Practice and assessment

Lorna and Phil Jackman were having a rare 'timeout', drinking tea in the kitchen talking about their most prized possession. 
I do worry though Phil, I worry that we're putting unnecessary pressure on him.
Their 6-year-old son, Kye, was often the topic of conversation.
But that is how everyone gets on Lorna.  We can't wrap him up in a safety blanket. 
Phil loved challenges in his work life, Lorna was initially attracted to his aggressive style when she first started to notice him at their work many years ago.
He looked at his wife, her eyes showed that she clearly did not agree.  He knew that look. 
Ok, well we can, but a bit of failure in life does no-one any harm, even young Kye needs to realise that, he said.
The assessment is just 10 bloody days away, she said.  What are we doing?  We are actually setting him up to fail, what's the point in doing that to our son?
The challenge they were talking about had been set a couple of months ago, a detail Lorna has never forgotten and regrets bitterly.  Kye needs to swim 25 metres of the pool; one length, unaided, without stopping, in order to gain his badge. He has been taking swimming lessons for several months, with either Lorna or Phil observing from the sidelines. Every other weekend, they both take him to the pool so that he can enjoy their company with some fun splashing around in the water.  This is where they had been this morning.  This was why young Kye was currently taking a nap on the sofa with his favourite dvd playing on the tv in the background.
Lorna was feeling uneasy, her tea was getting cold.  She was noticing this happening more and more often, cold tea.  There really are not enough hours in the day she pondered.
Phil shook her out of her daydream by actually responding to her question: he can do it love, he can.
He bloody well can't Phil and you sodding well know it. This morning he got just over half way, as you bloody well know because I had to stop him from drowning because he couldn't stand on the floor.  She banged the tea down on the kitchen top, her heart was racing, she felt nauseous.
Phil walked over to her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
Yea, I know, but we still have 10 days....
She turned to face him.
Yes, that is one more swimming lesson Phil and if we go again next weekend, one more time with us.  It is not enough.
It is babes...
Lorna hates it when he calls her babes. 
... all he has to do is build his stamina some more, he added.
Lorna stepped away from Phil's contact.  She could feel the pressure in her head.  She glanced over to Kye to check he was still snoozing.  Her heart was heavy in her chest and pulsing wildly.
Listen to me Phil.  He can't reach the other side because he runs out of breath....
Yes I know, but....
Just listen will you? His body is not flat in the water, his feet are too low, in other words, babes, his technique.... technique is preventing him from being able to make the progress needed.  He runs out of steam because....
Phil could sense his anger levels rising.  He detested the idea of making excuses for failure.  His father had brought him up to recognise that making excuses is simply condoning failing in life.  He was not going to allow his own son to be surrounded by failure due to making excuses.
What you do Lorna is, he pointed directly at her face in direct timing with the "you".  He continued: keep telling him he can achieve it, surround him in positivity, it works Lorna.
She looked at him directly.  My God, she thought.  Is he bloody well saying that I'm preventing Kye from achieving by how I interact with him? 
She suddenly realised she had momentarily stopped inhaling and took a deep breath in.

Jack is fed up.

I'm fed up.

It is 4.45pm.  He is in his room, everything was normal.  Music on.  Snack on his desk.  A typical 16 year old's bedroom.  Utter chaos littering nearly every inch of the carpet.  Mugs, glasses, cereal bowls, towels, discarded clothes, ironed clothes, pants here, socks there.  

Bloody hate school.

Jack is tapping in his daily journal into his laptop.  He is pretty good at doing it every day.  He might miss the odd day if maybe he had stayed at a mates house, but generally, he gets around to it every day.

What is the point of it?  I feel like no-one is listening to me.

He paused, just to listen to this particular bit of the song.

I know I'm going to shit out my GCSE's, what is the point in doing them?  Their trying to force me to do more and more at school, here at home, lunch times, after school, I'm getting detentions, on the tracker, shit, what is it all for?  I've got absolutely no interest in fucking plants, clouds or old wars. Who fucking cares?  Not me.  They say "Well Jack, it will affect your grades, and then you wont get accepted to a decent Uni".  I don't want to go to fucking Uni!  Do they not get that bit?  

I..don't..want..to..go..to..fuck..ing..u..ni

This has been going on for 3 years now.  Exams, grades, uni, apprenticeships (yea right), interviews, cv.  Responsibility, perseverance (however you fucking spell it, good job I'm on my pc), fucking discipline, focus.

I fool around you fuckers, because I'm bored shitless.  Don't you fucking get that?  How many mock tests have I been forced to do now?  Do they like telling me how shit I am or something.  "Do you realise we haven't told Jack how dumb he is for a day and a half?  Would you believe it?  Best we set him another mock fucking test".  I'm pretty sure they want me to bin it all.  They want to grind me down so that I feel so shit, I just leave the fucking school.  Guess that means it somehow helps their figures.

He paused.  He knew his shoulders were scrunched tight.  He thought about going to play with the dog for a minute.  He could sense his eyes welling up.  He knew what he wanted to do, but felt so helpless.  

God, I'm useless.

What I don't get is that I love my snooker.  I'm getting good.  I'm getting better I suppose, not good.  There's a point when I practice.  If I cock up, my coach John tells me, and I can do something about it.  I know that if I don't practice, I don't improve, and I don't win the matches I play.  I know that.  What I don't get is why do they keep making me do these stupid bloody tests?  I'm not getting better.  I just keep being told I'm shit.  It makes me feel sad.

At that very point, a tear fell from his left eye.

Fuck it.

Jack slammed the laptop shut, collapsed on to his bed, turned the music up and grabbed his mobile.

Driving instruction for dummies

I make all attempts possible to develop communication that avoids obfuscatory messages; basically, this is because I work in an environment where 'clarity is king'.  We do have a handful of venerable trainers in the driving training industry which I have the utmost respect for, but I do believe there is so much room for improvement of training standards.

I appreciate that some readers who have read that opening will instinctively demur but give me a chance to explain why I believe we are in somewhat of a revolutionary phase for the giving of driving lessons.

I often have the pleasure of the company of driving instructors at test centres when our pupils go to test.  I hear their views, concerns and general chit chat.  Topics of discussion often involve frustrations encountered with pupils who drive so differently when on a test, near misses involving them; test routes, angry residents; examiners behaviour, style and affability; frequency of accidents, in-car dash cams, courtesy cars, bodywork garages; test availability, ease of booking.  I observe how the more experienced driving instructors listen surreptitiously with a sapient ear having heard it all before.

Apart from the benefit gained of having a moan with friendly folk around you, the value in these conversations is exiguous.

Feel free to call me a heretic, but I make no apology if my words develop a poignancy that stirs emotion in some readers.

The fact is that many driving instructors do not know how to help their pupils practice in a smart, effective manner.

This morning I put up a post on one of my business Facebook pages, targetted for learner driver pupils, and attempting to instigate thought.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Feel free to go and watch the video, but the words to accompany the video are:

Learning to drive presents many challenging situations that continuously crop up. Just like this one shown in the video. How we all assess risk and the decision making we do as a result is in itself a skill that takes practice. How would you deal with the following situation involving the cyclist?

I am encouraging any pupil who observes the video to put themselves in the situation as a driver, imagine what it must feel like, and consider quite literally how they would deal with it.  Driving is a practical activity where skills need refining by active practice.  You can't teach skills.

  

Driving instructors would do well to transfer more responsibility for learning outcomes on their pupils.  Instructors tend to dominate the learning environment in a way that inhibits the learning freedom for their pupil; this makes for a sad pupil.  For all the moaning that takes place in test centres by driving instructors about their pupil's competencies, they are creating thoroughly miserable learning environments for pupils.

Practice makes permanent.  Allow your pupil to take responsibility for how they practice.  ADI 1 states:

"The aim of the standards check is to let you assess the ADI's ability to instruct AND WHETHER THEIR INSTRUCTION HELPS A PERSON TO LEARN IN AN EFFECTIVE WAY"

6.3.3 of the National standard for driver and rider training states:

"....use a range of learner-centred techniques to SUPPORT THE TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP OF THE LEARNING PROCESS TO THE LEARNER"

Some techniques that driving instructors adopt will create a working relationship with pupils that is respectful, positive and is very clear where the responsibility lies for the learning outcomes.

If a reader of this blog, in a moment of reflection, worries that their egregious frustrations illuminate a lack of techniques in driving instruction then, good! There is so much benefit in having a pupil take responsibility for outcomes, and the same is very true for driving instructors.

How healthy is your driving school business?

An unfortunate, recondite human characteristic is that our weaknesses can be hidden and unknown.   Driving instructors are only human.  Do you know why you have collisions in your driving school car?  Have you considered what financial impact cancellations have on your business?

If a pupil cries through sheer frustration in a driving lesson, or they keep making similar mistakes on roundabouts or dual-carriageways, would you know what part you play in those situations?  How many times would you say that you make eye contact with your pupils while you smile in a typical day?

To have no interest in these symptoms of poor driving instruction you could be in danger of being a dilettante.  Your pupils are nothing more than a means by which the bills get paid, and you have some revenue for your pursuits.

An analogy that might help to maintain a pellucid message in this blog is looking at our everyday behaviours.  How often do you glance at your smartphone in a day, how many minutes of the day are you staring at its screen?  How much salt or sugar are you consuming in a typical day?  What impact does the weather or your spouse or the comfort of your bed have on your mood in the day?

I am not creating a polemic against driving instructors; this is a human characteristic which affects many of us.  We don't realise where our weaknesses lie.  In a conventional working environment, peers soon feedback if a behaviour is unacceptable.  Our 1:1 working environment makes this awareness a bit more tricky.

Book yourself up one of my "stay sharp" observation sessions.  These are non-threatening, without grades, just friendly, professional feedback of crucial elements of your driving instruction.  It gives you an instant snapshot of your pedagogy techniques, effectiveness at maintaining safety, interpersonal skills.  Look upon it as a general service of you and your business.  Not to be confused with a DVSA Standards Check where many start doing things they would not usually do; this is an opportunity for you and your business to get feedback of how the service you provide performs in 'customer service' terms.  Book your business health spot check.  For more details contact me on 0800 689 4174  

Meaningful training

The path that you take as a PDI training to become a driving instructor will meander between the abstract and practical application.  One moment you will be considering which tools of techniques to increase road safety, then you will be not just monitoring how well your pupil is practising those skills, but also considering learning techniques that practically assist your pupil.  It makes for an interesting and somewhat complex string of actions that a competent driving instructor will confidently handle.  Any long-term readers of my blog will be aware of my contention that it is too convenient for many a martinet to slip into 'compliance' mode thus negating the need for that last ingredient for active learning; "will you just do what I tell you to do please".

Your ability to appreciate your sense of purpose in the above description is highly relevant.  Understanding how things feel to you, absolutely you, is essential as is the desire to check if your trainer feels the same way.  The relationship in a learning environment is key to outcomes.  Let me digress ever so slightly to try to illustrate that point.

When my 16 year old son was in the last two years of his school education, I am firmly of the belief that what was missing was this fourth element of 'meaningfulness'.  I regularly monitor 'edutwitter', and there are often references to 3 key factors: the ability a student has towards a subject, the environment in which they learn and how much they enjoy the learning.  What I do not read so much about is how meaningful the process is to the student, the level of engagement, or connectedness the student has towards the learning.  Non-academic students will fall at the first hurdle, they may well be unfortunate in not having the best of learning environments, and unsurprisingly, they do not enjoy the process.  But if students were encouraged to personalise the process of learning in a way that is meaningful to them, then things could be a whole lot different.  As an observant Father, I hope it will not appear to be an offensive fatuity to say our education system fails so many.  The narrowness of the scope of the curriculum is purely due to the drive for grades of certain subjects; works wonderfully for your academics. Meanwhile, all the others come out the other end of the process feeling disenfranchised.

To appraise a learning process is a skill.  As is reflecting on one's ability; to cogitate, evaluate, ponder.  A PDI pupil communicates how they feel about what they are learning, attempt to put it into context, and they discuss their feelings in respectful conversations with their trainer, peers, family.

There are of course signs that all is not well, such as working with a PDI where there is an unwillingness to set goals or grade ability with no expressions of emotion.  Errors are continually recurring, and I feel like I am working harder than my pupil.  There can very easily be hidden problematic external influences on pupils with devastating consequences to the learning path.

The reason why I find this to be particularly relevant to PDI's is the low pass rates for Part 3.  Demonstrating the 17 competencies will inevitably involve engagement by the pupil.  The PDI must have a willingness to place the core of the in-car learning environment firmly at the driver's seat where your pupil is sat rather than what too much PDI training concentrates on; having the heart of the in-car learning environment at the passenger seat.  When you train as a PDI, there must be an understanding of the purpose of the training.  Ultimately the goal is to achieve active learning.  A pupil who can demonstrate reflecting on practice is a good sign; they utilise resources you make available to them, converse with friends and family about their experiences.  The pupil has an unquestioning belief in your motives and skills to facilitate learning.  You find yourself having unique conversations with pupils not only about the 'techniques' that you introduce to them but very often about how driving training relates to them as an individual.

It is an art to incorporate into driving training sessions conversations that purposefully manage: lesson planning, risk management and teaching & learning strategies.

When the school education system fails, the fallout comes in the form of unconfident young adults unequipped in how to learn life-skills such as driving and adding value to the job market.  When a driving instructor's ability to facilitate learning fails, the fallout comes in the form of disgruntled customers with sometimes profoundly traumatic experiences that affect nerves and confidence and the reputation of the driving school.