Job sharing

Before giving the instruction to drive on 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.

At SmartDriving 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 - it's 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 the briefing) for 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 to drive correctly.

When we come to a crossroad, I will talk you through it fully, you just have to listen and do the things that I tell you. If you feel uncertain about anything, you simply have to ask me to help. Have you any questions? OK, drive on when you are ready and it is safe to do so".

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 the could be unsettled and slow to respond.

This is the only item in this section - next: Lesson Theming