Myth Of Average Takeaways

Here are my notes from the video today.

Video – The Myth of Average – Todd Rose

What good is the best technology if you can’t reach – 1:40

Design one cockpit to fit the most by designing to fit the “average pilot”

Study of 4000 pilots and measured on 10 dominions of size. How many are average on all 10 dimensions? 0 – no such thing as an average pilot

Found every pilot had a jagged size profile – no one is the same on every dimension

Designing on average is really designing for no one – air force banned the average – refused to buy jets where the cockpit was designed for the average and asked for them to be designed to fit the edges of the profile (build a flexible cockpit)

Air force improved performance of current pilots and expanded the talent pool. Many of the best today would never fit in the average cockpit.

In school –

Spending more money but getting less results

Dropout rate – 6:40

Our learning environment is designed for the average person – age appropriate

Students vary on many dimensions of learning – just like size every student has a jagged learning profile

If you design the learning environment on average it is designed for no one – they can’t possible nurture individual potential

The average huts everyone – even the best and brightest – destroys talent and potential

Average does not allow for challenge, students get board, and many drop out

Average means your weakness makes it hard to see your talent

Talent in science is masked by weakness in reading

Technology changes and we can do more but do not realize it – that is where we are today

Education has gone digital – US school are one of the largest buyers of iPads in the world

The question is what do you want the technology to be.

We have a change to create flexible learning environments to nourished the talents of every individual using technology using simple solutions (inexpensive)

Simple solutions have big impacts on the lives of individuals

New digital science lesion was not fancy but did not assume each student was at the same level

Teacher hates technology but is willing to go through the study in the hopes that it would help one child in the class

Improved performance using technology

The weakest science student became the strongest science student by the end of the study 14:10

Nurturing individual potential is what it is all about

Simple solutions can have a profound impact on individuals

What if we ban the average and demand the companies that provide resources design them for the edges instead of the averages.

Many students cannot be reached because we design to the average

Presenter is a high school drop out that is now faculty at Harvard – living example

3 key takeaways – put in an app, post to blog

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What is my adjustable seat?

I guess for me my adjustable seat would be the Options and Opportunities program that I coordinate. This program is designed for all types of learners and embraces their needs. It provides students with an experiential type of learning in which they not only research careers in which they have interest but they also get to go out and do placements in this field of work. This allows for students to experience different types of work until they really hzne in on what they are truly passionate about.