Job sharing

Before giving the instruction to "drive on when you are ready please" either at the start of the lesson or at any point within the lesson, it is important to explain what you are expecting to happen during the next five or ten minutes and the respective responsibilities that you and your learner will have in order to make it happen.

We refer to this as a 'job-sharing' statement.

During learning the job of driving the car will be shared between the instructor and learner. During the early stages of learning the instructor might take responsibility for prompting the learner about certain actions, or asking questions to stimulate action. As the training progresses the instructor's role will become more about assessment than it is about direct input. But even when a learner reaches driving test standard there is still a role for the instructor to play, even if the role is doing nothing! It's vitally important that the learner knows exactly what he/she will be taking responsibility for and what (if anything) the instructor will be taking responsibility for.

An example after a briefing in a crossroads lesson might be:

"In a moment I'll ask you to drive on. I will be watching you carefully and will give as much assistance as you need as we've discussed.

When we come to a crossroad, I will talk you through the observation chgecks, you will be responsible for everything else. If you feel uncertain about anything ask me to help. Have you any questions? OK, drive on when you are ready please".

The learner and instructor will have already agreed what is going to happen. The Job Sharing statement simply summarises the information so that the learner is 100% clear about what will happen next.

If the learner is unsure about his/her role there is a good chance that errors will follow. If a learner is expecting your support and you do not give any there is a good chance of hesitancy before action. If a learner is not expecting support and you jump in they could be unsettled and slow to respond.

At 30 mph the car is travelling at almost 15 metres per second - with this in mind you can perhaps see why clear roles and responsibilities are important and understood.

Next: Questions/Reflection...