Developing More Curious Minds

by John Barell

After the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, many people questioned why no one had anticipated the terrorists' acts, even when events and intelligence seemed to point toward... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0871207192
• ISBN13: 9780871207197
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Deve
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

It's About Time!

"Inquisitive minds are the safeguards of our democracy, now and forever." John BarellJohn Barell, states in his insightful book Developing More Curious Minds, that student questions are the attainment of the highest thinking skills. Some will be tempted to take this thesis for granted. But think of actual classroom practice. Too often, in most of our classrooms, student questions are a distraction from our plan and our pacing. Listening to questions, thoughtfully responding to questions, guiding students to discover their own answers to questions rather than supply the answers for them takes time and skill. Time is the one thing most of have in very, very short supply.But Barell gently reminds us that questions signal thought processing which is the goal of effective classroom interaction. This book is unique in that Barell offers actual teaching practices and ideas to facilitate higher order thinking in our classrooms. Developing More Curious Minds details how to teach for student inquiry.Too many books declare the importance of inquiry teaching. But after the studies are noted and the experts quoted, there are very few pages left for the actual implementation of inquiry-oriented teaching. It's About Time that a book came along that speaks to "how" to reach and develop curious minds. I was glad to finally read a book that quotes and highlights the practices of other learning specialists and educators in the field. I especially liked the student responses and the modeling of effective inquiry teaching practices.Anyone who has opened a computer's user manual knows that effort is the key to success. I may know what all the words in the user's manual mean, but only when I attempt to carry out their instruction is success a possibility. IQ alone will not equal technological competence or school and life success. Only communication through thoughtful response in an environment that encourages a free exchange of ideas will meet the inquisitive, curious minds of our students. Developing More Curious Minds does just that.

Excellent Resource for Educators

This book was recommended to me, and I feel compelled to do likewise! Part teacher reference, part anecdotal, this book teaches metacognitive strategies and relates all concepts provocatively and seemlessly to society. It presents the BIG picture-you will never be at a loss for words when students ask you WHY they are studying a concept! I found this book to be an excellent resource for the classroom and recommend it to all college students I teach. If you buy only one book on inquiry, this is it... With many practical ideas and pedagogical philosophy, this book will inspire you! A must have!

Encouraging young folks to express themselves articulately

Developing More Curious Minds By John Barell (Professor Emeritusis, Montclair State University) is an impressive and "reader friendly" compendium of ideas for enriching young people's learning experiences and contributing to more open and inquisitive ways of thought. From making wise use of the World Wide Web, to looking critically at texts, to encouraging young folks to express themselves articulately in oral and written communication, Developing More Curious Minds is an excellent and highly recommended supplemental addition to any grade school, high school, or home schooling curriculum development resource and reference list.