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Why Are School Buses Always Yellow?: Teaching for Inquiry, PreK-5
Deepen young students′ natural curiosity and strengthen questioning and thinking skills! Discover how to use the inquiry process to teach mandated content in preschool and primary classrooms while making learning relevant and lasting for young children, including learners with special needs. The author uses real classroom examples, provides prompts for framing good questions, offers recommendations for Internet resources, and provides techniques
- GenresEducationNonfiction
216 pages, Paperback
First published December 13, 2007
5 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
John Barell
15 books5 followersJohn Barell is a national and international consultant to schools interested in teaching inquiry, critical thought and reflection.
A native New Yorker, Barell has sailed to Antarctica as part of Operation Deepfreeze to explore that continent based upon his meetings and correspondences with Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd. After Antarctica, he became an educator in New York City public high schools, then at Montclair State University in teacher education and world literature (now Professor Emeritus). Subsequently (2000-2007), he was a consultant at The American Museum of Natural History where he fostered networks of inquiry among science and social studies educators.
Currently, he is researching the various ways we assess the quality and improvement of students’ performances with 21st century skills: inquiry, problem solving, critical/creative thought and technological proficiency. The first completed report on this project, How Do We Know They’re Getting Better? Assessment for 21st Century Minds, K-8 (Corwin), was published January, 2012. His focus now is on those who teach at the high school level.
Sailing to Antarctica has served as his model for inquiry: starting with a dream and a passion leading to explorations of new territories, both physical, spiritual, educational and creative.
Barell is author of these publications about Antarctica: Quest for Antarctica—A Journey of Wonder and Discovery (memoir, 2011, ebook); Surviving Erebus—An Antarctic Adventure on board HMS Erebus and Terror (YA novel, 2008; 2011 ebook) and “Twenty Below,” an award winning story published by Boys’ Life and Boys’ Life Anthology.
He is also the author of these professional books: Did You Ever Wonder? Fostering Curiosity Here, There and Everywhere (2013); How Do We Know They’re Getting Better? Assessment for 21st Century Minds, K-8 (2012); Why are School Buses always Yellow? Teaching for Inquiry, PreK-5 (2007); Problem-Base Learning—An Inquiry Approach (2007); Developing More Curious Minds (2003); “. . . EVER WONDER. . ?” (1992); Opening the American Mind (1988) and Playgrounds of Our Minds (1980).
A recent (2013) novel, Absolute Bearing, is available at amazon.com. One reviewer wrote: “Not since I read Nicholas Monsarrat's THE CRUEL SEA have I enjoyed a sea tale, indeed, a tale of life itself, so much!”
A native New Yorker, Barell has sailed to Antarctica as part of Operation Deepfreeze to explore that continent based upon his meetings and correspondences with Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd. After Antarctica, he became an educator in New York City public high schools, then at Montclair State University in teacher education and world literature (now Professor Emeritus). Subsequently (2000-2007), he was a consultant at The American Museum of Natural History where he fostered networks of inquiry among science and social studies educators.
Currently, he is researching the various ways we assess the quality and improvement of students’ performances with 21st century skills: inquiry, problem solving, critical/creative thought and technological proficiency. The first completed report on this project, How Do We Know They’re Getting Better? Assessment for 21st Century Minds, K-8 (Corwin), was published January, 2012. His focus now is on those who teach at the high school level.
Sailing to Antarctica has served as his model for inquiry: starting with a dream and a passion leading to explorations of new territories, both physical, spiritual, educational and creative.
Barell is author of these publications about Antarctica: Quest for Antarctica—A Journey of Wonder and Discovery (memoir, 2011, ebook); Surviving Erebus—An Antarctic Adventure on board HMS Erebus and Terror (YA novel, 2008; 2011 ebook) and “Twenty Below,” an award winning story published by Boys’ Life and Boys’ Life Anthology.
He is also the author of these professional books: Did You Ever Wonder? Fostering Curiosity Here, There and Everywhere (2013); How Do We Know They’re Getting Better? Assessment for 21st Century Minds, K-8 (2012); Why are School Buses always Yellow? Teaching for Inquiry, PreK-5 (2007); Problem-Base Learning—An Inquiry Approach (2007); Developing More Curious Minds (2003); “. . . EVER WONDER. . ?” (1992); Opening the American Mind (1988) and Playgrounds of Our Minds (1980).
A recent (2013) novel, Absolute Bearing, is available at amazon.com. One reviewer wrote: “Not since I read Nicholas Monsarrat's THE CRUEL SEA have I enjoyed a sea tale, indeed, a tale of life itself, so much!”
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 15, 2014
Informative look at the inquiry process. Easily accessible reading and a good quick reference book to re-read random chapters for quick reminders in the future. A working book for the classroom.
July 21, 2020
This is a book about inquiry learning. It has lots of great ideas but I'm only giving it a 2 because I thought the writing was awful.
July 7, 2022
Really got at the HOW to reach inquiry in the classroom
December 4, 2024
Well researched and I definitely learned a lot, but perhaps a bit too reliant on anecdotes. Still, a worthy read.
September 19, 2010
"Why Are School Buses Always Yellow" by John Barell, Professor Emeritus, Montclair State University encapsulates years of theory into workable practice. I probably would have saved thousands in college tuition loans if this resource had blessed me decades ago! (virtual "Wish I'd had a V-8" moment)!
Barell gently reiterates that questions signal higher-order thought processing which is the goal of effective classroom interaction and innovation. He reminds us that student questions are the attainment of the highest thinking skills.
Too many books declare WHAT an important concept inquiry teaching is. But, what teachers continue to ask for is actual implementation: HOW TO DO inquiry-oriented teaching. It's about time that a book came along that speaks to "HOW" to reach and develop inquisitive questioning.
Barell's visits to classrooms and discussions with both teachers and students form a dynamic role-play model. You will no doubt relate to the student responses and learn from modeling Barell's effective inquiry teaching practices. I also appreciate the structure of the chapters, Barell allows space for reflection, an often overlooked phase of learning.
Granny Newlen always admonished us kids to "Learn, discuss, then get up and move." She used such a phrase to get us up off the couch for a learning-walk where we would tell her what we had learned at school that day.
Start your own "learning walk" and buy this book. :)
Barell gently reiterates that questions signal higher-order thought processing which is the goal of effective classroom interaction and innovation. He reminds us that student questions are the attainment of the highest thinking skills.
Too many books declare WHAT an important concept inquiry teaching is. But, what teachers continue to ask for is actual implementation: HOW TO DO inquiry-oriented teaching. It's about time that a book came along that speaks to "HOW" to reach and develop inquisitive questioning.
Barell's visits to classrooms and discussions with both teachers and students form a dynamic role-play model. You will no doubt relate to the student responses and learn from modeling Barell's effective inquiry teaching practices. I also appreciate the structure of the chapters, Barell allows space for reflection, an often overlooked phase of learning.
Granny Newlen always admonished us kids to "Learn, discuss, then get up and move." She used such a phrase to get us up off the couch for a learning-walk where we would tell her what we had learned at school that day.
Start your own "learning walk" and buy this book. :)
November 9, 2015
In my role as IB Coordinator for my elementary school, I co-led a book study with staff on this book. It came highly recommended as a great book about inquiry from a couple of leaders at other IB schools. I wasn't so impressed. Perhaps there are not many great books on teaching for inquiry on the market, but I don't think I will recommend this one to anybody else. It gave our teachers a good basic understanding of what inquiry is, but did not offer a lot of practical application. This didn't affect my rating, but it's worth noting that this book was also fraught with typos.
June 20, 2012
I absolutely love this book! Totally inspiring and very practical at the same time through the many examples/ideas that can easily be put into practice. This book is going to become my constant reference and source of inspiration for everything related to inquiry (just like The Book Whisperer is for reading and reading motivation).
October 19, 2015
This book explains how to move from problematic scenarios to generate curriculum rather than how to work with generative questions themselves.
December 3, 2015
5-I wonder why, teach how to ask good questions
April 26, 2012
Great book to give teachers ideas to implement Inquiry in their classrooms.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews