The best way to learn to drive

We should take care of and pay attention to all types of pupil learning to drive.  Their attitude to learning can affect outcomes, and driving instructors at BIG TOM recognise the importance of knowing our customers.

Take the high achieving "academic" learner driver, for example.  In this blog, I am referring to students of the more traditional academic subjects, excluding subjects such as art, PE etc. 

This pupil knows what effort is; they are used to successful outcomes in the educational arena.  Depending on the age of the pupil, this could be an attribute and a warning sign.  The pupil may have little experience in managing difficulties in the learning process.  Why would they? They are used to success.

The activity of learning to drive is not the sterile environment of academia.  Other road users may not comply with the highway code necessarily.  The urgency of such situations that arise does vary, as is the risk it brings.  It can be a challenge for the academic learner driver as they are used to managing pre-defined workloads and methodically working through them.  Surprises in the study period will be new and different.  "If I am being told to do "x" in a given driving scenario, why is not everyone doing the same?".  This can lead to frustration, annoyance and a sense of bewilderment because it defies logic, and 'just doesn't make sense'.  Highly focussed academic learners monitor their effort levels and behaviours; they are not so used to needing to pay attention to others.

Unresolved difficulties can be a source of frustration.  Driving is utilising skills hitherto unused.  Metacognition in the driving training environment is unchartered territory; requiring a rethink.  Academic learners are used to a strategy of long periods of study, cramming, high-intensity concentration in a controlled environment.  

Senses are stimulated with driving.  The touch needed for clutch control, smell when the clutch plate is burning.  How the sound of the engine changes in different situations.  Recognition that the body is tired and needs oxygen, or that limbs need stretching to optimise performance.  The eyes are very used to being perfectly still, at a set focal point to a book or screen.  Now the eyes are needing to work hard when driving, and the head needs to turn, peripheral vision utilised.

The rate at which the vehicle moves has a direct impact on the time the pupil has to identify hazards, assess, make decisions, review.  An enthusiastic academic learner, used to quick gains and accelerated progress can adversely affect outcomes by not giving them enough time.  They naturally want to keep up with other road users, maybe even outdrive them, they are not used to the idea of taking time to develop skills.  They can have many years of experience of out-performing other learners in the academic sphere; the concept of self-regulating the pace of the vehicle to accommodate learning is pretty alien.

A high achieving academic learner is used to the idea of 'feeling the pain'.  They relate hours sat studying to outstanding results.  Why should driving be any different?  The perception is one of condensing time spent behind the wheel into the required number of hours and hey presto.  Revision, homework, cramming all follow that strategy.  Therefore, if they drive for "x" number of hours, then they perceive that the resulting output (driving ability), must also be a given.  If they are used to last-minute, highly intense study periods going through to 4 am, then that pain is just a necessary evil. They will want to adopt the same strategy to their driving training programme. 

 

Academic students submit assignments to deadlines; they receive feedback and re-do.  Initial applications do not need to be perfect, and there is scope for rehashing submissions.  The practicalities of driving do not permit this liberal approach to "trial and error".  The instantaneous feedback of performance (in real-time) may not be welcome because the academic learner likes total control of what gets submitted before being open to feedback. 

 

An academic learner may recognise the non-academic aspect of driving.  This point may be either misleading or threatening.  Anyone can drive or pass driving tests - there is nothing 'elite' about this objective. 

"How difficult can it be - everyone drives?"

At BIG TOM, you are encouraged to discover how your pupil feels about this subject.  Time invested in exploring feelings about the process adopted to learn how to drive can pay dividends further down the line.  There should never be any sense of judgement or criticism, but guiding our pupils to help them to maximise the effectiveness of their time with us.