Editing Learning styles (section)

=== Dunn and Dunn ===
Various researchers have attempted to hypothesize ways in which learning style theory can be used in the classroom. Two such scholars are Rita Dunn and Kenneth Dunn, who build upon a [[#Learning modalities|learning modalities]] approach.<ref name="Coffield"/>{{rp|20–35}}<ref name="Dunn1978">{{cite book |last1=Dunn |first1=Rita Stafford |last2=Dunn |first2=Kenneth J. |date=1978 |title=Teaching students through their individual learning styles: a practical approach |location=Reston, VA |publisher=Reston Pub. Co. |isbn=0879098082 |oclc=3844703}}</ref>

Although learning styles will inevitably differ among students in the classroom, Dunn and Dunn say that teachers should try to make changes in their classroom that will be beneficial to every learning style. Some of these changes include room redesign, the development of small-group techniques, and the development of "contract activity packages".<ref name="Dunn1978"/> Redesigning the classroom involves locating dividers that can be used to arrange the room creatively (such as having different learning stations and instructional areas), clearing the floor area, and incorporating students' thoughts and ideas into the design of the classroom.<ref name="Dunn1978"/>

Dunn and Dunn's "contract activity packages" are educational plans that use: a clear statement of the learning need; multisensory resources (auditory, visual, tactile, kinesthetic); activities through which the newly mastered information can be used creatively; the sharing of creative projects within small groups; at least three small-group techniques; a pre-test, a self-test, and a post-test.<ref name="Dunn1978"/>

Dunn and Dunn's learning styles model is widely used in schools in the United States, and 177 articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals referring to this model.<ref name="Coffield" />{{rp|20}} However, the conclusion of a review by Coffield and colleagues was: "Despite a large and evolving research programme, forceful claims made for impact are questionable because of limitations in many of the supporting studies and the lack of independent research on the model."<ref name="Coffield" />{{rp|35}}