Driving Lessons Gloucester- A D I Standards Check- 7 Deadly Sins.

Standards Check- 7 Deadly Sins In Detail.

In this post I will describe the seven most common reasons for standards check failure, as advised by the D V S A. 1. Goals Was the lesson plan adapted, when appropriate, to help the pupil work towards their learning goals? At the start of the lesson you need to work with the learner to determine goals for the lesson – note that this involves more than simply asking “What do you want to do?” As a result of the initial ‘goals conversation' you will agree a lesson plan.   The lesson plan will sometimes be a fairly standard ‘set format' lesson in a given area – and might be sufficient to help the learner attain the lesson goals. However, given that everyone is different you need to have the flexibility to make changes ‘on the hoof' where necessary. Are your learners always comfortable and able to cope with the situation that they are in?  It might be that they are struggling a little with an agreed ‘challenge' – that's fine, as long as they are viewing it as a challenge and happy with the situation. However, if someone is ‘out of their depth' or the exercise is not helping the learner to move towards his/her goals, then YOU need to instigate a change of plan (discussed with the learner). The ‘inclusion' element is vital. The learner should know what they are supposed to be doing and taking responsibility for it all – if things are going wrong because of bad planning on your part, that information should also be shared and the situation corrected. 2. Risk management Did the trainer ensure that the pupil fully understood how the responsibility of risk would be shared? This is classic "job sharing" situation – The learner needs to know at all times how the job of "managing risk" will be shared. Here's an example given by the DVSA: “At all times I expect you to drive as carefully and responsibly as possible. I will expect you to be aware of other road users and to control the car. However, I do have the ability to take control of the car in an emergency. I will only use these controls when I feel that you are not dealing with the situation yourself. If that happens we will take some time to talk about what happened so that you understand for next time.” This statement is from the D V S A, but the similar statement in the previous post (D V S A- A D I Standards Check) is also quite acceptable. 3.Learning styles. Was the teaching style suited to the pupil's learning style and current ability? Different learners have different preferred ways of learning and understanding. Some like to get ‘hands on' others might prefer to discuss things and ask/answer questions first. You can find out a lot about how people learn best by noticing how they respond to different teaching methods. It's probably quicker to ask - sometimes you can get a direct answer to questions like ‘How do you learn best?', other times you might have to dig a bit, for example, by finding out about what they like doing at school, or what their hobbies are. What's really important here is your awareness of the learner's current state. Are they engaged and enjoying the lesson, or are they looking detached or bored? If they are not fully engaged, a different approach will probably help. How often do you ask “Is there any way I might have helped you differently?” 4. Taking Responsibility. Was the pupil encouraged to analyse problems and take responsibility for their learning? DVSA quote: “A key part of the client-centred approach is development of active problem solving in the pupil. This means that the ADI has to provide time for this to happen and has to stop talking for long enough for the pupil to do the work.” Effectively this means that it's not your job to do the learning, it's theirs! How many times have you asked a question and then jumped in with the answer yourself if the learner has not responded early? There are numerous ways that you can encourage learners to analyse problems and other issues. You might: Use comparative demonstration Get the learner to try different things (trial and error) Offer relevant info to fill any gaps in understanding Ask questions Pull up to discuss Set home learning projects Show media clips and discuss the situations Replay dash-cam footage Find out what works for the learner and the situation. But remember – simply ‘telling' does nothing to encourage responsibility. 5. General feedback Was the pupil given appropriate and timely feedback during the session? The DVSA info about this includes the following: “All feedback should be relevant, positive and honest. It is not helpful if the pupil is given unrealistic feedback which creates a false sense of their own ability. Where possible, feedback should not be negative. Rather than saying somebody has a weakness, consider expressing it as a learning opportunity. However, if they need to be told something is wrong or dangerous there is no point in waffling. The pupil should have a realistic sense of their own performance.” Never assume that your learners know when they are doing well or badly. Ask questions to establish their thoughts about any given situation and then confirm, or fill in the gaps. For feedback to be useful it needs to be ‘relevant and timely'. It's not always possible to give immediate feedback because of the situation you are in – but it must be given as soon as practicably possible. Also… Never assume that your feedback has been understood – ask questions, be aware of body language and facial expression and monitor actions following the feedback. Finally… Remember that eventually, your aim is to develop a driver who does not need your feedback to drive at test-standard (and above). Of course, there will always be information you can offer, – but too much feedback can hamper the acquisition of self responsibility. 6. Safety critical feedback. Was sufficient feedback given to help pupils understand any safety critical incidents? This is closely linked to general feedback above – but is specific to particular dangerous or potentially dangerous safety related incidents, that have occured. The same rules apply as with all other feedback in that it should be: Honest Framed positively Specific Personal (related to previous relevant issues) Timely (offered at the appropriate time) Learners should be encouraged to consider the cause of the incident, how it could have been avoided or dealt with better and how similar situations can be avoided in future. In order to fully understand the situation you will often need to give feedback about the facts (not judgements!) – better still to elicit feedback; to help the learner to remember/uncover the facts for themselves. Be aware that some safety-critical incidents are the result of poor or insufficient lesson planning – if this is the case use the situation as a learning experience for both of you. What can be done differently in future? How can poor planning affect drivers after they have passed the test? All errors can (and should) be seen and dealt with as learning and development opportunities. 7, Reflection Was the pupil encouraged to reflect on their own performance?  The review or recap process is a discussion in which both learner (primarily) and instructor consider how the lesson went. So what's the point? From a Standards Check/Learning point-of-view the review highlights the learning that has taken place and lessons learned from ‘problem issues'. It will also look forward to further development in future lessons and between lessons. By encouraging the learner to reflect on what went well (and not so well) you ensure that they have a realistic and more objective idea  of their progress towards the test and becoming a safe, independent driver. It is also valuable from a commercial point of view, as the student will tell friends and family how thorough their learning process is. They will leave the car better equipped than when they got in it. In Conclusion. When looking at each of the seven headings, they are all related to communication between the driving instructor and learner driver. This might be outward communication, sharing vital information about the lesson process with the learner, or inward communication, watching body language and/or listening to the learners feedback, answers to questions, etc. For learning to take place effectively and as speedily as possible you must make sure that your students have all of the information they need - at all times. Driving Lessons Gloucester.