'General drive' routes

So far, we have established that every lesson or at least every 'mini-lesson' (maybe 20 minutes within a lesson) should have a clear focus with clear goals. The goals will be determined by what has gone before and the learner's current needs. The goals around specific needs will ideally be determined, for the most part, by the learner.

However, when it comes to course and route planning, we often get questions from experienced ADIs along the lines of: 

"I teach something in the region of 30 specific driving topics, but it's not unusual for a learner to take 50 lessons. 

Therefore, after the main subjects have been covered, the lessons tend to be 'general drives' to allow the learner to practise and improve. A lot of lessons are general and have no specific route – but I was told on my Standards Check that I should have been more specific."

How can I be specific on a general lesson?

My answer would be a question: "While the learner practises and improves what?"

At any given time, you will be working on a specific aspect of driving. If not, learning will be 'diluted', and the time taken to learn will be longer (that is, if the learner doesn't give up or go somewhere else for lessons).

As discussed in the earlier articles, the route must offer plenty of practise examples that match the learner's skill level if you are working on a specific subject.

But what if the subject is something like mirrors, signals or general positioning? Surely, these don't have routes of their own and so must be 'general'?

Well no... 

I would suggest that if, for example, you were spending an entire hour on mirrors and signals, you might do the following:

• 10 minutes of mirrors and signals at T-junctions

• 10 minutes of mirrors and signals approaching junctions

• 10 minutes of mirrors and signals at crossings

• 10 minutes of mirrors and signals in meet-vehicles situations

Etcetera.

For each 10-minute chunk, you would drive a couple of times around a short, focused route. Effectively 10-minute mini-lessons.

Of course, some routes are specifically designed to be 'general' to meet specific learning and practise criteria. For example:

• Hazard perception assessments

• A Sat-nav lesson

• Independent drives nearing test standard (sat-nav or following signs)

• Mock tests

• Pupil determined journeys

But although 'general' in the mix of road types and traffic situations, these routes have specific learning outcomes.

This is the end of route planning.