When you consider for a moment what the DVSA Driving Standard says when it speaks about the aims of a driving instructor, it mentions about developing relationships with pupils that create a safe, trusting learning environment where effective learning takes place that is meaningful and appropriately delivered for the needs of the pupil. As such, it is logical to assume that the criteria for the Standards Check assessment are aligned with those goals.
I offer this account of my latest Standards Check for any PDI's/ADI's monitoring the blog to assist them to achieve what they want to achieve.
"The Road Traffic Act 1988 (as amended) requires ADI's to periodically show that they continue to maintain the minimum standards of instructional ability to remain on the register".
I went online and saw what was available and booked up the first test that was convenient for me, today (nearly 2 months later). I should state for the record that my driving school runs intensive driving courses which are now (as I write) taking bookings in mid-September. To put things in context, I worked 67.5 hours in the car last week, that was just in-car training, earning in excess of £2700 for the week. Customers pay for these courses at least 3 weeks in advance, often much sooner.
As I worked my way through last week, although I had the Standards Check in my diary (and committed) I had absolutely no idea, which pupil I would be taking to it, I was very much in the thick of my work. My personal attitude to this check is that it should reflect what I am doing day in, day out, to be meaningful as opposed to what some peers do where they act in an entirely different manner for the standards check to how they behave every other day of the year.
When I saw Abby the day before my test, she wanted to do an assessment drive which I offer. This drive is a smashing route of different driving conditions for about 45 minutes. I devised it many years ago, and it has served my customers very well over the years. It has nothing to do with driving tests but just enables them to recognise their strengths/weaknesses over a fair duration journey. It really is a fabulous route which I would thoroughly recommend you take the time to discover in the areas you serve.
When Abby did this session what was discovered was this silent force that is in her head making her continue making progress even when the conditions suggest a different approach. She had a rather close shave with a massive HGV that came around a blind bend on a rural road. But having said that, she mentioned in the de-brief at the end how happy she was to have done it, as she now has a concrete idea of what she needed to work on..... music to my ears, as I'm sure any established instructor reading will connect with entirely.
I had been working in Boston from 8-12, so I needed to hot foot down to Peterborough to meet my pupil who was making her own steam to the test centre. We met up outside the test centre at about 1.10pm, just enough time for her to park up (reverse bay park) into the test centre car park; a benefit that is not afforded to the vast majority of learners who are not allowed to practise in the busy car park.
"Are you familiar with this form?"
"Yes, very"
"Are you? Have you done a workshop on the Standards Check then?"
"No, but I know it well" (What a very odd question to ask I thought, why would he want to know that?)
He asks about my pupil (she is still sat in the car outside by the way), I give him a rundown that she has done 22 hours with me, I mentioned the Assessment Drive last night, I mention the need to develop "Awareness & Planning", he digs for more, and I elaborate on what happened and the skill she needs to work on.
As we walk outside to the car, quite oddly, he starts asking me when I was last checked, and I had the previous SC 1 in my hand. I find him stood there, looking at his scoring from the last one, making little comments for about a minute - this is while my pupil is sat in the car about 5 metres away. How very strange I thought. Bearing in mind that assessment was over 4 years previous, I'm stood there wondering what relevance it has on the situation ahead of us..... in the slightest.
We get in the car. He greets my pupil, sits in the back seat and my pupil mentions about the poor candidates around us who are going in for their test and how petrified they look. It was a nice ice-breaker to the situation.
What do we talk about for at least 10 minutes? The Assessment Drive last night, her comments in the de-brief last night, what she discovered about the skill lacking on the faster roads. I mentioned about how the same skill was exposed on her driving course with me a couple of weeks earlier, and I show her the "Safety Critical Incident Action Plan" that was raised after an incident with a humped bridge and oncoming tractor. She instantly recalls it and makes a meaningful connection between these two incidents from completely different locations (one was in Grantham, the other Peterborough). I ask whether she took the time to watch a video I have produced on this subject of why pupils feel intimidated to driver faster. The video was uploaded to my YouTube channel 2 weeks ago, it has had 52 views to date, with 5 thumbs up.... don't knock it, folks, 10% positive engagement on educational videos as opposed to entertainment videos is not to be sniffed at. My channel has over 1100 subscribers and been viewed over 600,000 times, but for me, it is all about the engagement (much like my attitude with facilitating learning too). She independently mentions about the need for her to pick up clues as to what is up ahead. We clarify that we are talking faster, rural roads here. I ask her what she could reasonably expect to see in the way of clues which she stumbles on. I open up the already prepared page of "Know your traffic signs" and point to hazard signs, severe bend signs and she mentions about the white lines getting closer together. I show her another graphic about "Limit points" (judging the severity of bends on rural roads), which she instantly recognises and makes mention of it on her course (she did this over in Corby Glen).
We talk about how she would know her two kids in the back have not clicked a seat belt off or left a rear door slightly open. We talk about the level of my verbals, and how we can plan to taper them off as the session goes on to facilitate her learning. We talk about my intervention via duals and steering wheel if needed, and I openly ask her how she would like to use me as a learning resource, to begin with. We make a plan. Everyone is happy. She even turns around in her seat and physically checks the examiner's seat belt is on while asking him - what a star pupil.
"When you consider the skill that you are about to work on for a moment. How does this skill compare in importance with other skills that you have been developing over our time together?"
Abby says "Sorry, how do you mean?"
"Well if you think about the consequences when a driver misreads a situation on a rural road, fails to anticipate what might be around a bend, doesn't get the speed sorted early enough, how does that skill compare to the skill of being in the correct gear for the speed, or the timing of turning a signal off? In terms of importance?"
"Oh yes well obviously that would be more important".
I think to myself "obviously..... hmm". When Abby did her course with me one of the pieces of feedback she offered was:
"During my week with Tom not only have I learnt about driving, I have grown in confidence and thought about things I have never considered previously." Fine words indeed, for which I am very proud to hear from a customer.
To any PDI reading this and thinking that briefing seems completely over the top, mark my words, it was not.
Off we go, and Abby is very nervous. She is driving at a significantly lower ability than the night before, but she gets out the test centre and the side road, and we find ourselves approaching a crossroads.
The conversations we have as she is driving along vary from the need for her to breathe, to using safety mirror checks AND update mirror checks eg to be aware of someone overtaking before they start, to considering the driving conditions, to thinking about the skill being developed of recognising potential hazards and responding to them without really knowing how things will evolve, to consider speed signs as MAXIMUM speeds rather than target speeds, it is the conditions that dictate the speed rather than the speed signs. I attempt to skew her mind towards building experience and confidence in her skills rather than dwelling on driving faults on a test.
I mention to Abby about positioning in the road, and that she needs to be slightly left - before I finish talking, Abby confirms she is thinking about that, and starts to correct it immediately. I say to Abby how position in the road trumps everything.
And she breathes.
And I breathe.
She then talks at length about the challenges she finds. She is a fascinating pupil, always has been. She thinks deeply, personally and she can express her views clearly; she gives me insight to her thoughts and feelings; I ask you, what more could a driving instructor ask from a pupil. I ask her if she feels it appropriate for me to lay off some of the verbals to facilitate learning to which she agrees. I also remind her that we will be going back to the flashpoint with the lorry from the night before. She gives an outward expression of horror but then follows it up with how important it was to go back to see the same location after the Critical Safety Incident in Grantham on her course. I ask you, what more could you ask of a pupil than to independently recognise the importance of revisiting an opportunity for learning after such an experience. And she did this freely with no prompting; quite staggering in my experience. I am absolutely loving this session, and before we know it, we are off.
Prior to her going though, I ask her which blindspot will she be checking before the handbrake goes off.
As we head on back towards the test centre (still 10 mins drive) I start to mention about safety mirror checks and invite her to remember the other type mentioned, which she recalls correctly (things are sinking in). I invite her to grade her confidence in driving on these faster moving roads, she fudges the question, and I bank that one for the de-brief. I talk to her about distractions that her 2 young ones could create in the back and how at these higher speeds that can quickly impact safety. Before we know it, we are back in the test centre with perfect timing.
The de-brief was a joy. The handbrake went on, neutral and engine off. I said "And we live to tell the story! Well done Abby".
Abby thought deeply about what happened; she considered the pro's and con's, evaluated how she felt she did in terms of progress as well as maintaining safety. I remember to invite her again to somehow grade her confidence. "Was the session worthwhile?" I asked she responded in the affirmative. It really was lovely to hear. She independently stated she wanted to do more of that, and build upon that skill further. We agreed together that was indeed a good plan.
Off goes the examiner.
The examiner comes back, Abby goes to wait in the test centre, and while the examiner climbs into the driver's seat (I'm in the passenger seat) this is the conversation:
"Well Tom I was really wanting you to get an A there as no doubt you were too"
"Really"
"It's a B Tom." He hands me the SC1. "Why did you not deal with the oncoming car on the crossroads?"
"Because I didn't need to. She didn't make the driver stop, swerve, slow or swear."
"But where were her eyes?"
"Where were her eyes?"
"I could see them from the back seat, Tom."
"Hold on a minute. You are referring to crossroads where she did not make a driver react in any way. I've now been doing this job since 2009 and not had one single accident in all that time......"
"Well in that case then Tom......"
And the examiner leaves the car and heads into the test centre. As he leaves the car, I say to him "Totally unprofessional".
I collect Abby, and off we go.
I have observed enough driving tests over the years now to know that you cannot see the pupil's eyes when you are sat behind them; not even in the central mirror, unless of course you were to position your head so far to the left that you would indeed be blocking the drivers view out of the rear windscreen which in itself would be an unsafe action to take.
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