided into partitioned areas with
different climates and infrastructure that embraces attention to lighting (low or bright),
temperature (cool or warm), seating arrangements (informal or formal), sound (quiet or with
background sound).
Allow students choice in how to learn - alone, with peers or with an instructor.
Vary teaching techniques based on different learning configurations: Multiple
Intelligences, VAK Learning (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic).
Challenge individuals at their functional ability or slightly above that level.
Facilitate learning activities for:
Self-starter learners who can monitor and pace themselves to the finish: provide longterm projects, self-designed objectives, procedures, and evaluations.
Learners in need of frequent support, devise short uncomplicated assignment tasks
that need monitoring frequently, and provide regular positive feedback. Short assignments
could gradually be increased in length/scope as tasks are successfully completed.
Use clearly stated objectives in simple form, and be precise about every aspect of each task.
Stagger the introduction of new material - if in the classroom, then across the day; Online
learning, then across each unit.
Encourage peer relationships with persistent learners.
Review work at regular intervals and feedback
In addition to identifying these elements in the model, the Dunns developed an assessment, to
identify the learning style needs of learners across all age groups. There are four assessment types
that are computer processed, generating a clear and easy to read indication of an individuals
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
learning style and how the learning environment might be modified to cater to their needs. The
questionnaire encourages the learner to select answers they believe describes them best, and takes
around 25 minutes to compete.. Reports are formulated from the question evaluations offering
comprehensive insights and strategies that promise academic achievement and improved
performance.
When instructors are familiar with their own learning style(s), and those of their students, they are
more adept at customising lessons and the learning environment to facilitate learning that is
conducive to their learners. Ideally this will motivate them to learn in a more focused and interested
way. The sharing of knowledge, of learning styles types, various approaches and outcomes of why and
how people learn the way they do, with the learner would give relevant context to their learning.
Learning all the digits of pi? U.S. history in its entirety? All of Shakespeare's sonnets? Done
anddunn.
Yeah, we're gonna be doing that a lot.
Sure, you may not have so utter a sense of completion every time with the Dunn and Dunn
method, but this model for learning styles can give some great insight into how individual
learners respond differently to types and materials of instruction.
Getting it Dunn
Professors Rita and Kenneth Dunn have done years and years of research and
writing about their observations in the classroom, and the bulk of it showed up in the 1970s.
What they saw was that some students like learning alone, while others like having the
teacher floating nearby at all times. The hypothesis? (As paraphrased from
click4it's summary of the Dunn and Dunn model) That environmental, emotional,
sociological, and physical elements contribute to the learning environment, and therefore to
different students' individual ways of learning. And for the Dunns, the takeaway was that
teachers ought to provide a range of strategies to address all those styles and make
learning more efficient.
The Dunn Learning Styles
The Dunns talk about five types of stimuli that can affect a student, and the elements that
play into each stimulus to set apart individual learners. They look real pretty on a chart, in
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
case that's your style. Plus, that link is the basis for our info below. So, without further ado,
let's get dunn to the specifics:
1. Environmental
Taking environmental stimuli into account means you ask questions about things like where
learners prefer to get their learning dunn. Is it in a cool and quiet place or somewhere with
lots of throw pillows and mood lighting?
2. Emotional
This includes elements like levels of motivation and responsibility, how much the student
conforms and pursues a task until its dunn, and what sorts of structures are helpful for the
learner.
3. Sociological
No, it doesn't mean you have to know the socioeconomic background of the kiddo in
question. This just has to do with how the student works best: on his or her own, in pairs, in
a group, according to a certain pattern, or with more (or less) guidance from the instructor. A
range of those can apply to one kid, but finding the combo that "clicks" with certain learners
can often make the information click, too.
4. Physiological
This is all about how the body (in addition to the mind) responds to the learning task. That
means that some students are more alert at certain times of day based on whether they had
eggs or chocolatey cereal for breakfast. It also draws from other learning styles to ask
whether the learner is visual, auditory, or kinesthetic to understand whether things like
music, art, or dancing all over the room will help this student get the lesson down.
5. Psychological
This doesn't just mean is the kid sort of sad today and therefore not so into learning about
Aristotle. The psychological element refers to how the learner processes and responds to
information and ideas: is this learner analytic and good with numbers? Or global, preferring
to see the big picture? Is he or she reflective, taking quiet time to puzzle out the answer, or
impulsive in shooting that hand up in the air? These all have to do with the psych factor.
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
Getting Things Dunn With Dunn
The idea for applying the Dunn learning styles to the classroom is that you pay attention to
each of these elements and try to alter the environment to suit your students. For example,
on the environmental end of things, you can physically divide the space, or adjust it at
various points, so that the warm learners can thrive on one side of the room while the cool
learners are doing their utmost on the other side.
Don't have that level of temperature control? No worries. Varying your teaching techniques
so that you take multiple learning styles into account can maximize your efficiency with the
maximum of your students. So sometimes they're working in groups and sometimes
individually; in the morning the light is brighter and in the afternoon you open the windows
instead; and you craft a range of assignments to suit the different methods of taking on a
task among your students. And hey: those are just a few examples. There's a whole
bunch you can do to incorporate this understanding of learning into your own teaching.
Get the gist? Good. This article issorry, one last timedunn.
Wrap your head around this: Mr. Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory has to do with
experience.
We know, hard to believe.
More specifically, it's about the different ways that students experience the learning process
and their various stages of experiencing the material, from encountering a new factoid to
being totally experienced in the subject at hand.
Not sure you're on board? Well, lucky for you, that puts you at Step 1 (having a concrete
experience you don't fully understand) and on the way to Step 2 (grappling with it).
But let's pause for a minute before we get into the steps and axes and other magical forces
that play into the Kolbian experience to answer this: why bother getting past Step 1 in the
first place?
Let's get into what educators like about Kolb's ideas (while we're at it, thanks to Saul
McLeod's linked article from [Link] for a bunch of this info).
So, the pros: Kolb's ideas can be applied to coming up with activities and classroom
materials that can help each learner engage with the information based on his or her very
own style. Plus, the theory takes a whole range of abilities into account, and does so with a
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
cyclical process of learning. Who doesn't love to cycle? In this case, the gist is that diving
into the spinning wheel can help lead to more effective knowledge acquisition in general.
Not convinced? You asked for it: let's get into the nitty-gritty.
The Dunn and Dunn Learning Style Model
The Dunns' Learning-Style Model is complex and encompasses 5
strands of 21 elements that affect each individual's learning. Some
of these elements are biological and others are developmental.
Style changes over time. A summary of these elements is provided
below (Dunn, 2000).
1. Environmental. The environmental strand refers to these
elements: lighting, sound, temperature, and seating
arrangement. For example, some people need to study in a
cool and quiet room, and others cannot focus unless they have
music playing and it is warm (sound and temperature
elements).
2. Emotional. This strand includes the following elements:
motivation, persistence, responsibility, and structure. For
example, some people must complete a project before they
start a new one, and others work best on multiple tasks at the
same time (persistence element).
3. Sociological. The sociological strand represents elements
related to how individuals learn in association with other
people: (a) alone or with peers, (b) an authoritative adult or
with a collegial colleague, and (c) learning in a variety of ways
or in routine patterns. For example, a number of people need
to work alone when tackling a new and difficult subject, while
others learn best when working with colleagues (learning alone
or with peers element).
4. Physiological. The elements in this strand are: perceptual
(auditory, visual, tactile, and kinesthetic), time-of-day energy
levels, intake (eating or not while studying) and mobility
(sitting still or moving around). For example, many people
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
refer to themselves as night owls or early birds because they
function best at night or in the morning (time-of-day element).
5. Psychological. The elements in this strand correspond to the
following types of psychological processing: hemispheric,
impulsive or reflective, and global versus analytic. The
hemispheric element refers to left and right brain processing
modes; the impulsive versus reflective style describes how
some people leap before thinking and others scrutinize the
situation before moving an inch. Global and analytic elements
are unique in comparison to other elements because these two
elements are made up of distinct clusters of elements found in
the other four strands. The elements that determine global and
analytic processing styles are: sound, light, seating
arrangement, persistence, sociological preference, and intake.
Global and analytic processing styles will be discussed in detail
in the next section.
Differences Among Students' Learning Styles
Do learning styles vary in predictable ways? There are four factors
that significantly differ between groups and among individuals:
global versus analytic processing styles, age, gender, and highversus low-academic achievement (Dunn & Griggs, 1998). The
educational implications of these four variables are important to
fully comprehend and employ because they provide direction and
structure for effective teaching strategies, especially for lowachieving students.
1. Global and analytic. When learning new and challenging topics,
people tend to have one of two processing styles-global or
analytic. Certain learning-style elements cluster to form these
two processing styles in the following ways. Global learners
prefer to work in an environment with soft lighting and
informal seating. People with this processing style need
breaks, snacking, mobility, and sound. Analytic learners prefer
to work in an environment with bright light and formal seating.
They work best with few or no interruptions, in a quiet
environment, and little or no snacking. The majority of young
children are global processors.
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
2. Age. Learning styles change with age. Some learning styles
are developmental and many people's styles alter as they grow
older. These style elements are: sociological, motivation,
responsibility, and internal vs. external structure. Children tend
to prefer to work with peers instead of alone and prefer an
authoritative versus a collegial teacher. For many people
auditory and visual perceptual elements strengthen with age.
3. Gender. Boys and girls, and men and women, tend to learn
differently from each other. The perceptual strengths of males
are often visual, tactile, and kinesthetic. They tend to need
more mobility than females, and function better in an informal
environment. Frequently, males are peer-motivated and
nonconforming. On the other hand, females tend to be more
auditory, need quiet while studying, work best in a formal
setting, and need less mobility. Often they are more
conforming, authority-oriented, and parent- and self-motivated
than males.
4. High- versus low-academic achievement. High and low
achieving students learn in statistically different ways from one
another. In other words, the teaching strategies that are
successful for one group will not produce similar outcomes in
the other group.
Children learn in different ways. What works for one child may not work for the other. Every
child is different in his or her learning style. Several learning theories suggest different
learning methods for different children. Before understanding any of these learning theories,
you should try to know the exact meaning of a specific learning style.
The learning style is a unique method a child chooses to process, evaluate, analyze, probe,
internalize and study all new and challenging study materials. As mentioned before, several
learning styles enable a child learn in its own way. A child learns in an effective manner by
using his or her preferred learning style. Of all the learning theories and styles, nothing can
beat the sheer practicality and usefulness of Dunn learning style.
The essence of Dunn learning style lies in its simplicity and flexibility. According to this
model, most learners can learn and master new subjects and they have their unique and
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
individual methods of gaining mastery over new, complex and difficult subject matters. For
example, a child finds it very difficult to learn a lesson in math and the math subject as a
whole becomes a big challenge. In a sense, the challenge of learning becomes extremely
excruciating if the manner in which children learn math does not match the manner in which
they learn.
The Dunn couple (Rita & Kenneth Dunn) suggested this learning style for the benefits of
learners. The learning theory proposed by this couple has some very interesting features to
offer you.
According to them,
1. Everyone has his or her own learning style and each one of us have our own
strengths too.
2. The perceived strength is just like an individual's signature.
3. No learning style is better or bad than the other.
4. There are hundreds of differing learning styles, irrespective of learner's religion,
creed, culture and nationalities.
However, the theory could be somewhat difficult to understand, as one has to learn about as
many as 21 different elements that affect learning process. Many of these elements are
biological in nature while others are developmental. In other words, learning styles may
change over time and according to the 21 elements. Here are more details about some of
the important elements that influence learning:
Environmental factors
Surrounding environmental factors play an important role in learning process. Some of the
environmental factors are light, sound, temperature and seating system in the classroom.
For example:
Some learners like lots of ambient light while reading and writing.
Some children like to listen to soothing music while they are studying.
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
Some children learn well even with surrounding noise
Emotional factors
Several emotional factors like internal/external motivation, dedication, persistence,
responsibility and continuity could easily influence learning process. All these emotional
factors are very critical for an effective learning process.
For example,
Some children will never touch a fresh project unless they finish the earlier one.
On the other hand, some of them can work on multiple projects at a time and in fact
they work diligently and with a sense of purpose.
Sociological factors
Sociology plays an important role in establishing social skills and social relationship with
others. How children interact with others is an indication of how well they acquire various
social skills. Social interactions occur among peer groups, within a peer group or with
different groups outside the learning environment.
Some children learn well in groups and with peers.
On the contrary, many of them prefer to learn alone and in solitude.
Physiological factors
Physiological factors that affect learning process in children are numerous. Issues like
different perceptions, existing energy levels, food intake and physical activities affect the
way in which child learns.
For example,
If the child is chronically weak and physically fragile, he or he may not learn to the
optimum possible levels.
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
Some children can study up to 10 PM in the night while others study well early in the
morning.
Psychological factors
Right and left-brain abilities, general brain developmental conditions, IQ levels and other
related issue could affect the way in which a child learns a subject. Cognition, Imagination,
creativity and impulsive/reflective styles will also influence the learning.
For example,
A gifted child may never perform very well in the classroom while he or she will
perform extremely well in a specific area of learning.
Children with superior IQ may learn better than the ones with very low IQ levels.
Learning styles and their effectiveness may also vary with age. Similarly, gender also plays
an important role in learning process. Male children possess very strong visual, tactile and
kinesthetic abilities while female ones are auditory and formal in their approach. Make
children are mobile while female children are sedentary. Female children are more
authoritative, conforming and self-motivated in their approach. To summarize, Dunn theory
of learning seeks to identify and detect key earning styles of individuals and create course
content based in their individual styles. Continue to read Parents' Tips to Use Dunn Theory
of Learning.
Theory: Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles Model
According to learning-style theory, learners cognitive, affective, and physiological
patterns contribute substantially to their academic outcomes. These patterns are
relatively stable indicators of how individuals perceive, interact with, and respond to
their instructional environment (Dunn & Dunn, p.1).
Theorist: Dr. Rita & Kenneth Dunn
Biography:
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
Dr. Rita Dunn, Ed. D. earned her degree from St. Johns University in New York.
Received the N.Y.U. Research Scholarship Award and has authored or co-authored 30 textbooks
and have had over 490 articles, chapters, and studies published and was the recipient of 31
research awards. For more than 3 decades Dr. Dunn has been a Professor in the Department of
Administrative and Instructional Leadership, Coordinator of the Instructional Leadership
Doctoral Program. She also is the director for Center for the Study of Learning and Teaching
Styles at St. Johns University, New York (Dunn & Dunn, n.d.).
Kenneth J. Dunn earned his degree in Administration and School systems at Columbia
University. Dr. Dunns thesis on collaborative leadership used as the model. Currently he is a
professor and coordinator of the Education Leadership Program, Queens College, City
University of New York. Dr. Dunn has served as a superintendent of schools in several
prestigious New York and New Jersey districts before entering higher education in 1982. He has
authored or co-authored 15 books, published 80 articles, research papers, and monographs and
his contributions to education have been reported by more than 50 scholarly texts. Kenneth and
his wife Rita were the first couple together elected to the Hunter College Hall of Fame (Dunn &
Dunn, n.d.).
Description of Theory:
Dunn and Dunn describe that leaning has multi-dimensional aspects that
have been proven by research conducted over several decades. The multidimensional aspects are ways in helping learners improve the processing of
information, the capacity to concentrate, and to remember new and difficult
academic information (Dunn & Dunn, n.d.). Through extensive data collection
learning styles of different achievement, age, cultural, and gender groups have
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
been collated and Dunn and Dunn suggests (n.d.), Harnessing learning styles to
improve achievement of new difficult materials is robust across specific variables
and its improvement is long lasting (p. 1).
When assessing the learning styles model of Dunn and Dunn, the theory is
based on the following:
Most people can learn;
Different learning environments, curriculum, and styles of delivery respond
to different learning styles strengths;
All learners have a strength, but different learners possess very different
strengths;
Instructional preferences for individuals can be reliably measured and they
do exist;
The environment, resources, and approaches given to students have shown
to provide a statistically higher achievement level, attitude- test scores in
congruent, rather than in incongruent treatments;
According to Dunn & Dunn (n.d.), Everyone has a learning style and
everyone has learning-style strengths. It is easier to learn through strengths than it
is to learn through weaknesses (p. 3). Dunn and Dunn identify aspects of learners
and have provided a list of specific statements based on decades of research; (1)
People learn in different settings, (2) People feel differently about learning new and
difficult academic information, (3) People feel differently about with whom they
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
learn, (4) People remember new and difficult information through different
perceptual modalities, (5) People learn at different times of the day or night, and (6)
People process difficult information differently (Dunn & Dunn, p. 4).
Through this model the learning style elements, can identify several
instructional methods that could be effective to learners. The model identifies the
stimuli that effect individuals learning; environmental, emotional, sociological,
physiological, and psychological. The elements with the stimuli effecting learning
are as follows:
Environmental
Sound, Light, Temperature, and Seating
Emotional
Motivation, Responsibility/Conformity, Task Persistence, and
Structure
Sociological
Physiological
Self, Pair, Peers, Team, Adult, and Variety
Perceptual, Intake, Time of Day, and Mobility
Psychological
Analytic, Global, Reflective, and Impulsive
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
Strategically designing the environment, providing structurally sound curriculum,
using peer constructs, considering delivery approaches, and the ability to create
psychological approaches for the learner give individuals who learn differently the
opportunity to be successful in a teaching environment.
Theory Measurement/Instrumentation:
The Dunn and Dunn learning styles assessments are available online at
[Link]. There are 5 different assessment tools that can be purchased for $5/student
or online assessment systems are available to purchase. The cost of the online system is
unknown. The assessments identify individuals' unique learning-style and the resulting reports
offer comprehensive insights and strategies that promote academic achievement and improved
performance. OPALS is for Pre-K/Primary Schools ages 3-6, ELSA is for Elementary School
ages 7-9, LSCY is for Middle School ages 10-13, LIVES is for High School ages 14-18, and BE
is for Adult ages 17-older.
Report Prepared by:
Gary Dotterer
References
Dunn, R., & Dunn, K. (n.d.). Dunn and Dunn Theoretical Cornerstone Article. Retrieved
November 1, 2008, from personal communications.
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
Figure 1.
Dunn and Dunn Learning Style Model Diagram
[Link]
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Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles
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