7. Standards Check & Goal Setting
In order to get a true handle on what coaching is all about and how it differs from instruction it is helpful to compare what the old check test was assessing with what the new standards check. The check test assessed your ability to deal with faults, that is, identifying, analysing and remedying driver errors. The new standards check assesses your ability to encourage independent learning through goal setting. There are two basic aims in any driving lesson, as I have said before:
Learning must take place, and
Value for money must be given.
These aims remain whether you are being assessed via a check test or via a standards check. Alongside the check test, on one end of the spectrum, sits Fault Correction and, alongside the standards check, on the other end of the spectrum, sits Goal Setting. Do you know where you fit on that spectrum? If you are over on the far right-hand side with Goal Setting then it doesn’t matter how much you instruct, you will still be client-centred. If, however, you believe that people learn best through the correction of faults, then it doesn’t matter how many questions you ask or how often you allow the pupil to set the goal for the lesson, you will still be instructing, in control of the lesson and not client-centred. Of course, it is a spectrum and there are plenty of opportunities to meet the two core aims of driving instruction at several points along that spectrum.
For me, the most effective way to learn to drive is through Goal Setting, rather than Fault Correction. Here are six important reasons why your customers need to learn how to set goals for themselves:
Goal Setting breaks learning into bite-sized chunks
Creighton Abrams famously said, ‘When eating an elephant take one bite at a time’. When your customer feels overwhelmed, it helps to look at the whole learning to drive task with all its commitments and actions as bite size, or fun size, goals. Remind them that they have choices about what they say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to, and when and how they move forward. This shifts the focus away from the driving test and means that they can achieve goals without them having to be ‘test standard’. What I mean by this is that we often look at our pupils’ achievements and measure them against the standard expected in the driving test. This undermines what has actually been achieved on that occasion. If the only Goal is the driving test then think how long it can take before the customer experiences a sense of achievement.
Goal Setting identifies strengths and development needs
If you know what you are good at you can choose to channel your decisions through your strong points. Lots of people have a way of talking (‘I’m rubbish at that’, ‘I could never do that’, ‘I can’t do it’) that is a clear reflection of how they think about themselves. Their choices and decisions are all about running away from what they are bad at, rather than positively focusing on what they are good at and basing their choices on this. In learning how to set their own goals your customers will also be learning to identify what they are good at and what they are weak at; what they need to do to improve; and what improvement / success will feel like to them.
Goal Setting raises self-awareness
Do your customers know how they learn best? Do they know how their emotions fuel their decisions, judgements and behaviour? Do they know what (if any) barriers to learning they are inclined to put up? Learning how to set goals for themselves will raise your customers’ self-awareness in these areas. In many cases, barriers disappear as soon as someone is encouraged to determine their own goals for the lesson. They no longer feel defensive or insecure or fearful.
Goal Setting builds self-responsibility
Self-responsibility is all about taking ownership of the learning process as well as the driving task. This leads to more effective decision-making skills as well as an ability to be self-determining. By setting the goal the customer is taking control of their learning. Many instructors feel understandably nervous about this aspect of goal setting in particular. Taking responsibility is an exciting, challenging and, sometimes, nerve-racking experience for the individual involved. It is not about the learner driver driving amok. You are ultimately responsible for their safety – they are learning to become responsible for their learning – together you will share the responsibility for the driving task.
Goal Setting develops skills for life
Learning how to set goals leads to the development of skills for life, in particular self-evaluation skills. Naturally, this links closely with the Goals for Driver Education Framework (GDE) where Level 4 is entitled ‘Goals for life and skills for living’ and the right-hand column is all about self-evaluation or self-assessment. This is about learning how to give an accurate assessment of strengths and weaknesses in terms of judgement and decision-making. For example, when you have to emerge from a busy junction, is your decision to go different depending on whether you are hungry, tired, happy, sad or angry? If you recognise that you are functioning in a particular emotional state do you have strategies to ensure your decisions are still safe and objective?
Goal Setting moves towards realising full potential
In terms of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, widely published in 1954, human beings have five needs:
Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.
Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships, etc.
Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.
Self-Actualization needs - realising personal potential, self-fulfilment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.
According to Maslow, each of us is motivated by needs. Our most basic needs are inborn, having evolved over tens of thousands of years. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that we must satisfy each need in turn, starting with the first, which deals with the most obvious needs for survival itself. Only when the lower order needs of physical and emotional well-being are satisfied are we concerned with the higher order needs of influence and personal development.
Learning how to set goals moves individuals towards being able to realise their full potential.
The above six important points about Goal Setting are all you need to ensure that you are giving value for money in your lessons and that learning is taking place.
Incidentally, Goal Setting is as important for each of us as it is for our customers.
In order to get a true handle on what coaching is all about and how it differs from instruction it is helpful to compare what the old check test was assessing with what the new standards check. The check test assessed your ability to deal with faults, that is, identifying, analysing and remedying driver errors. The new standards check assesses your ability to encourage independent learning through goal setting. There are two basic aims in any driving lesson, as I have said before:
Learning must take place, and
Value for money must be given.
These aims remain whether you are being assessed via a check test or via a standards check. Alongside the check test, on one end of the spectrum, sits Fault Correction and, alongside the standards check, on the other end of the spectrum, sits Goal Setting. Do you know where you fit on that spectrum? If you are over on the far right-hand side with Goal Setting then it doesn’t matter how much you instruct, you will still be client-centred. If, however, you believe that people learn best through the correction of faults, then it doesn’t matter how many questions you ask or how often you allow the pupil to set the goal for the lesson, you will still be instructing, in control of the lesson and not client-centred. Of course, it is a spectrum and there are plenty of opportunities to meet the two core aims of driving instruction at several points along that spectrum.
For me, the most effective way to learn to drive is through Goal Setting, rather than Fault Correction. Here are six important reasons why your customers need to learn how to set goals for themselves:
Goal Setting breaks learning into bite-sized chunks
Creighton Abrams famously said, ‘When eating an elephant take one bite at a time’. When your customer feels overwhelmed, it helps to look at the whole learning to drive task with all its commitments and actions as bite size, or fun size, goals. Remind them that they have choices about what they say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to, and when and how they move forward. This shifts the focus away from the driving test and means that they can achieve goals without them having to be ‘test standard’. What I mean by this is that we often look at our pupils’ achievements and measure them against the standard expected in the driving test. This undermines what has actually been achieved on that occasion. If the only Goal is the driving test then think how long it can take before the customer experiences a sense of achievement.
Goal Setting identifies strengths and development needs
If you know what you are good at you can choose to channel your decisions through your strong points. Lots of people have a way of talking (‘I’m rubbish at that’, ‘I could never do that’, ‘I can’t do it’) that is a clear reflection of how they think about themselves. Their choices and decisions are all about running away from what they are bad at, rather than positively focusing on what they are good at and basing their choices on this. In learning how to set their own goals your customers will also be learning to identify what they are good at and what they are weak at; what they need to do to improve; and what improvement / success will feel like to them.
Goal Setting raises self-awareness
Do your customers know how they learn best? Do they know how their emotions fuel their decisions, judgements and behaviour? Do they know what (if any) barriers to learning they are inclined to put up? Learning how to set goals for themselves will raise your customers’ self-awareness in these areas. In many cases, barriers disappear as soon as someone is encouraged to determine their own goals for the lesson. They no longer feel defensive or insecure or fearful.
Goal Setting builds self-responsibility
Self-responsibility is all about taking ownership of the learning process as well as the driving task. This leads to more effective decision-making skills as well as an ability to be self-determining. By setting the goal the customer is taking control of their learning. Many instructors feel understandably nervous about this aspect of goal setting in particular. Taking responsibility is an exciting, challenging and, sometimes, nerve-racking experience for the individual involved. It is not about the learner driver driving amok. You are ultimately responsible for their safety – they are learning to become responsible for their learning – together you will share the responsibility for the driving task.
Goal Setting develops skills for life
Learning how to set goals leads to the development of skills for life, in particular self-evaluation skills. Naturally, this links closely with the Goals for Driver Education Framework (GDE) where Level 4 is entitled ‘Goals for life and skills for living’ and the right-hand column is all about self-evaluation or self-assessment. This is about learning how to give an accurate assessment of strengths and weaknesses in terms of judgement and decision-making. For example, when you have to emerge from a busy junction, is your decision to go different depending on whether you are hungry, tired, happy, sad or angry? If you recognise that you are functioning in a particular emotional state do you have strategies to ensure your decisions are still safe and objective?
Goal Setting moves towards realising full potential
In terms of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, widely published in 1954, human beings have five needs:
Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.
Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships, etc.
Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.
Self-Actualization needs - realising personal potential, self-fulfilment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.
According to Maslow, each of us is motivated by needs. Our most basic needs are inborn, having evolved over tens of thousands of years. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that we must satisfy each need in turn, starting with the first, which deals with the most obvious needs for survival itself. Only when the lower order needs of physical and emotional well-being are satisfied are we concerned with the higher order needs of influence and personal development.
Learning how to set goals moves individuals towards being able to realise their full potential.
The above six important points about Goal Setting are all you need to ensure that you are giving value for money in your lessons and that learning is taking place.
Incidentally, Goal Setting is as important for each of us as it is for our customers.
