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Tell me whats wrong with this statement:
“We’re doing roundabouts today” sounds like a plan, but it often leaves learners unclear on what they’re trying to improve or how to judge success, its telling not engaging the student in the plan setting and lacks definition - as we all know - Roundabouts as a theme includes a host of skills, processes and decision-making skills.
However, in contrast with the above approach, a meaningful briefing/conversation with the student, about the skills involved in a particular subject or theme can make it clear and result in setting student-owned targets for the lesson and a clear mutually agreed plan.
And when things change during the lesson, again, meaningful unpacking and conversation can easily lead to resetting the goals and /or plan as required with the student. This is a world away from simply telling/directing what is to be done that day and requires active engagement with the student.
We walk through how to pull meaningful goals from a pupil without putting words in their mouth or using instructor jargon which the student probably does not understand, nor has a connection to what is actually going to be covered and how!.
The shift is simple but powerful: set goals around skills, not subjects. Roundabouts become approach speed, lane position, observations, signalling choices, and decision making.
Meeting traffic becomes a discussion and focus on its elements like planning and anticipation, confidence, and safe positioning. When you name the underlying skills, you can discuss them with the student, set meaningful SMART Goals that you revisit during the lesson and debrief them so pupil can feel a real part of the learning process and plan.
We also tackle the tricky moment when a pupil wants something too advanced. We share a framework for checking where they are in the syllabus, identifying the gaps, and guiding them toward the next best step while keeping safety front and centre. Along the way, we talk about chunking lessons with short reflect and review check-ins so goals stay alive throughout the drive and the debrief ends with clear wins and next steps.
If you found this helpful, subscribe for more practical instructor coaching chats, share the episode with another ADI or PDI, and leave a review. What’s your go-to question for getting a learner to set their own goal?
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