I am really very sorry

I'm sorry

Yes, I'm really sorry, but I threw in a 'red herring' in my last blog article, 'Driving Lessons Must Be Client-Centred'. I hope your blood pressure didn't go too high? But, for all that, I only received one email expressing disappointment with the phrase, 'probably the indie'. So why did I use this apparently ill-considered phrase? […]

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Road Safety Around Schools

Traffic sign warning of school safety zone where 20mph applies when lights are flashing

As driving instructors, it can be very easy for us to focus our attention exclusively on road safety for our learner drivers, and our youngest charges in particular. Road safety reports relating to the issue of safety for this particular group is, unsurprisingly, prolific. Here is just one example I found this week, targeting the […]

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High number of drivers behave stupidly!

I see bad drivers - bumper sticker

Do a high number of drivers behave stupidly? It appears some driving instructors have a very low opinion of most other drivers. What message is this sending out to learner drivers? Whilst in Norwich yesterday, I was reminded of a recent Facebook thread, concerning light-controlled pedestrian crossings, where the question was asked what ADIs would do […]

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The Perils of No Spare Wheel

Empty spare wheel compartment, compressor and glue!

10 days before Christmas, I got a puncture, nearside front. Tyre was completely flat! Didn't discover this until I got back home from Norwich having driven on the A47 dual carriageway! Car felt fine, except for what I considered to be bad cornering on my part on a roundabout, and a slight pull to the […]

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Je suis Charlie, ambiguous meaning

Je suis Charlie

This image needs no introduction, although its meaning does require a little more thought. You see, the French phrase 'Je suis' means 'I am', that is true, but it also means 'I follow', from the verb 'suivre'. A well-known French saying illustrates the two meanings very well: Je suis que je suis que je suis […]

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The Santa Slimming Challenge

fat and thin santas side by side

Right, now for something completely different – I'm going to take the Santa Slimming Challenge because I'd like to be slim, and fit, for Christmas this year!  So, let's do this together and 'get primal' with the 'Primal Blueprint' from Mark Sissons. I found Mark's website, to save buying any of the books before I know […]

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CPD, is it really necessary?

Video image of webinar recording

Some time ago Ed Marshall, one of our regular contributors on CCL and coaching techniques, asked the question about CPD and why we should be bothered to do it. As you would expect, his presentation set out to explain the benefits of doing CPD and the different ways this can be achieved. Dile members can […]

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Standardising Fleet Training

Phoenix Risk Solutions logo

  Live webinar 14th August 2014 @8pm. Register now The title of this Phoenix Risk Solutions CPD course is 'Standardising Fleet Training'. However, experience of the course showed it is actually all about delivering driver training in a client-centred way using coaching methods. The PRS Standardised Fleet Training assessment sheet closely mirrors the SC marking sheets, which […]

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The ‘have it now’ Society

A shop selling off products very cheaply, stacked together, no shelves.

I went onto Amazon this morning to finalise the purchase of six albums I had placed in my basket. I decided I wanted the physical CD for these, as opposed to download MP3 only and had accepted I would have to wait for the albums to arrive in the post. So, I placed my order and […]

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Driving School Cars Anger Residents

Angry man pointing aggressively

What exactly is it that makes local residents so angry? As an ADI for the past 11yrs I have occsionally had to deal with this problem. Thankfully very rarely, in fact fingers of one hand, but it can be upsetting when it does. In each case it has been because the resident has reached the […]

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Client-Centred Learning in Practice

http://www.mydrivinginstructortraining.com/driving-schools-nottingham/check-test/#.Uy8Jxvl_tAI

This blog post contains examples of client-centred learning with some of my current clients. It is intended to show examples of what can be done, not as a definitive, 'this is how to do it' post. I hope you will find this useful and find ways you can adapt the situations to your own clients. […]

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Structured CCL

Working together as equals

In my last article I showed you how education that puts the individual receiving that education at the heart of the process, has been around for many years – in my early years of teaching in the primary sector, child-centred teaching was expected, following the publication of a report from a committee chaired by Lady Plowden. […]

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Teaching skills, CCL and Plowden

Learner has choices to make

This is the first in a series of articles concerning teaching skills. It is not intended as the definitive 'how to' series but as a collection of my personal experiences and beliefs built up over a period of 30 years teaching children from age 9 up to 18 in UK middle and secondary schools, followed […]

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Invisible Pedestrians

Vehicle headlights create black hole in front

That night the shock set in! Headache, cold, shivering, despite the heat in the room.  It was just a brief visit to the supermarket for the dog food I had forgotten to buy – for myself I would have gone without but not for my dog! It was early evening, cold and raining, headlights glaring […]

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Automated emails

Get personal with automated emails

The advert may convince you that automated emails can give you that personal touch with your clients, but is that how your clients, or prospective clients see them? I had some lovely feedback this week from one of my learner drivers. She was telling me about how she came to choose me as her driving […]

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See and Be Seen

The Lightmare website banner

Every month I write a short road safety article for our local Parish magazine. The following is a recent submission I thought you might like to consider for both your learner and qualified drivers. What a wonderful summer we have had this year!  Makes you feel so much better, doesn’t it?  I was lucky because […]

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The Scammers Got Me!

Hand comes out of computer monitor and steals money!

Internet theft!  A scam!  "Never thought it would happen to me!" – isn't that what everyone says?  Well, it happened to me and I'm kicking myself! I thought I'd done everything to protect myself, scoured the page for hidden smallprint, terms and conditions, nothing visible.  But this was a single page website, a 'landing page', and […]

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ADINJC 40th Anniversary Conference

ADINJC logo

The conference took place on Oct 6th 2013, with a special celebration dinner the night before.  The dinner celebrated the 40 years the ADINJC has been in existence, with a fun quiz at the start, many questions going back well before the 40yrs and Professor Peter Russell showing his memory is as sharp as ever (sharper than most […]

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Thinking is too hard for some learners

Cartoon image, thinking...too hard!

Do your learners find thinking too hard?  If so, do they like you to give them full instruction so they don't have to think?  Full instruction works well for some, so long as the instruction is gradually removed, and has been the cornerstone of driving instruction ever since the driving test was first introduced!  But […]

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The Eyes Have It!

Eyes looking down

The eyes are vital in driving so do not ignore your learners' eyes! The Dile is all about helping you to develop your skills further so you can offer the very best training to your clients. I am sure you remind your pupils, after they have passed their tests, that their learning now begins!  And […]

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GDE Matrix Comes to Life

Driving in misty, wet conditions

Well, what a fabulous weekend I had this weekend, attending a fun-packed conference in Birmingham with a network marketing group I'm involved with. I experienced some of the best business training imaginable, met some amazing people, clapped, cheered, laughed and cried at the stories told on the stage by people who'd made a success of their […]

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To Signal or Not?

Learner car, right signal

This age old probelm of correct use of signalling continues to raise its head!  Ged Wilmot wrote an excellent blog post on this topic way back in 2010, and he has just re-posted it as ADI's like myself keep on using it to help others!  You will find Ged's 2010 post on signalling on Ged […]

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Benefits of Membership of the Dile

Signpost showing the Dile pages

The Dile has been live for 5 months now and in that time we have held 13 webinars and one panel discussion, all of which have been uploaded to the site video library. One webinar has been deleted because a further update was recorded later (the Fresh Insight Conference). The frequency of these webinars is now […]

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New Penalties for Motorists

Tailgating driver could now be fined

On August 16th I received a call from Radio Norfolk, just after 9am, asking if I'd go on the phone and give my views on the new fixed penalties for motorisits caught tailgating or hogging the middle lane. I'm afraid my response was not quite what was expected when I said I couldn't see how […]

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How to make the most out of Webinars

Getting the most from webinars

This article is brought to you by our friends at  The Roadio Magazine, the magazine for driving instructors: Go on. Give yourself a pat on the back. You’ve logged onto TheDile.com and in so doing you’ve already indicated you’re in the top 10% of driving instructors. How so? Well, the very fact that you’re here […]

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ADINJC Training Roadshow in Norwich

ADINJC logo

On Monday August 12th we were delighted to welcome the ADINJC to Norwich to deliver their 2013 free training roadshow. A number of ADI's had travelled from further afield, including Antony Wharton from Southampton, who was up in Norfolk for something else at the same time so it was good to see him at the […]

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Fresh Insight Conference Report

What an excellent conference we were treated to last Monday! I arrived around 8.15, with registration scheduled for 8.30, to find quite a lot of ADI's already there and the place buzzing with excitement! Breakfast was available, bacon, black pudding, cheesy toast, bread rolls and lots of lovely pastries for those wanting something sweeter. After […]

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Learn Driving in 3D

Screenshot from the Learn Driving in 3D app

Another free webinar for August which is technolgy related! This time Phil Hirst, Aim4Success.tv, is here to tell us all about the app he and his business partner have created from his popular book of the same name, Learn Driving in 3D. He will show us how we can get the best out of the […]

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Content Management with WordPress

Webinars on The Dile

Free Webinar, August 15th starting at 8pm. This is the second in a series from Tony Lane, an ADI from Boston in Lincolnshire who also specialises in building and maintaining WordPress websites. He delivered his first webinar, a basic introduction to managing a WordPress webasite, back in May (you will find the recording in the […]

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Understanding Car Crashes

Car crash, head-on collision

Watch "Understanding Car Crashes: It's Basic Physics" on YouTube This is a most fascinating and informative video, made easy to understand, on the physics of a crash, and the effects on the vehicle and its occupants. It's 22mins long but doesn't feel like that once you are watching – time goes in a flash! Driving […]

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Which Root Will You Choose?

Man standing in front of tree roots shows their huge size

Do you know your roots from your routes?  This fleet registered ADI offering advanced driver training doesn't seem to judging by his website entry: …a test for one and a half hours over a variety of roots… Well at least it gave me a good laugh first thing in the morning picturing all thoses drivers on […]

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LofaWay2BeatTestNerves Video Recording Uploaded

Diane Hall with her book in her driving school car

Help your pupils beat test nerves! What an enjoyable and informative event we had last night at The LofaWay2BeatTestNerves Webinar! Diane Hall ADI, author of the highly acclaimed book 'LofaWay2Pass', demonstrates how you can help your pupils reduce their driving test nerves, as well as their nerves for specific situations when driving, such as hill starts. […]

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A Swallow’s Tale

Nesting birds in shed

Our cottage has an adjoining cart-shed style open fronted garage which currently hosts four active swallows nests.  The clash of their airborne incontinence above (once) shiny cars is a small price to pay for observing Nature’s miracles literally on, or rather above, our doorstep. Recently I spotted a part-grown swallow chick cheeping happily from the […]

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LofaWay2BeatTestNerves

Diane Hall with her book in her driving school car

Diane Hall ADI, author of the highly acclaimed book, LofaWay2Pass, introduces you to a technique which will help your learners to eliminate their test nerves, as well as help nervous drivers become more confident on the road. And, so you can go away and find out straight away if it works, she will be showing […]

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Learning Styles for Client-Centred Learning

Teach to the learning style

  Watch this; hear what I say; read all about it; just do it! These phrases represent the VARK learning styles, visual, aural/oral, reading/writing, kinesthetic So, what's your preferred learning style? You can find out (roughly) by filling in this questionnaire. Personally I like to see and hear then read all about it, write some notes […]

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