Margo J. Dahlstrom has worked with young children and their teachers for 30 years as a teacher, consultant, and adviser. She has taught multiple age levels in preschool through third grade during a rich and diverse career spanning two Native American reservations, Title I supported programs, and districts that enjoy privilege. Ms. Dahlstrom is a clinical instructor and site coordinator in the early childhood special education program in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and a member of the Barrett Honors faculty supporting students in extended research and applied projects. She sustains a role in education as an instructor, coordinator, and clinical experience supervisor in the teacher preparation program at the professional development site. Ms. Dahlstrom's instructional strategies are known for her student-centered approach with emphasis on active participation and inquiry. She received a Flynn Foundation Educator Award for unique classroom techniques and memorable classroom experiences. She has served nationally as an instructor and consultant for student-centered, inquiry-based mathematics instruction. Her area of research and academic interest encompasses the efficacy and implementation of problem-based instruction, the impact of economic opportunity on education and the evolution of teacher practice in response to a changing society.
Ms. Dahlstrom is a faculty advisory board member of the W.F. Kellogg Foundation-iTeachAz community embeddedness project and the site coordinator for the pilot site for the grant, Balsz Elementary School District. She serves as the liaison between teacher candidates, Balsz district administrators, and university principal investigators. The goal of the grant is to embed teacher candidates in the community to develop partnerships between classrooms and parents. She works with the Kellogg team to design opportunities and experiences in home visits and community engagement that will leverage parental familiarity and academic support for all students in the district.
- M.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison
- B.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Guiding Research Questions:
- How do we engage teacher candidates in sustainable community engagement experiences to become knowledgeable about the cultures and communities in which they teach?
- How might teacher candidates become advocates for the inquiry and problem-based approach to learning?
Current Research Projects:
Dahlstrom is a Faculty Advisory Board Member of the W.F. Kellogg Foundation-iTeachAz Community Embeddedness Project and the site coordinator for the Balsz Elementary School District, the pilot site for the grant. She serves as the liaison between the teacher candidates, Balsz district administrators and the university principal investigators. The goal of the grant is to embed teacher candidates in the community to develop partnerships between classrooms and parents. Dahlstrom workw with the Kellogg team to design opportunities and experiences in home visits and community engagement that will leverage the familiarity with parents to provide academic support for their children and ultimately all students in the district.
Additionally, Dahlstrom is a member of the iTeachELL Grant. The goal of the grant is to research, design and disseminate strategies to integrate STEM literacy and language to prepare all teachers to teach English language learners. Dahlstrom works with a team to focus on opportunities to become familiar with academic language and engage in experiences that are rich in discovery and resolving problems.