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In 2015, the first version of the Australian Teaching & Learning Toolkit was launched, with support from the Department of Education and Training in Victoria, Social Ventures Australia (SVA) and a number of other organisations in Australia. The Teaching & Learning Toolkit was developed by two charities based in the UK, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the Sutton Trust, in collaboration with academics at Durham University. * While other study designs still give important information about effectiveness of approaches, there is a risk that results are influenced by unknown factors that are not part of the intervention. there is a large amount of unexplained variation between the results included in the topic.a large percentage of the studies were not independently evaluated.a large percentage of the studies took place in conditions distinct from regular practice of educators.a large percentage of the studies included are not randomised controlled trials*.only a small percentage of the studies have taken place recently.Studies included in the Teaching & Learning Toolkit all take place in schools rather than lab-studies, involve a comparison group (rather than simply testing students before and after intervention), and meet the definition of each topic. Additional padlocks are then lost due to a number of potential threats to evidence security. Topics are awarded padlocks based on the number of studies that meet the Toolkit inclusion criteria. That is why the Toolkits translate effect sizes into the months’ progress measure, as shown in the table below.Įvidence strength ‘padlock’ ratings provide an overall estimate of the robustness of the evidence. However, it can be difficult to understand what a given effect size actually means for the progress of children and young people.
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Effect sizes are quantitative measures of the impact of different approaches on learning.Įffect sizes describe the size of the difference between two groups in a standard and comparable way. These impact estimations are based on ‘effect sizes’ reported in comparative data (see table below). This means that students in a class where high quality feedback is provided can be expected to make, on average, six months more progress over the course of a year compared to another class of students who are performing at the same level at the start of the year.
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The months’ impact takes the average progress over a year as a benchmark.įor example, the ‘ feedback’ strand in the Teaching & Learning Toolkit shows that improving the quality of feedback provided to students has an average impact of six months. Months’ impact is estimated in terms of the additional months’ progress you can likely expect children and young people to make as a result of implementing an approach, compared to similar children and young people who did not receive the approach. Adopting a new approach requires careful planning, implementation and monitoring.
#Time in toolkit professional#
The Toolkits can tell you whether an approach has a good track record, but your professional expertise, other resources and ongoing evaluation are also important in making well-informed decisions on what is best to support children’s learning. Step 4: Draw on your professional expertise and consider implementation Other approaches may have a lower overall impact but may have a more well-established evidence base. Some approaches may be effective but not cost effective. Step 3: Think about cost and evidence as well as impact
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It is important to explore the detail in the Toolkits’ pages, including the impact of approaches for different ages or subjects. While the Toolkits do not make definitive claims as to what will work to improve outcomes in a given setting, they provide a starting point on what might be valuable, helping to identify ‘best bets’. Step 2: Look behind the headlines and think about what is ‘behind the average’ It is crucial to consider the needs of your students, what you want to achieve, and any barriers you might face before adopting an approach. Step 1: Consider your context and what you want to achieve We believe that the Toolkits should be used as part of a four-step decision-making process.
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