The Raising attainment – Improving Life Chances (PDF) is a resource from West Lothian Educational Psychology Service. It includes a series of information sheets aimed at improving life chances.

Using this resource

The information sheets are used across West Lothian Council to improve life chances through:

Effective questioning

How questions are fielded by teachers sets the learning climate and enables learners’ thinking to be revised, affirmed and extended in a cost effective way which also supports positive relationships between teachers and learners. 

Improvement feedback

Evidence about the learner’s current level of skill is critical to providing improvement feedback.

Peer tutoring

‘Peer Learning builds on individuals’ strengths and mobilises them as active participants in the learning process…they also learn transferable skills in helping, cooperation, listening and communication.’ Topping (2005)

Peer evaluation

Peer evaluation is an excellent skill which can be developed within the classroom to encourage children and young people to further develop their critical thinking skills.

Metacognition

Learners’ beliefs about learning and their capacity to learn are essential to motivation.

Self-regulated learning

Supporting learners to review learning.

Reflective questions

The following questions may provide a stimulus for discussion:

• How well do our questioning strategies enhance the learners’ experience and enable higher-order thinking skills?

• How well do we enable all children and young people to engage in self- and peer-assessment to improve their learning? How do we know this benefits learning?

• How effectively are we supporting learners to initiate questions about their own learning and progress?