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Alumnus receives Presidential Award for teaching excellence

07/16/2012

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David Bonner

Miami University alumnus David Bonner (BS '02, MS '04) received the 2011 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Bonner was among 97 honorees who traveled to Washington, D.C. July 15 to receive their awards.

"DC was amazing and inspiring. It was like playing in an all-star game. I am so impressed with the other awardees and the government's genuine support of science and math education," Bonner said.

Bonner teaches physics at Hinsdale South High School in Darien, Ill. At Hinsdale, Bonner founded an action research team of teachers from a variety of disciplines. He also founded a math-science alignment team aimed at helping students better connect overlapping mathematics and science concepts.

Bonner strives to help his students connect physics to their everyday lives through engaging, hands-on activities. He constantly seeks new strategies, while also developing his own ideas. Those ideas have been published in journals such as The Science Teacher and The Physics Teacher.

Bonner also presents at conferences, including the annual conferences for the Illinois Science Teacher Association and National Science Teacher Association. His most recent work is in the areas of teaching and learning error analysis and experimentation skills.

Bonner is now completing a doctoral program in curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

See a complete interview with Bonner online.

Written by Denise Spranger, Miami's School of Education, Health and Society