WHAT WORKS... WHAT DOES THE EEF TOOLKIT SAY?

The EEF Toolkit highlights the aspects that make a difference:

• Peer tutoring… learners work in small groups to provide each other with explicit teaching support.
• Small group work… professional educator working with two, three, four, or five students. 
• Collaborative Learning… where students work together in a group small enough for everyone to participate on a collective task that has been clearly assigned. 
• Digital technology… where learners use technology in problem solving or more open-ended learning.
• Feedback… information given to the learner about their performance relative to learning goals.
• Homework… including more extended activities to develop inquiry skills.
• Mastery learning… breaking subject matter and learning content into units with clearly specified objectives, which are pursued until they are achieved.
• Learn to learn approaches… teaching students specific strategies to set goals, and monitor and evaluate their own development.
• Outdoor and adventurous learning… involving collaborative experiences with a high level of physical (and often emotional) challenge. 
• Parental involvement… the active engagement of parents in supporting their children’s learning.

This research and guidance has driven the development of the “Better Learners, Better Workers’ programme over the last six years.