What ADIs teach their students and how

As a responsible, professional driving instructor (ADI) you will train the next generation of learners to be safe and responsible drivers for life. Sometimes you’ll find that you need to balance this against their aims – they might want to pass the test quickly, and with as little expense as possible.

How’s your driving?

To teach others to drive you need to be a safe and responsible driver so that you can demonstrate how it should be done. You also need to understand what makes you a safe driver – so that you can help others to become safe.

Client-centred learning

Client-centred learning is an approach to learning that takes into account how the learner prefers to learn.

When people learn in this way and are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning at an early stage, they are more likely to

  • retain information and skills
  • keep learning.

Teaching in a client-centred way means connecting with your learner (the client) to find out how they like to learn, the things that are getting in the way of their progress and how you can help.

Coaching techniques

Coaching techniques help you teach in a client-centred way. For instance, you might use

  • scaling (allowing a learner to provide their own rating to help assess their progress)
  • mind-mapping (using a visual diagram to order ideas) to help a learner to explore a subject.

If you’re a driving instructor you may already be using coaching techniques with your learners without even knowing it.

Carrying out mock tests

Carrying out mock driving tests can help to give your pupils a better understanding of what to expect when they take their test.

DVSA have created useful guidance to help you carry out mock driving tests.

You can also visit the DVSA Despatch blog for additional resources.


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