You're listening to the Driving Confidence podcast for drivers who want to be calm and confident on the road. We will be sharing tips, stories and advice to beat driving nerves and anxiety and build your driving confidence. Whether you are just starting out as a learner or have had your driving license for years, if you want to transform how you feel about driving, this podcast is for you. We've got some content here for you that's a little bit different. And the reason for that is because when we created it, we weren't thinking about the podcast. We were actually creating this as training materials for driving instructors. So yeah, so we want you to listen to this season from a different perspective. We want you to hear things Slightly differently, because we're talking to driving instructors, predominantly in this. you might hear the phrases slightly differently. So it will give you a different perspective of what we're trying to say as well. Now of course, because we were talking to driving instructors, we've used some of the lingo. So you might hear us say phrases like ADI or PDI, and that just means an approved driving instructor or a potential driving instructor. Yeah, other words that you will hear us say are part two, Part three and standards check. And here we're just talking about the tests or the assessments that people have to take to become a driving instructor or to stay a driving instructor. So really it's a bit like the equivalent of the driving test. We hope that you enjoy listening to things from a fresh perspective. And remember that while we are talking to driving instructors in these episodes, we are talking to them about how they could help you. We are going to talk about consolidating learning. So how often do you hear this? What do I do? Yeah. And I'm guessing you hear this quite a lot in your lessons with students. Yes. And also when I'm teaching, um, in driving instructors, a lot of driving instructors will turn around to me and say, what do I do? Yeah. I imagine this is something that you probably hear quite a lot. Now, one of the things about when we say. What do I do is it gives you that pang when you, when you are not sure what to do, it gives you that pang, that feeling of nerves and anxiety. And you've just heard us say several times before, our brains hate doubt. They hate uncertainty. So whenever we are in a position where we don't know what to do, that is automatically gonna put us on edge. Make us feel a bit nervous. So this is quite an important thing to look out for and know what to do about. Yeah, because you sitting there would've probably been thinking, well, you've done this before. You've actually done this before. Why? Why are you asking me what to do? You know what to do. Yeah. And that's a massive clue. I mean, when somebody says, I dunno what to do, what do I do? It's a clue to all sorts of things. Yeah. So there could be all sorts of things going on, but for this video, we want to talk about exactly what you just said there, that if you are sat there thinking we've done this, then that's another clue. So it's a, that's your second clue that, okay, maybe this person, we might have done this, but they've not stored it. Therefore they don't know what to do. So we need to focus more on consolidating learning. So let's talk a little bit about what do we mean? Yeah, and it's also at this point just to remember, I. It's really good that someone's actually asked that question, what do I do? Because that means that they're, they feel that they can ask rather than having a go and then having those feelings during the task that they wanted to do. Yeah, try not feel too frustrated because otherwise you might, that might result in them not. Asking that in the future, and like we say, this is all clues. We've talked to you before about doing the detective work, so this is part of that detective work gathering clues so that you know what to do next. So consolidating learning, this is what we mean. So when a student consolidates their learning, this is when they are storing the information, and then they're strengthening that information in their long-term memory so that it can be recalled again later. So sometimes what you might find is that within a lesson, it feels as if they. Understand the information. They know the information. And you, so you feel that that's it is, it's, it's covered. But it may well be that for some people that's only stored in their short term memory. Now, of course, if you've got a long gap between lessons, then that short term memory may have been. Overwritten by everything that's happened in the time since your last lesson. And so it, it's been wiped, it's been recorded over, so to speak, and is no longer available in their short term memory. So you are looking at trying to make sure that the information goes into the long term memory so that they can retrieve it out. Whenever they need it at any point in the future because it's there in their long-term memory, ready and waiting. And it's, it's not just about the task, it's also about their skills and you know, what skills have they got to do something because this is, again, related to other situations that you may not have been teaching them that are very similar. They need the same skills. So if you can consolidate the learning, they can use this in other areas as well. It comes back to that question, what have we done before or what have you learned before that might help you in this situation? If they haven't consolidated what they've done before in their long term memory, then you are likely to get a Dunno. I dunno, I dunno, not done this before. And that's exactly what you are trying to avoid. So, yeah, consolidation store to be used again. So again, our main message for nearly everything that we do, there is no one size fits all. We are all different. We are different trainers. We have different students, and we all learn and store information differently, don't we? Yeah, absolutely. Our brains. Process in different ways. Our brains are wired in different ways. Yep. We will store information in different ways, but also we'll retrieve information in different ways. So when it comes to consolidating learning, like everything else, there is no one size fits all. And you might need to try a few different ways of consolidating learning. In order to find out what works best for that student. And so you are constantly adapting to fit each individual, and this is the beauty of learning. You might actually learn from them and they will learn from you. So it's a two way thing here going on. We're gonna go through several different ideas that can help and that that can help students consolidate learning. But equally, you are bound to have some ideas of your own as well. So these are just a few ideas and this is the first one. So what we need to do as well is explain what was just learned in the lesson, or should I say. Your student should explain what was just learned in the lesson, because again, we want the student to start reflecting on the task that they've just done. Yeah, and this is one of those things where they've done it. They may have practiced it several times, so you might feel that great, they've nailed that, but getting them to then. Explain what they've just learned, explain what they've just done. Can just, it uses a different part of the brain and it can just help that information sink in a little bit more. And so it might be that they write solid points or you know, it's sort of like, I need to do this, then this, then this, then this. Or yeah, you know, whatever is relevant to the task that they've just learned. Making short notes. You know, bullet pipes might not be for them. They might need to write a sentence, but again, short notes about what had happened. I suppose this is a form of reflection and there's so many forms of reflection out there for you to use at this point. But again, what we're trying to do is get them to explain, because we want them to consolidate what they've just done, and if they explain to you speaking it out loud, then that gives you an opportunity to check that they've understood. The information is correct so that they're storing the correct information, and if they could explain it to somebody else, they could go home and explain it to somebody at home or at school. So explaining what they've just learned in writing. All out loud or even better? Both. Yeah. Depending on what works for them, then that's just reinforcing the information that they've just been doing in their less lives. So what we are looking for here is for them to explain the process for them to do something. Yeah, we are looking for, what is it? So that they can answer their own question of what do I do? Okay. They know the process. They know what they need to do. So that's the bit that we are. We are not looking at the story. We are looking at, this is what I need to do in this situation. The steps. The steps, the process. The process. So one of these. Consolidating steps or processes that you can use is also to include, try getting your student to teach what they've learned to someone else. Now, this could be done on a first lesson. At the end of a first lesson. You know, the moving off and stopping is when you are driving home. If you're in an area that's a little drive from their house, get them to be the instructor and get them to teach you how to move a car away. Very simple, but what you are doing is also in these early stages, you are getting them to consolidate that learning. And I can almost guarantee what will happen is it will feel completely weird, but at the end of it they go, oh yeah, I did this, this, and this, but I missed this. It's a bit like taking that earlier idea of speaking out loud or writing it down. It's taking it that one step further. Yeah. So that you are speaking it out loud and at the same time you're explaining it to someone else so that they can copy Yeah. And do the same thing. So yeah, that giving them the opportunity to be the instructor is a great way for consolidating learning, for trying to teach someone else. If you go back to when we were taught, you know, I'm saying I'm a certain age, we wasn't really taught to do parallel parking and things like that so they could even teach mom, dad. To do a parallel park because they've got this information and can they teach mom and dad to do a parallel park? I think it's a great way for learning to take place. Yeah, I think there's lots of opportunities here. There's so much. If this is a way of consolidating that works for a student, then the sky's the limit on this one. They can literally be teaching their parents everything, every lesson of ev. Each week they could go away and teach their parents something new. As a way of consolidating their own learning. Yes. As we mentioned earlier, reflective journals or logs, um, can really benefit that consolidation. Yeah. And that reflecting back on what they did in their lesson. Focusing on the process, but obviously with a reflection log, there's a little bit extra in there. There's sort of like, there's your feelings and there's your thoughts, and there's what you would do next time, but all of that reflection type work will help somebody remember what they did. Remember the process, helped store that information. Yeah. Reflective logs can come in all sorts of different forms. So they can have a paper log, but they could equally just have notes on their phone. People who are using diary management apps, several of the apps have reflective journals on the apps. Um, mind maps, mind maps, you know, video, um, audio logs. So there's all sorts of ways to, to have a reflective log to suit the individual. No, I think they're a great way for, sometimes you might never see these from your students, but I think it's a great, if they do share, it gives you a great insight into that person's learning style, but also the way that suits them. And if they've done it once and they enjoyed it, they're likely to do it again. And that's what we're trying to do. Consolidate that learning all the way through. Yeah. And when somebody's reflecting their processing, their brain is processing information. And that's what you are looking for them to be doing, to be storing that information in their long-term memory. So a bit of processing needs to take place. And this is not just for driving lessons. This carries on, you know, if you get into the habit of using that reflection. That will carry on post-test as well and continue on from what they're doing because there again, what you are doing is just consolidating what you've done and then it's there to use in that future process. Now this one doesn't go down very well with those students who are doing a levels and things, does it? So we've changed the words here slightly. Um, I mean, we could have put just one word on here. Homework. So we thought we'd basically be the, you know, prepare plan and research sounds more, um, professional. Rather than the word homework, which probably means Oh no. Yeah. Comes with those feelings, doesn't it? Yeah. So prepare, get people to prepare for their lesson, prepare for what they're about to do, whether it's a journey or whatever it is. Um, plan for it. You know, what might happen on that, you know how they do it, you know, so they get in some fantastic information already. You know, what have they done already that's gonna help them? Um, and research is, yeah, if you're getting them to plan their route, getting them on Google Maps, getting them to have a look at the route, what's gonna be coming up, what junctions, what likes, what roundabouts, um, or even I. You know, this includes being an active passenger and this, all of these are ways of consolidating learning. Having a look at what would I do here? What does someone else do here? What's gonna come up? So that planning, what to do, being prepared for it, um, is all great ways of storing information in the long term memory. And this one is really important. We've mentioned already, but. Getting the student asking more questions. Yeah. It comes full circle to what you said right in the beginning, wasn't it? That when a student says, what do I do? Try not to be frustrating. Um, if you're thinking you should know what to do, we've done it before. Not having that rapport, having that safe space, that non-judgmental safe space in the car to allow your student to ask more questions, because every time they ask you a question that's giving you clues, that's giving you information for how to work, how to best work with them. Yeah. And it's, the more questions they ask, the more answers they will gather themselves. Yeah. For their own answer. For their own peace of mind, isn't it? Yeah. You know, to help them feel better. And this is the thing, if a student still has questions, if something is still puzzling them about roundabouts, say, then I. If they don't have the opportunity to ask, they're always gonna have this little gap. Yeah. In their knowledge and in their understanding. And that's always gonna mean that they're a little bit, no of us are a little bit anxious. So enabling the student to ask more questions, but not necessarily. Saying to them, ask me any questions whenever you want. You know, ask them, is there anything that still puzzles you? So don't say, have you got any questions? Because generally you're gonna get a no no because they've gotta get out the car and clear off and do something because it's not a very good question to ask. Have you got any more questions? No, exactly. It's very closed. Very closed question. But yeah. Is there anything that still puzzles you? Yeah, what still puzzles you? And that sort of gets under the radar a little bit and then might make somebody think. Is there anything still puzzling me? Yeah. And they've probably not heard that question before. Um, and unless you're using it on your lessons. Of course. Yeah. Um, but yeah, it's, it's a great question to ask. Yeah. So just making sure it's safe for students to ask questions. Thank you for listening. Find out about the different ways that you can work with us on our website www. confidentdrivers. co. uk and begin to transform the way you feel about driving.