Come and say 'Hello' at the MSA Scotland conference on Sunday 2nd November where Tri-Coaching Partnership has a trade stand and I will be giving a talk.
We would love to hear how your business is going and what you think about the recent changes in our industry. Let us know if there is anything we can do to support you and help your business grow; or help you develop your techniques and skills in coaching and client-centred learning. If you have already attended one of our courses, or are currently completing one, we would love to know what you think of it and whether you have noticed a difference in the way you deliver your driver training. We have a brand new BTEC Level 4 course in Coaching for Driver Development starting on 11th December 2014 in Newport Pagnell and another one on 21st January 2015 in Glasgow. You can also choose from a whole range of dates and locations for the aCCeLerate and BTEC Level 3 course so come and speak to one of our aCCeLerate trainers - Stewart Lochrie, Darryl Bunning and Ian Lavell - if you want to know more. Would you like some support with the ADI Standards Check? We have delivered our Standards Check training days to over 400 ADIs around the country, many of whom have gone onto achieve a Grade A. Have a chat with us to find out locations and dates for these training days. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday at the Westerwood Hotel, Cumbernauld. Susan McCormack 5. Standards Check & Examiner Guidelines
The DVSA published the guidance for examiners when assessing the new Standards Check on the 19th November 2013 and this can be found with the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adi-standards-check-guidance-for-driving-examiners My last four articles have focused on the structure of the new Standards Check by looking at the three broad (or ‘high’) competences of:
Each broad competence has a number of competence indicators – there are 17 in total, four with Lesson Planning, five with Risk Management and eight with Teaching and Learning Strategies. There is a maximum of 51 points available as each competence indicator carries a maximum of 3 points. The final score will be reflected in the Grade awarded. The scoring system is: 0 = no evidence of competence demonstrated 1 = a few elements of competence demonstrated 2 = competence demonstrated in most elements 3 = competence demonstrated in all elements Each competence indicator (also known as lower level competences) can be broken down into elements and the ADI will need to use a range of skills to ensure each of these elements is in place. The guidance for examiners says: ‘For example, the first lower level competence, in the lesson planning section, is ‘Did the ADI identify the pupil’s learning goals and needs?’ To fully satisfy this requirement the ADI must:
The guide for examiners stresses, as I have said in previous articles, that there will necessarily be an overlap amongst the competences – both lower and higher. For example, the second competence indicator under the high competence of Lesson Planning is: ‘Was the agreed lesson structure appropriate for the pupil’s experience and ability?’ It would not be an accurate assessment if the examiner records a 0 against the first competence: ‘Did the ADI identify the pupil’s learning goals and needs?’ and then a 2 or 3 against agreeing the lesson structure. Agreeing the lesson structure would have to follow as a result of having identified learning goals and needs. It is, however, noted that lesson goals need not be clearly stated at the beginning of the session and could become obvious as the lesson develops. The guide for examiners identifies four ‘types’ of pupil that might be presented for the ADI’s Standards Check, whilst also acknowledging that these ‘types’ are just broad guides. The four types are:
As I mentioned in my first article, there are clear situations which would result in an immediate fail. If you score 7 or less in the Risk Management competence or do not deal with a potential or actual safety critical incident appropriately then you will fail the Standards Check. If the examiner judges that the instructor is not managing safety critical situations effectively, the Standards Check could be terminated. If you fail, you will be expected to attend a second one and, if necessary, a third one before being considered for removal from the ADI Register (as is currently the situation with the Check Test). Reflection is emphasised throughout – both for the instructor as well as the pupil. The DVSA recommend that instructors complete a reflective log and have offered a template as an example, which focuses on what went well, what did not go so well, what could be improved. The reflective log can be presented to the examiner at the start of the Standards Check but will not form part of the assessment. It would seem that the reflective log is there because it is recognised that self-evaluation is a crucial part of learning and that this is as important for the instructor as it is for the customer. Client-centred learning is all about behavioural change and change starts with self-awareness. Self-awareness is about recognising your strengths and limitations; as well as understanding how your emotional state impacts on your behaviour. When we reflect on and self-evaluate our performance we take responsibility for our learning. This, in turn, helps us empathise and therefore engage on an equal basis with our pupils. On the actual day of your Standards Check, you may leave your customer in the car whilst you go and meet the examiner, who will want to ascertain what type of pupil you have brought – how many lessons they have had, what standard they are at, whether you have any concerns about their driving, what the goals for the lesson are. It is possible that you will have a supervising examiner also sitting in on the standards check and, if this is the case, you will ideally have been informed in advance. However, if it was not possible to inform you in advance of the Standards Check then you will be allowed ten minutes to explain the situation to your customer. If you also have a trainer or mentor with you then it is up to the supervising examiner whether or not they will still accompany the Standards Check. You are expected to know your area well and to plan a lesson that lasts about an hour and ends up back at the test centre (in most cases) so that the examiner can take some time to consider the outcome and then debrief the lesson. You should therefore allow a further 15 minutes at the end of the one hour Standards Check lesson. The examiner may take notes during the assessment but these must be destroyed and there will be no write-up or written follow-up (even if you fail) because the Standards Check Form is sufficient to record accurately the whole assessment. How does this fit in with coaching and client-centred learning? The guidance for examiners recognises that there are many different styles of instructor and that learning can be judged to take place as a result of instruction as well as coaching. However, there is definitely an emphasis on coaching and client-centred learning. What is clear is that the higher levels of the Goals for Driver Education (GDE) * framework cannot be addressed unless a client-centred approach is used where the learner is encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and understands how the skills they are acquiring for the driving test can be applied when driving unsupervised. There is, therefore, an expectation that driving instructors will be addressing the higher levels of the GDE * by, for example, engaging the pupil in discussion of driving situations they are likely to encounter when driving post-test – such as, with passengers in the car, at night, or when they are prone to distractions. (* Levels 1 and 2 of the GDE focus on the skills that are assessed on the ‘L’ practical driving test; whilst levels 3 and 4 – also known as the higher levels of the GDE – look at journey-specific factors, such as choosing the mode of transport, route planning, and managing risk in terms of distractions and peer pressure – Level 3; and, how the personality of the driver – their goals, opinions, values, emotional state and characteristics – impacts on the way they handle the vehicle and the choices they make – Level 4). For many of us, the new Standards Check will represent the opportunity to deliver a driving lesson that is an accurate reflection of the way we already teach on a day-to-day basis. For some of us, however, it will be necessary to carefully consider the skills and techniques we currently use and reflect on how well we are able to meet the two core aims of driver training: that learning must take place and value for money must be given. 4. Standards Check & Teaching & Learning Strategies
You’ll remember from my earlier articles that there are three broad competencies against which ADIs are assessed in the new Standards Check introduced from April 2014. These competences are a means of assessing how well the ADI meets the National Driver and Rider Training Standard. (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/226617/dsa-national-standard-driver-rider-training.pdf. ) I have already looked at the first two competences: Lesson Planning and Risk Management and described how many of the indicators that assess the competence of the driving instructor are interlinked. This article looks at the third competency: Teaching and Learning Strategies. Under this heading there are eight competency indicators:
Come and say 'Hello' at the adinjc conference on Sunday where Tri-Coaching Partnership has a trade stand. We would love to hear how your business is going and what you think about the recent changes in our industry. Let us know if there is anything we can do to support you and help your business grow; or help you develop your techniques and skills in coaching and client-centred learning.
If you have already attended one of our courses, or are currently completing one, we would love to know what you think of it and whether you have noticed a difference in the way you deliver your driver training. We have a brand new BTEC Level 4 course in Coaching for Driver Development starting on 11th December 2014 in Newport Pagnell and another one on 21st January 2015 in Glasgow. You can also choose from a whole range of dates and locations for the aCCeLerate and BTEC Level 3 course so come and speak to one of our aCCeLerate trainers if you want to know more. Would you like some support with the ADI Standards Check? We have delivered our Standards Check training days to over 400 ADIs around the country, many of whom have gone onto achieve a Grade A. Have a chat with us to find out locations and dates for these training days. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday Susan McCormack ![]() Learning new stuff can often be a serious business and when we get serious we tend to frown and invite stress into our lives. Put a smile on your face and notice the difference it makes to your customers :) 1. You can only have fun helping other people learn if you're having fun doing it. 2. When a class and its teacher all laugh together ... they become a unit ... enjoying the shared experience. If that community can be prolonged or re-established, and applied to the job of thinking, the teacher will have succeeded. (Highet, 1951: 56-57) 3. The power of humour to break through barriers of fear, anxiety and tension is well-recognised. 4. People like people who make them smile :) it helps if your customer likes you. 5. Smiling offers encouragement to the person that you are talking to. 6. Conti and Fellenz's research on good and bad teaching of native American learners (1988) reveals an appreciation by learners of teachers who display 'a variety of warm, human feelings that are telegraphed to students by a smile ... a genuine smile', and 'good teachers make learning fun' 7. Learning is difficult without rapport, see what happens to your customers when you smile :) We at Tri-Coaching Partnership would love to put a smile on your face and help you learn something, so next time you look in the mirror and see a picture of a bulldog chewing a wasp just smile. I thought I would finish with a song sung by a genius about a genius just click on the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN8oLGBNXpE Graham Hooper |
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