Client Centered Learning
Without a doubt, I believe pupils need a bit of both!
They both have a place in the training learner drivers.
There will be times when client centered learning is vital, but in as much a way that teaching your learners will require as much attention.
It has been proven that "Coaching" learners tends to work better. The reasoning behind this is that it engages them far more with the learning process and makes them think.
It is extremely easy to sit there blasting out instructions to a pupil about what they should do, what they did wrong, how they can do things differently or how you think they should do it differently. But by coaching instead of teaching, you will find that your pupils will learn quicker, enable you to understand their understanding, and also get to realise they know more than you think they know.
By engaging your pupil's in the learning process and using effective questions, you will find that nine times out of ten your pupil will be able to work out the answer to something that might not have been going so well and how they could change just one thing to make that process simpler.
This is not to say you should not fill in the gaps within their knowledge, but by allowing them time to reflect on what worked and what didn't and how they could do things differently to make things work, this not only allows you to take a step back a little, but also allows them to build on whatever current knowledge they have and let you know what they understand and what they don't.
Consider this!
You take on a new pupil and on day one they enter your car and you sit there and then say "get on with it then"!
What is your pupil going to do?
They are going to look at you and think "you're the instructor you tell me!"
But that doesn't mean Client Centered Learning can't start from day one by asking your pupil what they know about a car.
They may know absolutely nothing, but they may surprise you and be able to fill you in on virtually everything there is to know about the car.
If we just assume they know nothing, and bore them to tears taking about what pedal does what, how to set themselves up in the seat, setting up the mirrors etc, they will get bored stiff and feel that they have not achieved much by the end of that lesson.
It may be that they have driven a car before but didn't want to mention it, especially if they have just turned 17 and they possibly shouldn't have had any opportunity to drive a car legally.
That's not to say they haven't had an under 17's experience somewhere, or live on private land that has the facility to drive a vehicle on it.
So NEVER assume you know all the answers.
Find out what your learner knows first.
Fill in the gaps of any missing knowledge, or correct misinformation or understandings.
Once you set the margin from day one, your pupil will understand how future lessons will progress and that you are not going to treat them with contempt that they know nothing.
Set up a learning environment that put you both on the same level.
Having an "I know everything and you know nothing" attitude will not go down well with many pupils.
They understand you have experience and knowledge, but that does not need to be rammed down their throats.
Express to them that you want to be able to utilise your lessons with them to give them as much skill as they can possibly gain in your time together.
Express that no question is a stupid question, and that the more they ask the easier it is for you to understand their knowledge and that it will help you to assist them. Reassure them aware that it's ok to make mistakes and that is why you are there to keep them safe and to build their skills so that those mistake become less and less.
Build a rapport with them so they feel they can ask and answer questions without feeling judged.
On the other hand you may find you have a pupil that needs information on everything, especially to start with.
Hopefully, as your lessons with these pupils progress you will be able to turn that teaching style into a coaching style client centered learning mode.
Their knowledge will grow and you will find that you will be able to ask them questions that you will get answers to. This will allow you to know that they have a good understanding of that particular subject.
The more they know, and you know they know it, the better prepared they will be for a future of driving.
One of the biggest areas where driving instructor fall down, is that they never give their learners enough time to come up with finding an answer for themselves. They jump in way too early without possibly rewording the questions to the pupil to change their thought process.
Sometimes the way a question is asked can confuse they learner and they are not sure of what it is your are asking. By rewording the question it may make them think of the answer you are looking for.
By not rewording and just jumping in with the answer, you have taken away the pupils chance to work out the answer for themselves.
Give them time! reword questions to them, and then if they still cannot find an answer then help them, but possibly in a way that makes them think again about what it is you have been asking but to give them a chance to think of other information that may be important.
Coaching is a skill that engages your pupil to work things out for themselves, and build on what knowledge they current have to improve on that particular subject.
