Creative. Innovative. Generous. These words crop up repeatedly when Curtis Bonk’s students and colleagues describe his impact on their understanding of the educational process.

On a given day, Bonk’s students might partake of a number of pedagogical strategies. They might make poster presentations of time lines or taxonomies, for example. They might take quizzes that resemble Jeopardy or Bingo in format, or have fireside chats with guest experts. Scavenger hunts, portfolios, conference-style research presentations and scholarly journal creation are all part of the experience; students don’t merely research a topic and write a paper. They become a panel of authors contributing articles to "educational journals" that they have created.

"You see, Dr. Bonk has a little Tom Sawyer in him," wrote one student. "Through his enthusiasm, Dr. Bonk, like Mark Twain’s character, has you wanting to paint the fence. You get fooled into learning!"

Bonk’s array of pedagogical strategies all have the same aim: to engage students in the creation of knowledge and in their own learning. "One participates in, rather than ‘attends’ Doc Bonk’s classes," explained one former student, who recalled entering the classroom on the first day to discover The Who’s song, Magic Bus, playing in the background. The song provided a vivid metaphor for the educational travels upon which the class would embark.

http://education.indiana.edu/