Eliminating the Average

Todd Rose's 'The Myth of Average' talk begins with a famous example. Cockpits in the Air Force were once designed to average proportions; however, a study by Gilbert Daniels proved that no single pilot was average across all different dimensions. In effect, cockpits designed for the average were really designed for no one. The Air Force decided to ban the average, forcing manufacturers to design according to the "jagged profile." Essentially, they had to accommodate for each extreme on the spectrum of dimensions, which leads to a diversified talent pool.

Rose asserts that the classroom is the "cockpit of our economy," and urges us to learn by example. An education system designed for the average student drastically undercuts potential rather than nurturing it. As a result, the education system faces declining test scores and increasing drop out rates, with 1.2 million drop outs in the US alone, 4% of which are considered intellectually gifted.

Like pilots vary on dimensions of size, students vary on dimensions of learning. In a digital landscape, it is much easier to accommodate for the jagged learning profiles of each student, creating a flexible system that nurtures individual talent.