The Part 3 and the new Standards Check
So far in this series of articles on training people to be driving instructors I have given an historical overview from my personal perspective and considered whether the Part 3 test is fit for purpose. My conclusion was that the Part 3 test is probably fit for purpose. However, people have become so familiar with it that it is easy to focus on just the skills required for the test, rather than adopting a holistic approach to the goals for driver education.
This third article in the series will consider how the Part 3 test fits with the new Standards Check. It is understandable if many of you reading this are now thinking, ‘There is no comparison whatsoever between the two assessments - they are looking for completely different things.’ Nevertheless, I am going to set out why I disagree with this thought and discuss the similarities between the two assessments.
Both the Part 3 test and the new Standards Check are assessing your eligibility to be on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors. Being on the Register of ADIs entitles you to charge for your driving lessons and this, of course, is what sets you apart from any member of the public who accompanies a learner driver. On the following website: www.gov.uk under the heading train to be a driving instructor, one of the first pieces of information you come across is the National standard for driver and rider training. This document sets out the competences needed to meet Role 6, which is all about teaching people to drive or ride. This document underpins the syllabus – whether you are training to become a driving instructor for the first time or continuing your career as one. It is an absolute ‘must-read’ for everyone, who wants to become a driving instructor as well as for each of the 39,000 ADIs currently on the Register. Have you read it?
By qualifying for admission onto the Register of Approved Driving Instructors, you will have demonstrated a number of competences:
A summative assessment can take one area at random and if you are able to demonstrate competence in that particular area, then it is considered safe to assume that your training has been far more comprehensive and you therefore have competence across all areas. This is what the Part 3 does. There are ten pre-set tests. These are not supposed to cover everything a new driving instructor needs to know about teaching a learner driver. They are designed to give a snapshot, the evidence from which suggests far greater knowledge and competence across the whole arena of teaching someone safe driving for life. The candidate doesn’t know in advance which pre-set test they are going to get on their Part 3 test and, actually, it is irrelevant because they have been designed to be similar in the opportunities each one presents to the candidate to showcase their knowledge, skills and teaching techniques.
Alternatively, a summative assessment can be designed to assess, from a far more holistic viewpoint, a candidate’s competence. This is what the new Standards Check does. It assesses every competence an effective driving instructor needs and looks for evidence of this through observation of one driving lesson with one pupil. The driving instructor needs to ensure that they are offering enough evidence so that the Examiner can assess each competence is being covered sufficiently. There are three high level competences of Lesson Planning, Risk Management and Teaching and Learning Strategies and underneath each of these broad competence headings is a number of lower level competences – seventeen in total.
Does it matter what format the assessment takes? No, it doesn’t because both the Part 3 and the Standards Check are assessing the same thing. However, if you focus your training on either of these tests then you are likely to struggle. You might get through your Part 3 test in this way (although this is why so many people have to go right to their third attempt before achieving success) but you will not be an effective driving instructor and you will find the Standards Check a real challenge. What a shame if you have just qualified as an ADI and you fall at the first hurdle on the Standards Check because all your training for the Part 3 was around the Pre-Set Test combinations (PSTs) rather than Role 6 of the national standard for driver and rider training.
If you are already qualified and carry on doing what you have always done, only you will know whether that is likely to be enough. It depends on how well you learn, develop and grow through reflection and self-evaluation. Do you continue to develop yourself or do you feel that you worked so hard to become a driving instructor in the first place that there is nothing further you need to do?
Reflection is a key part of learning and helps you to:
So far in this series of articles on training people to be driving instructors I have given an historical overview from my personal perspective and considered whether the Part 3 test is fit for purpose. My conclusion was that the Part 3 test is probably fit for purpose. However, people have become so familiar with it that it is easy to focus on just the skills required for the test, rather than adopting a holistic approach to the goals for driver education.
This third article in the series will consider how the Part 3 test fits with the new Standards Check. It is understandable if many of you reading this are now thinking, ‘There is no comparison whatsoever between the two assessments - they are looking for completely different things.’ Nevertheless, I am going to set out why I disagree with this thought and discuss the similarities between the two assessments.
Both the Part 3 test and the new Standards Check are assessing your eligibility to be on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors. Being on the Register of ADIs entitles you to charge for your driving lessons and this, of course, is what sets you apart from any member of the public who accompanies a learner driver. On the following website: www.gov.uk under the heading train to be a driving instructor, one of the first pieces of information you come across is the National standard for driver and rider training. This document sets out the competences needed to meet Role 6, which is all about teaching people to drive or ride. This document underpins the syllabus – whether you are training to become a driving instructor for the first time or continuing your career as one. It is an absolute ‘must-read’ for everyone, who wants to become a driving instructor as well as for each of the 39,000 ADIs currently on the Register. Have you read it?
By qualifying for admission onto the Register of Approved Driving Instructors, you will have demonstrated a number of competences:
- You will have shown that you know how to keep
the car and its occupants safe. The Part 3 test assesses this by looking at
your ability to identify, analyse and remedy faults (the Core Competencies);
the Standards Check assesses this through the high level competence of Risk
Management.
- You have shown that you understand how to ensure
that learning takes place. The Part 3 test assesses this by looking at your
ability to plan a lesson and teach the key points relating to a subject; the
Standards Check assesses this through the high level competence of Lesson
Planning.
- You have demonstrated that you are able to give
value for money. The Part 3 assesses this through the instructional techniques;
and the Standards Check, through Teaching and Learning Strategies.
A summative assessment can take one area at random and if you are able to demonstrate competence in that particular area, then it is considered safe to assume that your training has been far more comprehensive and you therefore have competence across all areas. This is what the Part 3 does. There are ten pre-set tests. These are not supposed to cover everything a new driving instructor needs to know about teaching a learner driver. They are designed to give a snapshot, the evidence from which suggests far greater knowledge and competence across the whole arena of teaching someone safe driving for life. The candidate doesn’t know in advance which pre-set test they are going to get on their Part 3 test and, actually, it is irrelevant because they have been designed to be similar in the opportunities each one presents to the candidate to showcase their knowledge, skills and teaching techniques.
Alternatively, a summative assessment can be designed to assess, from a far more holistic viewpoint, a candidate’s competence. This is what the new Standards Check does. It assesses every competence an effective driving instructor needs and looks for evidence of this through observation of one driving lesson with one pupil. The driving instructor needs to ensure that they are offering enough evidence so that the Examiner can assess each competence is being covered sufficiently. There are three high level competences of Lesson Planning, Risk Management and Teaching and Learning Strategies and underneath each of these broad competence headings is a number of lower level competences – seventeen in total.
Does it matter what format the assessment takes? No, it doesn’t because both the Part 3 and the Standards Check are assessing the same thing. However, if you focus your training on either of these tests then you are likely to struggle. You might get through your Part 3 test in this way (although this is why so many people have to go right to their third attempt before achieving success) but you will not be an effective driving instructor and you will find the Standards Check a real challenge. What a shame if you have just qualified as an ADI and you fall at the first hurdle on the Standards Check because all your training for the Part 3 was around the Pre-Set Test combinations (PSTs) rather than Role 6 of the national standard for driver and rider training.
If you are already qualified and carry on doing what you have always done, only you will know whether that is likely to be enough. It depends on how well you learn, develop and grow through reflection and self-evaluation. Do you continue to develop yourself or do you feel that you worked so hard to become a driving instructor in the first place that there is nothing further you need to do?
Reflection is a key part of learning and helps you to:
- understand what
you already know
- identify what
you need to know in order to advance understanding of the subject
- make sense of new information and feedback in the
context of your own experience
- guide choices for further learning.
In summary, the point of the assessment – regardless of whether it is the Part 3 test or the new Standards Check – is to assess whether you can teach people to drive and therefore join or remain on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors. If all your training – whether, for the Part 3 or the Standards Check – is focused on the final assessment you will probably struggle. Rather than using the tests to guide your learning, use the syllabus – The national standard for driver and rider training.
In my next article, I will look at how to train for the Part 3 using client-centred and coaching approaches.
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