Practical Approaches to Using Learning Styles in Higher Education [Hardcover]

Rita Dunn (Editor), Shirley A. Griggs (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 089789703X | ISBN-13: 978-0897897037 | Publication Date: April 30, 2000

Dunn and Griggs challenge the traditional instructional process of lecture/discussion in college classroom and describe the theory, practice, and research that support a wider variety of approaches to better accommodate the learning-style preferences of each student. Twenty-five practitioners from varied backgrounds and disciplines, representing 14 colleges and universities, outline alternative strategies they use with diverse students in their institutions of higher education. Some of these practitioners have been using learning-style for decades. Others have conducted research to test the various tenets of the Dunn and Dunn Learning- Style Model, and a few, only for the past five years, have begun providing instructional strategies that are congruent with their students' preferences. A "road map" is provided for college faculty to assist them in moving toward accommodating students' learning-style strengths by comparing the major theories of learning styles that range from uni- to multi-dimensional in scope. Strategies include: identifying and administering valid and reliable instruments for assessing college students' learning styles, interpreting assessment results so that each student becomes aware of his/her own strengths and is provided a computer-generated prescription for improving their study skills and successfully completing assignments, designing instruction to respond to both global and analytic students' processing styles, developing course content and materials to accommodate the learning-style preferences of college students, and evaluating the impact of learning-styles-based instruction.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This book is recommended for individuals who are willing to embrace the entire five-step method presented by the editors. It may also be useful in getting educators to think about the individual learning differences that exist within higher education.”–Community College Journal of Research and Practice

About the Author

RITA DUNN is Professor of Instructional Leadership and Director of the Center for the Study of Learning and Teaching Styles at St. John's University.

SHIRLEY A. GRIGGS is Professor of Counselor Education at St. John's University and is co-author of Multiculturalism and Learning Style (with Rita Dunn) (Praeger, 1998).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Bergin & Garvey (April 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089789703X
• ISBN-13: 978-0897897037
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,880,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Success stories in higher education, February 28, 2001

By 

George Zee (www.frzee.org, Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Practical Approaches to Using Learning Styles in Higher Education (Hardcover)

The Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles Model and all the corresponding educational and teaching strategies have proved beyond doubt their greater effectiveness with all kinds of students, including those at the tertiary level. This book, after two very condensed and up-to-date summaries of the theory and practice, gives more success stories of using learning-styles-based teaching in diverse settings in higher education. It is a report and does not give practical tools. After reading a number of such reports, I have a query. Each person's learning style is biologically and developmentally determined. To what extent can we change that? If teachers can change their teaching styles, can we use the Learning Styles Model as a guide to help students to develop more flexibility in learning? After all, we may not always have people in our personal and professional life, who will match our learning styles. In a society that depends a lot on the visual mode for success, could we first teach all children to be more visual in learning and achieve greater positive outcomes without depending on teachers to match our own style of learning? I'd like to see more future research done in this direction instead.