The Marking Sheet

The Check Test marking sheet is split into two sections: the left-hand side covers the lesson content, and the right-hand side covers instructor 'behaviour'.

When completing the left-hand section of the marking sheet, the examiner records whether or not the subject matter introduced during the lesson was covered satisfactorily. There is also a 'not covered' provision; this is for anything that the examiner deems to be in need of immediate attention but which is ignored by the instructor. It's worth noting here that it is the instructor's performance that is being measured, not the pupil's progress; theoretically, this means you can gain a high mark even if your pupil fails to fully master the skill being taught, provided you are taking reasonable measures to help.

The right-hand side of the marking form is where information about your teaching skill is recorded. An understanding of this side of the form will do much to enhance your day-to-day lessons and improve your chances of a high Check Test score.

There are three sections on the right of the form covering 'Core Competencies', 'Instructional techniques' and 'Instructor characteristics'.

The first section 'Core Competencies' is subdivided into three skill areas:

Instructors must achieve a minimum score of 4 against each of these items to pass the test.

In this issue we concentrate on the 'Identification of faults' section; the rest of the form will be considered further in the next article of this series.

Identification of Faults

When examiners assess your ability to identify faults they ask themselves the following questions: "Is this instructor aware of the pupil's mistakes?" and "Is this instructor helping the pupil to become aware of the mistakes that are being made?" By adopting the ideas discussed below, you will gain a resounding "Yes!" to both of these questions in the examiner's mind.

A question that I am regularly asked is: "Should I point out every single mistake?" The answer to this question can be found in the old adage: 'Practice makes perfect'. If you allow your pupils to practise getting things wrong, they will soon become perfect (at getting things wrong). When you become aware of mistakes, draw your pupil's attention to them as soon as it is practically possible.

A typical response to this might be: "That's all well and good; but if I mention every mistake, my pupils will soon become demoralised and lose confidence". True enough. If your pupils are making lots of mistakes there is a good chance they will become demoralised and lose motivation. However it's important to remember just who is in control here. There are many things you can do to prevent or minimise the number of mistakes that are made.

Route Selection

The first consideration, when planning to minimise the number of mistakes in any given lesson, is to ensure that the route you choose is appropriate for the pupil's driving standard ­ this might well mean driving to an appropriate area before starting the lesson. Effective route selection is probably the single most important factor when setting out to minimise the driving errors made by your pupils.

Over instruction

Another way that you can reduce errors is by ensuring that you offer your pupil sufficient help. I speak to many instructors who are concerned about over-instruction during the check-test. However, it's well worth bearing the following thought in mind: 'Your pupils would much rather get things right with your help than get them wrong all on their own!' Over-instruction only becomes an issue if you fail to offer appropriate opportunities for your pupils to try things for themselves.

By minimising your pupil's mistakes, you will heighten your chances of getting a high score against 'Identification of faults'. The logic is quite simple: the fewer mistakes your pupil makes, the higher the percentage of those mistakes you are likely to spot. In addition, pupils who only make a few mistakes will feel good ­ the capacity for positive motivation through a sense of achievement will be improved, thus making your job easier!

Teaching Strategies

Sorting out your training route and the amount of help that you give to your pupils will minimise errors but is unlikely to eradicate them completely, especially during a Check-Test. Many pupils will be as nervous (if not more so) about the test as you are! In order to maintain and boost confidence you need to adopt 'non-judgemental' strategies when discussing any mistakes that arise; for example, saying something like: "You can improve your safety by checking the door mirror before passing parked cars" (followed by an explanation), is more likely to be effective than: "You got that wrong again by missing your mirror check (Stupid!)".

Look and Listen

My assertion that you should make your pupils aware of all their mistakes assumes, of course, that you are aware of them yourself. Most, if not all, of the instructors that I meet pay far too little attention to their pupils. They are so busy looking at the world outside the car that they miss the vital clues necessary for effective tuition. Another problem that is specific to Part-Three and Check-Tests is that instructors become so concerned about pleasing the examiner, that they reach a point where their own 'mental chatter' becomes a distraction. In order to gain a high awareness of your pupil's mistakes you need to watch and listen carefully.

By watching your pupils closely you will notice where they are placing their 'visual attention'. Misplaced visual attention lies at the root of many speed and positioning problems and virtually all steering problems. Spot the visual attention problems and you will start predicting and preventing driving errors.
Watch also for obvious 'body language' clues. I've lost count of the occasions when I've spotted instructors who seem blissfully unaware their pupil's noses are almost touching the windscreen! This posture is a sure sign of stress. By noticing when your pupils seem nervous you can target your teaching input and route selection more effectively ­ thus further reducing mistakes.

Next time you sit in the back of the car during a driving test, watch the examiner closely; you will probably notice that he/she pays far more attention to the test candidate than to the road. For example, examiners ensure that test candidates take effective observation at junctions before looking for themselves (which they do at the last moment with a quick scan all-around to ensure the road is safe).You can adopt the examiner's methods for yourself. The only difference is that you might need to prompt, or give direct instruction to, your pupils to ensure they take proper observation.

Listening carefully to your pupils can also give vital clues to the errors that they are making or are about to make. Quite often a simple 'throw away' statement or question, for example, "It's probably best if I always signal isn't it?" will give a clue to your pupil's understanding of the current situation and thus to potential errors.

So, to recap all of the above, if you want to get a 6 for identifying faults, remember the following: sort out your route, make sure your pupil can perform with your help before offering unassisted practice, and watch and listen...

You can contact John Farlam by:
email: John@smartdriving.co.uk
and/or get free driving, training and business advice by visiting:
www.smartdriving.co.uk