As people age, their reactions tend to slow and they can take longer to assess hazards. Do not try to rush them, but be tolerant and patient.

Motorcycles are small vehicles and can be difficult to see. If the rider wears bright clothing, it can make it easier for other road users to see them approaching, especially at junctions.

It's important to reduce direct instruction and transfer the responsibility for learning to the pupil as quickly as possible. You must make sure that the pupil understands what they need to do and how they need to do it. Once they have this knowledge, they should be allowed to practise and develop their competence without constant instruction.

In client-centred learning, there should be lots of opportunities for you to observe how your pupil's learning is going. You should provide frequent feedback on their progress, based on these observations, and talk to your pupil about how they view their progress. Then you can adjust the lesson content to meet your pupil's learning needs.

If a serious incident occurs that requires you to use the dual controls, it's vital that the pupil fully understands what happened and how they could have avoided the situation or dealt with it better.

Taking time to establish a pupil's learning goals and needs provides you with the information you need to make an effective learning plan. It involves the pupil in the planning process, so the final product is something they have agreed to and engaged with.

Learning is far more effective when a pupil can identify for themselves the reason why something has gone wrong. If they cannot work it out, you can help them to understand with an explanation or a diagram. When they understand the problem, the pupil should then practise this manoeuvre.

Demonstration, where appropriate, is a valuable tool in the learning process. However, for it to be effective, a pupil must have an opportunity to raise any questions and check their understanding. They then need to practise this new skill.

Learning is not always a continuous process. Sometimes pupils simply need time to consolidate learning before moving on. On other occasions there may be something blocking progress. You should work with the learner to understand what's happening and agree how to move on.

A transfer of knowledge is when links are made between previous experience and the new skills to be learned. For example, a pedestrian who can judge appropriate gaps in the traffic to cross the road can link this skill to turning right into side roads when they learn to drive. A good instructor will identify these links.

Detailed instruction should decrease as the pupil's ability increases. An instructor should not be controlling the pupil all of the time. This takes the initiative away from the pupil and could be considered over-instruction.

Simply telling a pupil that they're driving too fast is not sufficient. Explanations need to be given, highlighting what may occur if they repeat the fault. More importantly, they need to know what to do to prevent it from happening again.

You should agree a plan with your pupil at the start of a lesson. However, as the lesson progresses it may become clear that the plan needs to be adapted - for example, if there's a gap in the pupil's knowledge that needs to be filled before they can proceed. You should agree with your pupil how to deal with that gap, even if it means changing the original lesson plan.

You can help your pupils to develop a good attitude by discussing the risks, using persuasive techniques and setting them a good example. You should give learners the opportunity to practise taking responsibility for situations to develop a good attitude.

Any medical condition that would affect your driving must be reported to the DVLA Drivers Medical Group or, in Northern Ireland, the DVA Drivers Medical Section. If you have any condition or you have to take any medication that you think might affect your driving, it's worth checking the information available on www.gov.uk or nidirect.gov.uk

Once identified, driving faults should be addressed at the earliest opportunity. A fault should be looked upon as a chance to teach the point and to encourage a change for the better in the pupil's driving.

A good instructor will be able to teach in a variety of different ways, and adjust their method to suit the individual needs of each pupil. Pupils will come with all levels of ability and different learning styles, and training should be planned and delivered accordingly.

Psychomotor activities relate to practical skills. When driving a vehicle, a pupil will need to learn how to use each control competently. The next stage of learning will be to combine the use of these controls and coordinate actions smoothly to complete a task. In the early stages of learning, an example would be to move away smoothly without stalling.

Agreeing learning should be a two-way process. You can contribute your understanding of what has to be achieved and the learner can contribute their objectives and understanding. At the end of a lesson, both you and the pupil will be better placed to evaluate progress.

Motivation and interest can be stimulated through success. It's important that you structure lessons to allow pupils to make progress. Even small successes are important to pupils who are finding learning difficult.

Regardless of a driver's experience, the Mirrors - Signal - Manoeuvre (MSM) routine should be an integral part of their driving. The Manoeuvre part is broken down into P - Position - Position your vehicle correctly and in good time. S - Speed - Adjust your speed as necessary for the manoeuvre. L - Look - Look for other traffic or road users when you reach a point from which you can see. Assess the situation, then decide whether it's safe to proceed and act accordingly.

While a driving instructor should have a prepared plan for each lesson, there needs to be flexibility in how it's delivered. If one teaching method is not successful, then other methods need to be tried to find one that works for the pupil.

Everyone learns at a different rate, so you'll need to adapt your teaching to the ability of each pupil. Building confidence is an important part of teaching someone to drive. This can be hard to build but easy to lose, so be realistic in your expectations of a pupil.

An interested pupil is likely to be well motivated and should retain information better than one who has lost interest. Everyone has different abilities, so instruction needs to be varied to suit the individual.

This is important because, when a learner encounters something on the road for the first time, they may not be able to decide whether it represents a risk. So they might not take the right action. With experience, they'll use the information available and get better at assessing risk.

The decisions we make when driving are shaped by our thoughts, values and opinions. But we're not always aware of these. Open questions can be used to explore these issues without making the pupil defensive. You can then work with the pupil to address any unhelpful attitudes.

If you need to use the dual controls, you must make sure the pupil understands why you've done so. If you need to use the dual controls often, it suggests that you've overestimated your pupil's ability and are asking too much of them. If you do not recognise this, your pupil may lose confidence and the trust between you may begin to break down.

If your pupil's driving is below the required test standard, it's your responsibility as a professional instructor to advise them not to take the test. As soon as you become aware of a possible problem, you should discuss this with your pupil and positively encourage them that, in their interest, and for other road users as well, it would be far better to postpone the appointment. If you cannot dissuade them, then you should withhold the use of your vehicle. Ultimately, it's the pupil's test and an instructor cannot prevent them from taking it in someone else's vehicle.

A pupil needs time to react to an instructor's directions. It's recommended that an instructor uses the Alert - Direct - Identify procedure. For example, 'At the roundabout' (alert them and gain their attention); 'take the road off to the right, it's the third exit' (direct them); 'it's signposted to Bristol' (identify).

Learning targets should be realistic and attainable; reaching a learning target will reinforce a pupil's progress. Setting objectives that are too ambitious or too complex is more likely to demotivate pupils.

At the correct stage in a pupil's development, it's beneficial to practise steering the vehicle with one hand. They should then find it easier to change gear, operate another control or give arm signals as and when appropriate. Any tendency to drive with one hand without good reason should be strongly discouraged.

Most people with hearing difficulties will have developed communications strategies that work for them. For example, they may be able to use a simple system of hand signals. However, if you're unable to work out a way of communicating effectively, you should consider referring the pupil to another driving instructor who has the necessary skills.

Questions that require a simple 'yes' or 'no' are of limited value to a learner with higher ability. Searching questions based on 'what', 'when', 'where', 'why' and 'how' might not be appropriate for pupils with lower ability. The power of effective questioning as an aid to learning is sometimes overlooked; it can help to motivate pupils.

Always start the Mirrors - Signal - Manoeuvre (MSM) routine well before you intend to change lanes. On motorways, vehicles are travelling at much higher speeds, so they may come up behind you very quickly. By checking the mirrors early, you'll have a chance to plan and give any necessary signals in plenty of time, so that other drivers have advance warning of your intended actions. In turn, they'll have more time to expect a change in traffic pattern and be able to prepare and act accordingly.

If a pupil is to make effective progress, they must have an accurate idea of how well they're doing. It would be dangerous if they moved on to a more complex driving task before mastering all the competencies required to perform that task successfully. Ideally, the process should start with you encouraging the pupil to identify their own weaknesses.

Deaths are disproportionately likely to occur on rural roads. That's why it's important to make sure your pupils spend enough time practising on this type of road.

The GDE matrix consists of four levels. The first level is about car control and the second is about driving in traffic. These are taught in traditional instructional methods. Coaching allows you to explore the third and fourth levels which look at what influences how someone drives and how their personality, values, opinions and beliefs affect their choices.

DVSA encourages its customers to learn both the theory and practical elements of driving together. Being able to apply the theory will help them to understand and remember what they've learned. You should make sure you have a good knowledge of the content so that you can support your pupils to prepare.

Instructing in a client-centred way means there's an equal partnership between you and your students. This has several benefits, one of the main ones being your student feels more responsible for their learning and is more likely to remember the knowledge.

Developing a student's long-term memory is key to helping them achieve a lifetime of safe driving. It's no good if they remember something for their test, only to forget it shortly after. The first step is making the information easy to remember. One technique is using mnemonics, for example MSM (mirror-signal-manoeuvre).

Mock tests help your pupils know what to expect on the day of their test. They also help you to assess their test readiness.

If you’re using social media to market your business or driving school, you must make sure that you respect client confidentiality and keep your client's personal information private.

It's important to teach your students that certain road users are more likely to be injured in the event of a collision. You should demonstrate this by showing particular care around pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

All drivers must be able to read a current-style number plate from the statutory distance (20 metres). Your new pupil must show that they can do this before you allow them to drive.

It's important that your advertised pass rates are not open to misinterpretation. You should be prepared to verify and explain the calculation used to create your advertised rates.

If a client is unhappy with a driving instructor's service, the first step is contacting the instructor or the driving school. The client should then be able to follow the provider's complaints procedure.

You need to discuss with your customer how the responsibility for managing risk will be shared. In the early stages, when a customer is focused on control of the vehicle, you will take more responsibility. As their ability increases it's appropriate for them to take more responsibility for their own safety and the safety of other road users.

The Driver's Record helps you to keep track of a pupil's progress and structure their learning accordingly. It also allows them to see how they're progressing and highlights areas that need more practice.

Although CPD is voluntary there are definitely advantages to undertaking it. The technology in cars changes and instructional techniques are updated. Keeping informed of these changes is beneficial for both you and your students.

Giving praise during feedback is important to help build your clients' confidence. You should confirm where they have made progress and assure your clients that they will be able to practice any areas of weakness.