Do You Attract Inactive Learners?

In this blog Tom Ingram (Owner of BIG TOM Driving School) encourages PDI’s to have the willingness to reflect deeply on their working effectiveness.

When helping to develop safe drivers it is all too easy to consider the passing of driving tests as being the key measure of your success.  There will be driving schools up and down the UK, large and small who have a culture built on this approach.  It does a deep disservice to the industry and has a profound influence on the expectations of future pupils.

“Makes it very easy”

“He’ll get you through”

“Very reliable no nonsense”

“Guaranteed to pass”

“Doesn’t rip you off”

“All her customers get through first time”

These kind of remarks from previous pupils are a symptom of the problem.  It demeans the work that professional driving instructors do.  It limits learning and although I cannot substantiate this remark, I rather suspect that it contributes negatively to road safety statistics.

In order to facilitate safe and responsible driving, our guiding Driving Standard states:

“…. learners who are not engaged by the training, just receive information, are less well equipped to deal with the wide range of challenges they will meet, when they drive independently, than those who are supported to be active learners”.

It is the level of engagement of our pupils that ultimately dictates the effectiveness of the learning experience [teachers would at this point I’m sure take a deep sigh].  A pupil who is relying on your continued prompting to remember observations, or to drive within the law is simply not engaged.  They are choosing not to own the learning process.  An inactive learner has no intention of modifying their behaviour.  It matters not how many hours you spend with an inactive learner, they are not “learning”, there is no behavioural change due to a lack of desire to drive responsibly. 

It is imperative to spend time at the start putting a frame around the expectations of the learning environment.  Pupils need to sense boundaries, visualise targets and in the interest of an effective working relationship, there needs to be clarity and understanding between pupil and instructor. 

If a pupil has little understanding or experience with the concept of self-awareness for example, then you will be doing them a great service in developing it in a non-judgemental but structured manner.  A pupil who is ‘unconsciously incompetent’ and therefore has an attitude that is limiting their active learning is a challenge, there is no doubt about it.  I would not like to pretend to you that this is always going to be plain sailing; I can think of plenty of examples over the years where the attitude of a pupil has limited their ability to develop into safe, independent drivers.

But my fundamental message in this blog is to start with a bit of self-awareness of our own contribution in the process.  It is unrealistic to expect our pupils to reflect on their thoughts and feelings when driving if we are incapable of doing it when we are working.  Fail to have any regard to the effectiveness you are having on your pupils and you are failing them in your duty.  As a PDI with aspirations of becoming an ADI you are signing up to delivering a quality of training to your pupils that will be meaningful, long lasting and effective for them.  Are you capable of assessing whether you are achieving that before you start placing too high expectations on your pupils?  Pupils will naturally draw opinions of your authenticity based on your ability, experience and understanding of what you are relaying to them.

Active learners don’t magically turn up in the car because they have shown a willingness to pay for your time.  This relationship needs careful attention, it requires 2 way investment of honesty, understanding, respect and fortitude. 

Before you start your next session with a pupil, visualise the pupil and ask yourself “Am I working with an active learner here?”  If the honest answer to that question is in the negative, then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT which goes beyond repeatedly telling the pupil how you want them to drive.   

Tom Ingram offers PDI training on a pay as you go basis 0775 607 1464