The Holy Grail of Driving Instruction www.instructordoctors.co.uk


The Holy Grail of Driving Instruction


As an ORDIT trainer and grade 6 instructor, I am sometimes asked to give a presentation to local driving instructor associations on preparing for the check test. The most burning question from ADI’s is usually ‘what is the secret of obtaining a higher grade?’


The answer to this is that there are many factors and the examiner will look at all aspects of your instructional ability during the test. However, if I had to name one area above all others, then this would have to be the Core Competencies. It is interesting to note that, if you look at the check test marking sheet (ADI 26CT), the core competencies occupy the smallest area but is highlighted in green and at the moment, will ultimately decide your grade. The following extracts are taken from my book ‘The What, Why and How of Instructional Technique for Driving Instructors.’


The three areas that make up the Core Competencies are as follows:


• Fault identification • Fault analysis • Remedial action (Rectification)


This can be translated into three basic questions:


What did the pupil do wrong? Why did it happen and/or what were the consequences? How do you put it right in a way that will enable the pupil to rectify the fault independently of you?


For the check test, the examiner makes an assessment of all faults over the whole lesson, both major and minor. He/she will take into account that some explanations may be correct and some incorrect and the grade will depend on the balance of correct to incorrect. For these reasons, it is vital that full and timely fault assessment is given for


each fault the pupil commits. Your overall grading is usually based on the lowest core competency mark, so if you were given a 5 for identification, 4 for analysis and 5 for remedial action, your grade would be 4.


The identification


Identifying faults is probably the easiest part of the core competencies as, if you are looking for it, you can observe the mistake. The following check list will help you to achieve this:


For whatever subject you are teaching, have a ‘mental check’ list of possible faults - in the part 3 test of instructional ability, this would be based on the key points for the lesson which are listed on the left hand side of the marking sheet (ADI26). For a check test it is a good idea to make a similar ‘checklist’ list for whatever subject you are teaching.


Observe the pupil. (It used to be common practice to recommend that instructors sat slightly at an angle towards the pupil. Recently though, this practice has been highlighted as a possible health and safety issue and fitting an extra ‘eye mirror’ has become commonplace. However, remember that faults that can be observed inside the car include brake, coasting, gears etc., not just mirrors).


Observe the road ahead for early warning of possible hazards that could lead to faults.


Be pro-active: don’t wait for faults to happen try to predict them.


Once a fault has been committed, it should be identified straight away. I suggest this should be done with a clear statement of what is wrong – don’t use questions to identify a fault. This applies for all types of pupil (beginner, partly trained, trained etc). Look at the following example: Fault: Pupil doesn’t check right


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exterior mirror before signalling right.


Instructor could say: What mirror should you check before signalling right?


However, this does not tell the pupil what he has done wrong. He may even answer the question correctly as he may be unaware that he has made a mistake.


Instructor should say: You didn’t check your right exterior mirror before signalling. Here the fault is clearly identified with a short statement of what was wrong.


Fault analysis


Fault analysis is often the most difficult part of the Core Competencies because you have to work out why the fault happened - was it a lack of knowledge of the correct procedure or was there something else that the pupil was doing which caused the fault? If a fault is not correctly analysed then the remedy is unlikely to be effective in curing the problem.


Let us take the example of a pupil who approaches a closed T-junction but stops too early before the give way line. Any one of the following could be the analysis:


1. The pupil could simply not have a reference point (or forgotten it) for stopping.


2. He/she does not realise the consequences of stopping too early (cuts zone of vision) and thought it was safer to stop early than late.


3. The reference point could be wrong or not work well - the pupil could be trying to stop with the front of the car just behind the give-way line, but on most modern cars the front of the car is not visible from the driver’s seat so a certain amount of guess work is involved.


4. It could be that just as the pupil reaches the give way line and they


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