About+Mr.+Dahlman

=Mr. Jim Dahlman=

Education
High School: Delano Senior High School, Delano, MN

College: B.A. from Saint John's University, Collegeville, MN Major: Chemistry Minor: Secondary Education

Licensure
State of Minnesota 9-12 Chemistry State of Minnesota 9-12 Physics

Approach to Teaching
Here are my fundamental beliefs about education that guide what I do in the classroom:

1. **Learning is an active process.** Students are not "empty vessels" for me to fill with information. Students need to be actively engaged in the class if they are going to learn. Therefore, I strive to make every lesson relevant, interesting, and engaging for my students so that they will become an active learner in class.

2. **Learning how to learn is just as important as learning the course content.** I know that my students are not all going to go on and major in some area of science (all though that would be great!), so a major emphasis of the class assignments and projects is learning techniques to help students learn independently that can be used in all fields. Some of these skill that I feel are particularly important are study habits, test preparation, active reading, collaborative learning (team learning), and independent research. My goal is to teach these skills through the subjects of chemistry and physics.

3. **Technology is a vital component of the learning process.** Researchers call this high school generation "digital natives," having been surrounded by technology since they were very young. Technology is a very powerful tool that when used properly can be a great help to students, since they have been using it throughout their lives.

4. **If you set high expectations, students will rise to the occasion.** Chemistry and physics are not easy subjects, but just because they are hard does not mean I will lower my expectations for them. If a student wants to earn an A in class, they should expect to work very hard throughout the semester. I realize that I expect a lot from my students, so they have a right to expect a lot out of me. I will never assign something that I feel my students cannot do or a test question that they cannot answer. I also make myself available as much as possible outside of regular class time for students to come in and receive extra help on course topics