An unusual session... but it feels 'right'
Fiona reflects on a learner-centred session with a bright, independent student who over-thinks everything, and on how her own coaching practice has changed from pushing learners to 'keep going' towards respecting the customer's values.
So today was another one of those, "well this is an unusual session..... but it feels 'right'!!" kind of notions...
The scene:
- Very bright Student at Uni
- Few lessons in
- Knows that she is finding it harder than other people might... at the moment...
- ... knows that will change once she is comfortable with the car controls
- In her own words she 'over-thinks' everything - creating information overload
- Very independent person
- Cannot ingest too many instructions on the move - simple words only - mostly due to this wonderful independence
Her Session Goal:
- Learn to brake 'properly' in her words - meaning
- At specific places (so I can practice and feel ok approaching junctions)
- So that it is smooth when I stop
- "So that I don't break your neck when I stop!"
- So that it is not sudden!
- So that I feel safe and in control
[after a bit of discussion...]
Her Session plan:
- Country route chosen by Student - as she feels safer as less to distract her from the plan
- Fiona 'in charge of observations and ultimate safety'
- Fiona to give clear instructions as to 'place to stop' whilst on move/stationary (we found out that Student choice was overwhelming last session and was not successful!)
- Student in charge of moving off, moving up through the gears, and stopping at the appointed stop location
Her session Observations:
- Braking to a stop at the desired place was mastered
- Use of brake had improved since last session (no neck brace required!! hahahaa! :) )
- Quite accurate
- Proud that she was independent
- Very happy that changing to 3rd - re-mastered after missing the target
- VERY happy to note that she began to introduce her own mirror observations naturally!
- Very happy to be independent for all of her 'role'
- Happy to note that she understood the junctions that she 'saw' and knew priority
- Felt her goal accomplished
- Noticed improvements when dealing with other road users
- Felt like it was a great session
What she will work on:
- Moving off "when someone is behind her under control"
- Concentrating on her own car and what she needs to do (avoiding focus on others eg behind)
- Driving under control when others nearby
- Using her 'over-thinking brain' to her advantage when spotting hazards
Sounds like a plan to me!
I often think about what I would have done in the past. I would probably encourage/force/urge someone to just 'keep going'. I would not have acknowledged her judgement of what felt safer (ie country roads or town junctions). I would not consider that this lesson plan as being of a sufficient standard of complexity or attainment! It would have to have been much more complex otherwise I would not feel like I was 'giving value for money'!
If I am offering a service that is 'value for money'.... those 'values' can only be set by the customer.
When I go to a restaurant I may prefer my steak...
- well done
- medium well done
- medium rare
- rare
- raw
- still alive
... in all honesty - I would STILL NEVER eat in this restaurant as it does not respect my values... It is not hearing what I want even with the multitude of options available.... I want Quorn! I'm a vegetarian !! :)
Fiona
Source & reference
Originally published on FionaDrive.com (WordPress). Title: TEMPORARY working title 'An unusual session... but it feels right' based on Fiona's opening wording; awaiting authoritative FionaDrive WordPress post title verification from Greg. Publication date/time: NOT YET VERIFIED from FionaDrive WordPress metadata. published_date and original_published_date left null. No date estimated from image URL or surrounding migration chronology. Awaiting authoritative FionaDrive WordPress metadata. Historical FionaDrive image (NOT automatically migrated or re-hosted; provenance/rights review required; image_url set to null; flagged for final media/re-hosting review): http://fionadrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/brake_pedal-300x199.jpg Alt text: 'brake_pedal' Google Analytics implementation code: The historical Google Analytics script (UA-68418733-1) has been REMOVED entirely. It is implementation code and does not form part of the migrated article or source content. Editorial corrections (only where meaning is certain): 1. 'Learn to break properly' corrected to 'Learn to brake properly' - braking context, meaning certain. 2. 'after a missing the target' corrected to 'after missing the target' - obvious typographical error, meaning certain. 3. 'Felt like is was a great session' corrected to 'Felt like it was a great session' - obvious typographical error, meaning certain. Intentionally NOT corrected: 'So that I don't break your neck when I stop!' - this is an intentional joke by the learner and MUST remain 'break', not 'brake'. Preserved as published. Historical terminology: Fiona's terminology and descriptions of the lesson have been preserved as her historical professional reflection. The article has NOT been converted into current driving instruction or added present-day DVSA requirements. Descriptions of the learner and lesson are treated as Fiona's historical professional reflection, not current DVSA guidance. Privacy: The learner is anonymous. This has been preserved. No name, university, location, age, nationality, or other identifying information inferred or added. Learner quotations: Quoted phrases (e.g. 'over-thinks', 'properly', 'So that I don't break your neck when I stop!', 'place to stop', 'role', 'saw', 'over-thinking brain') treated as Fiona's historical recollection of what the learner said. Not presented as independently verified quotations. WordPress formatting removed: Inline alignment styling, image attachment wrapper, empty paragraphs/non-breaking spaces, underline span on 'under control', and list markup cleaned to standard HTML lists. Fiona's wording, punctuation, humour, and conversational style preserved. No em dashes introduced. Relationships: None created. related_workshop_ids: [], related_product_ids: [], related_testimonial_ids: []. No automatic links to Beyond the Test, Scaling, Mind Mapping, Go Solo or other current products/workshops. Legacy URL: null. No verified FionaDrive legacy URL available. None constructed or guessed from the title. Image: image_url: null. No Unsplash or stock photography substituted. Categories: Primary: Learner-Centred Practice. Additional: Coaching, Instructor Development (Fiona explicitly reflects on how her own teaching/coaching practice has changed). No new categories created.
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