2004 NDASCD Annual Conference
April 1-2, 2004
University of Mary, Bismarck, ND

From Left to right: Justin J. Wageman, John Barell, Clarence Bina

LETTER FROM JOHN BARELL :

Klea, I wanted to let you know what a wonderful experience I had in Bismarck with the folks from NDASCD, NDATE, NDAACTE and the students of the University of Mary, where the event was held on Friday, 2 April. Justin Wageman and all of his colleagues were absolutely splendid in their hospitality and reception to the ideas presented. What made this special was the presence of college students, teacher candidates, who attended the presentation, critiqued it and with whom I was able to share some valuable time.

All in all, this was a splendid forum and all of the fine folks in Bismarck were most gracious and interested in the ideas contained with Developing More Curious Minds. What I was able to do was share with them in a large group presentation the personal history of how this book came to be written, about the Antarctica project and how it fostered inquiry, problem-centered learning, a wide array of speaking, writing, drawing, researching and goal -setting experiences most of which were supported by family and teachers. Then in the workshop we were able to touch briefly on some of the strategies within the book. This was an ideal set up as far as I was concerned because, if given an opportunity, I like to share with people why inquiry is so important to me in a very personal, narrative format and then go into the specific strategies in more of a workshop setting.

Anyway, I appreciate your help in setting this session up. I met a young woman at Newark airport who, when she learned where I was going, commented that "There's nothing much in Bismarck." Well, she was from neighboring Minnesota and I can now tell her there's a lot going on. The Bismarckians loved the story.

Thanks again,

Best wishes,

John