The normal curve is a distribution most appropriate to chance and random activity. Education is a purposeful activity and we seek to have students learn what we would teach. Therefore, if we are effective, the distribution of grades will be anything but a normal curve. In fact, a normal curve is evidence of our failure to teach.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that education should not conform to a normal distribution of grades, as that implies ineffective teaching.
Benjamin Bloom argues that education is a deliberate and intentional process aimed at fostering learning among students. If grades follow a normal distribution, it demonstrates a failure in educational effectiveness, as this would mean that many students are not reaching their potential. Effective teaching should result in diverse outcomes, reflecting the varying levels of understanding and mastery among students, rather than the predictable bell curve associated with chance.
In practice
During a teacher conference, to discuss evaluation methods.
Education must be increasingly concerned about the fullest development of all children and youth, and it will be the responsibility of the schools to seek learning conditions which will enable each individual to reach the highest level of learning possible.
While the books I read as a child lacked diversity in the strict sense, they didn't lack values. Reading, I didn't see me externally, but I felt me - my humanity.
Sports and entertainment are the only places where inner-city kids see themselves being able to succeed. Their intellectual development is something they don't relate to.
When I first started studying Greek, one of my absolute favorite parts was realizing that so many English words had these old, secret roots. Learning Greek was like being given a super-power: linguistic x-ray vision.
I imagine a school system that recognizes learning is natural, that a love of learning is normal, and that real learning is passionate learning. A school curriculum that values questions above answers...creativity above fact regurgitation...individuality above conformity.. and excellence above standardized performance..... And we must reject all notions of 'reform' that serve up more of the same: more testing, more 'standards', more uniformity, more conformity, more bureaucracy.
The American high school graduate is two years behind his English, French or German counterpart; in Alabama, God knows how far behind.
Kids deserve the right to think that they can change the world.
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