Overview
It is generally taken for granted that human behavior distributes along the lines of a bell-shaped, normal curve. This idea underpins much educational theory, research, and practice. There is, however, a considerable body of research demonstrating that the normal curve grossly misrepresents the human experience. Yet the acceptance of the normal curve continues to be used to pathologize children and adults with disabilities by positioning them as abnormal. Collectively, the contributors to this volume critique the ideology of the normal curve. Some explicitly challenge the assumptions that underpin the normal curve. Others indirectly critique notions of normality by examining the impact of normal curve thinking on educational policies and practices. Many contributors go beyond critiquing the normal curve to propose alternative ways to imagine human differences. All contributors agree that the hegemony of the normal curve has had a devastating effect on those presumed to live on the boundaries of normal.
Full Product Details
Author: Scot Danforth ,
Susan L. Gabel ,
Curt Dudley-Marling ,
Alex Gurn
Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing Inc
Imprint: Peter Lang Publishing Inc
Edition: New edition
Volume: 11
Weight: 0.490kg
ISBN: 9781433107306
ISBN 10: 1433107309
Pages: 262
Publication Date: 08 September 2010
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Awaiting stock
The supplier is currently out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out for you.
Reviews
In this provocative and illuminating book, a stellar collection of authors critiques 'the normal curve,' one of the most enduring (and damaging) myths in American education. This must-read book will prompt readers to rethink their fundamental assumptions about ability and disability. (Marilyn Cochran-Smith, Cawthorne Professor of Teacher Education for Urban Schools, Lynch School of Education, Boston College) 'The Myth of the Normal Curve' provides a much-needed critique of commonly and even scientifically accepted notions of normality. For too long we have supported an ideology of normality without much interrogation of the subject. This book provides that interrogation. (Lennard J. Davis, Professor of English and Disability Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago)
In this provocative and illuminating book, a stellar collection of authors critiques 'the normal curve,' one of the most enduring (and damaging) myths in American education. This must-read book will prompt readers to rethink their fundamental assumptions about ability and disability. (Marilyn Cochran-Smith, Cawthorne Professor of Teacher Education for Urban Schools, Lynch School of Education, Boston College) 'The Myth of the Normal Curve' provides a much-needed critique of commonly and even scientifically accepted notions of normality. For too long we have supported an ideology of normality without much interrogation of the subject. This book provides that interrogation. (Lennard J. Davis, Professor of English and Disability Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago)
Author Information
Curt Dudley-Marling was a special education teacher for seven years and also taught third grade. He is currently a professor in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College where he teaches courses on language and literacy. His scholarly interests include the social construction of school failure, classroom discourse, and disability studies. Alex Gurn is a Ph.D. candidate in curriculum and instruction at the Lynch School of Education, Boston College. His professional work experiences include work as a community-based educator, as a language teacher with high school and adult learners, and as an out-of-school time specialist for the Massachusetts Department of Education. His other research interests span the sociology of education, cultural studies, youth literacy practices in and out of educational institutions, and qualitative research methodologies.
