MSA Newslink Marketing Special

From the pages of Newslink
Don’t leave your pupils tackling
the theory on their own
Even the most conscientious
ADIs can often leave their
pupils to get on with learning
their theory on their own,
having an interest in their
progress only when they
pass. That’s a chance missed
to embed some key road
safety lessons, says
Steve Garrod
Dealing with theory is an
essential part of an ADI’s role,
but many learners are left to
their own ways of learning it.
Many feel they can achieve it
by downloading the practice tests but it
appears that quite a few try to memorise
the questions without understanding how
it links to the practical training, with
disappointing results.
I recently worked in a Further Education
College and was surprised at how many
young drivers openly admitted to failing
their theory test again and again. Some
have had 10 goes without success. They
seem to feel that they can pass on good
attendance or that somehow they will get
the exact theory test they have been
practising on their phones.
Relying on practice tests does not help
students learn the theory in context.
Many learners never pick up a Highway
Code (or look at the online version),
which is often to their disadvantage. In
fact, many pupils do not know how to
learn for themselves.
There are many very good online
programmes that have the theory broken
down into individual headings, such as
motorways; vulnerable road users and
road and traffic signs, but it is important
to understand the terminology used in
the questions. This can be improved by
reading more about the subject in the
Highway Code, but better still, via
22
discussion with their instructor.
For example, there is a question that
reads, “You are waiting to emerge at a
junction at night; how would you prevent
dazzling following drivers?” This is quite
a complex question for a native English
speaker, let alone someone whose first
language is not English. Words such as
‘dazzling’ and ‘emerge’ are not common
in everyday speaking and many would
associate ‘dazzle’ with oncoming vehicles
and not those behind them and fail to
read the word ‘following’.
As with all tutors in Adult Education,
‘‘
Relying solely on practice tests
does not help students learn
the theory in context ... many
learners never pick up a copy
of the Highway Code... in fact,
they do not know how to learn
for themselves
‘‘
ADIs need to be able to provide
opportunities to improve their pupils’
English and mathematics skills (known
as embedding) into their lessons
wherever possible. Something I have
realised in recent years is that those
below a certain age find it hard to tell the
time using a traditional clock with hands,
which can be a problem when trying to
explain the positions of exits on a
roundabout. The English used in the
Highway Code is aimed at all age
groups, but it is worth remembering that
children need to understand it when they
are preparing for their cycling proficiency
test; therefore the language used should
be fairly easy to understand.
If you come across a word that could
cause a problem, such as ‘Prohibited’ or
‘Mandatory’, it is worth confirming that
your pupil knows what the word means,
or think of a word to replace it. It could
be useful to produce a glossary of terms
for the technical language used to help
students understand the questions and
use them at appropriate stages during
your lessons, for example when preparing
a lesson on junctions you could include
NEWSLINK SPECIAL n JUNE 2021