When I reflect on the mindset I had when I was training to be a driving instructor, I realise now, just how much I didn't know about learning. The temptation is to think that it's just a case of relaying information so that the pupil complies. With time, the pupil must start to pick up patterns; that was genuinely how I felt. Undoubtedly, there is a grain of truth in that; but it does limit the learning.
The reason why my school is unashamedly an advocate of pupil-centred learning (see video 2) is that the driving training industry knows that having a learning environment that promotes learning is in the best interests of the pupil. The pupil discovers far more about the subject than if they are repeatedly force-fed driving instructions. Instructors can spoon-feed instructions for passing a driving test very easily, but the smart instructor takes a different approach.
Imagine that when an instructor is working with a pupil in the driving school car, there is a meter running. The meter is displayed on the roof for all the public to see. It is measuring the amount of learning going on inside the car. Sometimes the meter is whizzing around in the positive, happy days; that pupil is getting value for money. Other times, the meter is only slowly turning; perhaps our pupil doesn't want to be doing what they are working on, perhaps there are too many distractions. Alternatively, perhaps the instructor is talking too much (over-instructing), and the poor pupil is very frustrated. Maybe, the meter is turning the wrong way as our pupil is overwhelmed with practising in the wrong location; they aren't learning, they are barely surviving.
Now you have that in your mind, take a look at that meter. Take a look at the instructor and take a look at the pupil. Who inside that car has an idea of what that meter is doing above their heads? It's the pupil; the pupil has an excellent idea of how much they are learning. The more that the instructor can gain an insight into their mind while training, the better. There may be a sound reason why that meter is turning slowly to do with the personal circumstances the pupil is feeling, perhaps entirely unrelated to the topic of driving.
Instructor-led training can pass driving tests, but it doesn't prepare pupils for life after the test. It ignores how willing or able the pupil is to continue learning post-test. These pupils are also not used to analysing what is happening or why; they haven't needed to, because their instructor did it for them.
Instead, when you come on board with the BIG TOM franchise, you'll learn how important it is to pay attention to the working relationship with your pupils. A great deal of communication can occur without a word being spoken, and that meter above will be whizzing around for all to see.
The problem is, of course; there is no meter. The public doesn't get to see the rate of learning. Lazy instruction goes undetected, and yet it still manages to pass driving tests. Do you see the dilemma?
At BIG TOM, we don't trouble ourselves with meaningless instructor grades from the DVSA that can have absolutely no connection to how an instructor works with pupils. What we concern ourselves with is the value our service provides. I want my instructors to know what that meter is doing on the roof - not think they know, actually know. And if it isn't turning around, I like the BIG TOM instructor to understand why.
This blog is an example of the type of training you can reasonably expect to receive when you train to be a driving instructor with BIG TOM. I'm not interested in fake "Grade A" virtue signalling, but I'm passionate about high-quality tuition and that includes paying attention to the rate and depth of learning.
Feel free to chat with me about joining my franchise, no obligation, just clear, concise communication. Be brave and call now on 0749 836 4211
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