Module 6.

Session 2. Lesson Planning

There is no substitute for good lesson planning, those who succeed and go on to be successful are those who plan.

During the previous session we focussed on route planning and ensuring that our training area would be suitable for our proposed lesson subject.  During this phase we take it all a little bit further and formulate our thoughts.  We have a little history, having had a debrief at the end of the lesson before with our student, what they did well, where most improvement had been made and where they can see they still need to make improvements etc.  We would also, during the debrief, come up with a loose plan of what this weeks lesson would be.

As mentioned during the last session the area needs to be able to comfortably accommodate the planned lesson subject - in our example it was focussing on 'rolling junctions left' but we also looked at developing into both left and right.  Thought was also given to are route map as to where a little remedial training might take place and also how we might upscale the lesson should everything go especially well.

During this lesson planning stage you will have the opportunity to formulate your thoughts onto a purpose made plan.  Here you would not only think about what is to be done but what has been covered before - what the learner driver should know and the skills they should display.  We need to be certain that the planned lesson will match the student driver's learning goals and needs and also suit their learning style and current levels of ability.  Remember lesson plans are not a one size fits all solution, and it also need to be considered that the goals and needs of the learner driver may change and adapt though out the lesson so we need to plan ahead for any eventuality.

Follow the link below to download a copy of the lesson planning form, use the route planning video if you like as a prompt to just 'give it a go' and try and complete a lesson plan based on the headings provided.  Remember that no one is expected to get it straight away and it is important for you to allow yourself to make mistakes during your own development.  Here we can recognise your strengths and weaknesses and work together to provide you with the tools to build good, well focussed and appropriate lesson plans for your learner drivers.

During the workshop accompanying this session the lesson plans will be looked at in further depth and each section will be discussed and explored.  Lesson plans always seem a little difficult to start but with practice you will get the knack of it.

The Instructor's Lesson Plan

So now we have a lesson plan for our student.  We have recognised that the lesson plan is an integral part of the learners development.  The lesson plan has been thought about and designed based on the learners performance, ability exhibited and developmental goals, all of which were discussed and agreed at the conclusion of the lesson before.  It is important to recognise at this point however that this is only half the story. 

As the saying goes, "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry" - No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it. The saying is adapted from a line in “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns: “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.” 

“No Battle Plan Survives Contact With the Enemy”

First up in Planning Week is German military strategist Helmuth von Moltke.

"No battle plan," he sagely noted, "survives contact with the enemy."

When your plan meets the real world, the real world wins. Nothing goes as planned. Errors pile up. Mistaken suppositions come back to bite you. The most brilliant plan loses touch with reality.

What both these quotes remind us is that, although a plan is of the highest importance and we need to know and understand our training areas, as soon as the wheels start to turn anything may and often will change.  As professional educators we need to follow some basic principles one of which is to have an individual lesson plan for ourselves.  This lesson plan does not have to be in great detail but must form the basis of all lessons.  A framework for our teaching if you will.  This lesson plan must identify the key aspects of each lesson, regardless of the learners previous level of achievement, any preconceived expectations of student ability and aspiration of achievement.

For example:

A lesson had been agreed upon, at the conclusion of the previous lesson, to take on a notorious roundabout.  This had been discussed and agreed because during the lesson the student showed a high level of concentration, MSPSL was on point, LADA was exceptional, vehicle control was to a high standard including control, clutch, gas and well, everything!!

A week has passed and the student is ready and keen to get underway.  To get to the training area the student does ok, but they have done better, a couple of stalls and rough gear changes.   This is not like them.  Now the lesson can go one of two ways, carry on regardless or stop and go back - address the issues and try and get back on track.

In this case the instructor decides to push on, instead of "getting back on track" the learner makes more mistakes and at the end of the lesson, during the debrief, both agree it was good that they "gave it a go", it could have been better but it was a difficult roundabout anyway and we can try again next week. 

This is not good progressive development and far from being client centred.  The question, at a very base level needs to be asked, "Did this lesson meet the learners training goals and needs?" - The learner wanted to do the roundabout, but is it what they needed?

Lets look at the example again.  In this second case the instructor recognised the errors and did not simply dismiss them, preferring to draw attention to them through supportive questioning.  It is important to find out the nature of these errors, especially if they are out of character.  After identifying the problem, analysing it with the learner they then decided upon a strategy to rectify the problem (See it, Say it, Sort it).  It total there were 3 errors, lets say MSPSL sequence, speed of approach to junctions and incorrect positioning exiting junctions.  During the 1 hour lesson all three were looked at, discussed and rectified, it can be safely assumed that mere nerves of the lesson ahead had put pressure on the learner and they were simply rushing things.

To identify, analyse and rectify these errors took no more than 15 minutes at the start of the lesson.  Now the student was ready to take on the challenge of the infamous roundabout, comfortable in the knowledge they did, in fact, have the relevant skill set to achieve.  The lesson from this point took a much better and more progressive direction.

At the conclusion of the lesson, during the final debrief the learner felt positive and keen to develop further. 

It is important to remember to build into each lesson some sort of formative assessment at the beginning, this is a very good use of the drive to the focussed training area.  A formative assessment is designed to check how the learner is developing, or put another way, how their skill and knowledge is forming.  A new task cannot be undertaken successfully, and the learner cannot wholly benefit from either your time and support or their time behind the wheel until they can demonstrate a clear understanding and demonstrate ability of tasks and skills previously taught.

The following link button will take you to a basic lesson plan for instructors.  It can be used as an aid during lessons to ensure the basics are not over looked.  Tools like these are an excellent support to trainee driving instructors and offer great support during both part 3 tests as well as standards checks for more seasoned instructors.