The goals will include information about what will be done, how things will be tackled, the practise route, what should be achieved and how/why the goals are relevant.

All lesson introductions will be different, but as a general rule of thumb the information will ideally include the following (not necessarily in this order or with this type of wording):

What will be included in the lesson:

"As we agreed last lesson, today we will cover right turns emerging."

This clearly identifies the content starts to raise the learner's expectation and strengthens the 'ready for learning' state.

How the lesson will be tackled:

"In a moment I will find out what you already know based on your homework and then I'll use this diagram (points to visual teaching aid) to explain the step-by-step process."

This reassures the learner that there is structure and form and that the lesson will follow a pattern. People are comfortable and most relaxed with things they know and can rely on.

Where it will be done:

"We will drive to the roads we used last week via the estate."

Explaining the location takes away any feelings of "I hope we don't go to the road where I nearly crashed into the bus last week", etc. Watch your learner's body language and facial expression when you discuss the route – any uncertainty will show and can be dealt with by changing the route or exploring the problem.

What should be achieved (goals):

"What do you think the main points are for this lesson and what would it be reasonable to achieve today?"

By focusing on the expected outcome you will adjust the lesson as required to achieve the desired result.

Some goals will include specific content detail, for example use of the MSM routine, while others will be more about the learners themselves, for example, their feeling of confidence.

For the lesson to be successful it must end on a high note, the learner must achieve their desired outcomes – with this in mind the goals must be realistic and achievable. If the learner expresses wishes or goals that would clearly not be attainable, discuss the requirements and why it might be a better idea to defer the goals. For success your customers need to have a realistic understanding of their abilities and capabilities.

Why it's relevant:

"When you can successfully complete right turns emerging turns we will be able to tackle other situations that need the same skills, for example, emerging from garages or car parks."

Link the goals to future, training, safe driving, the driving test, trips to the seaside, in fact, anything that will motivate the learner to succeed. For this to be really powerful you must know your customers; take an interest in what makes them tick!

Knowing why the learning is personally relevant in terms of lifestyle, safety and the driving test will help learners to make more sense of the learning and practise.

What happens next:

In the videos you will see that at the end of the introduction John keeps Graham in touch with what will happen next. This is important because it gives the learner a sense of 'process' leaving them in no doubt about what is happening, what is going to happen and what the respective roles of instructor and learner will be at any given time. It also gives the learner an opportunity to ask questions. The process of keeping the learner informed throughout the lesson is covered in detail later on when we discuss the concept of 'Job Sharing'.

During the Part-Three exam and in Standards Checks, keeping the learner informed about what happens next also demonstrates to the examiner that there is a clear plan of action and that the learner is involved in the development of that plan.

In the following videos we give examples of lesson introductions for different types of learner.

Next: Step 3 - A remedial lesson example...