Rose, T. (2016.) The End of Average – How We Succeed in a World that Values Sameness. New York: Harper One.
All pilots in the US Air Force in the 1940s and early 1950s had trouble controlling their planes as the cockpits had been designed for an ‘average’ that did not exist. Not one pilot matched the dimensions of the cockpit, which had been designed by averaging the measurements of 4,600 pilots.
The bell curve (also known as the "normal curve") is not normal. Yet most of our educational institutions are designed around the notion of the average learner, despite the fact we now have access to technologies and business processes which enable us to personalize learning and differentiate teaching and service by need. This well written, straightforward and quick-to-read book must be on every policy maker and planner's reading list. It will change how we think about assessment, teaching and students.
