Research interests
Michael Dunn has two main research interests: literacy skills/strategies and response to intervention. He likes to develop literacy skills/strategies that can be used in an intervention format. The Ask, Reflect, Text (ART) Strategy is one example. ART provides students with a means to develop and produce an elaborate narrative story. Students first ask themselves prodding questions (e.g., Who is in this story? Where does the story take place?) The next step is for students to reflect by creating an artistic representation of their answers to these questions; this helps them in the planning stage to evade the task of writing which is often so laborious that they have little mental energy left to think about story content. Students then compose the text of their story using their drawing/painting as a means to recall ideas to be included in the text. In this area of research, Dr. Dunn analyzes how students use the strategy, and how it promotes improvement in students' skills.
Teaching/professional interests
As an elementary/middle school teacher in the Toronto area for eleven years, Dr Dunn taught second-language education, kindergarten, and special education/English as second language. At Washington State University, Dr Dunn has taught the following courses at the master's and doctoral level: Education to Exceptional Children, Teaching Students with Disabilities, Assessment and Curriculum for Students with Disabilities, Inclusion Strategies for Special Education Teachers, Prevention and Remediation of Reading Disabilities, Teaching in Inclusive Classrooms, Seminar in Learning Disabilities, Seminar in Response to Intervention, Seminar in Single-Subject Design Methodology. Conduct research in special education assessment (e.g., response to intervention) and literacy skills/strategies.
Recent accomplishments
Publications:
- Dunn, M. W. (in press). Defining Learning Disability: Does IQ have anything significant to say? Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal. Manuscript accepted for publication.
- Marino, M. T., Coyne, M. D., & Dunn, M. (in press). Technology-based curricula: How altered readability levels affect struggling readers’ comprehension. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Manuscript accepted for publication.
- Dunn, M. W., Cole, C. M., Estrada. A. X. (2009). Referral criteria for special education: Canadian and American general education teachers’ perspectives. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 28(1), 28-35.
Conference presentations:
- Dunn, M. W. (2009, April 4). Response to intervention: Effective instruction and assessment with assistive technology. Poster presentation at the Council for Exceptional Children Annual Convention, Seattle, Washington.
- Dunn, M. W. (2009, February 26). Response to intervention: Effective instruction and assessment with assistive technology. Presentation at the Learning Disabilities Association of America Annual Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Dunn, M. W. (2009, February 25). Classifying English Language Learners with a learning disability: An RTI/multiple intelligences approach. Presentation at the Learning Disabilities Association of America Annual Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Educational background
- Ph.D. Special Education/Language Education, Indiana University, Bloomington, 2005
- M.A.Ed. Literacy Education, Mt. St. Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2002
- B.A./B.Ed. Second-Language Education/Political Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1991
