Managing Role Play for Trainee Driving Instructors

The following information is taken from the DVSA Driver and Rider Training Standard. It is Unit Six in the Standard and is all about the Trainer and the knowledge, skills and understanding they need in order to manage role play with their trainee driving instructors.
​This part of the Standard focuses on the programme of role play with trainee driving instructors, and managing the role play effectively and safely.
Performance standards
You must be able to:

• 1. Make sure that the driving instructor is briefed on the learning outcome(s) of the role play
• 2. Brief the trainee driving instructor on how you will manage the role play, for example how you will communicate with them during the role play and how you will give feedback
• 3. Make sure the trainee driving instructor knows when you are in or out of role
• 4. Make sure that your behaviour is consistent with the brief you have given to the trainee driver instructor
• 5. Stay in role while the role play is meeting the learning outcome(s) and close the role play when it is not meeting the learning outcome(s)
• 6. Maintain the focus of the role play on the learning outcome(s)
• 7. Scan the driving space and plan your driving or riding so that you have all round awareness at all times
• 8. Make sure that safe practices are followed while in role, such as
  
  • verbal simulation of high risk faults where possible
    
  • threatening unsafe manoeuvres without actually making the manoeuvre
    
• 9. Manage the balance of risk and simulation so that neither you nor the trainee instructor is overloaded 
  
• 10. Adapt the level of fault simulation to match the trainee instructor’s ability
  
• 11. Use situations that develop on road to your advantage, while maintaining safety
  
• 12. Show realistic improvement when the trainee instructor identifies and targets a development need
  
• 13. Remember details of the drive or ride while in role, so that you can give feedback when out of role
  
• 14. Give accurate and supportive feedback to help the trainee instructor to develop good instructional technique and safe practices

Knowledge and understanding requirements
You must know and understand:

• a. How to give the trainee instructor a brief on the purpose of and arrangements for the role play
  
• b. The importance of supporting the brief by
  
  • communicating in a way that does not alter the trainee instructor’s perception of you as a learner
    
  • driving or riding in a way that does not alter the trainee instructor’s perception of you as a learner
    
  • reacting realistically to the trainee instructor’s responses
    
• c. How to make it clear when role play begins and ends, and recognise when, to end the role play
  
• d. Techniques for scanning the driving space and planning your driving or riding whilst also observing the trainee instructor
  
• e. The safe practices and legislation relevant to the role play, and
  
  • that no faults can be committed that contravene the rules of the road or affect other road users
    
  • that no faults that involve vulnerable road users should be committed
    
  • how to simulate risky attitudes
    
  • what types of faults you can simulate verbally  
    
  • portrayal of high risk attitudes that act as a barrier to safe and responsible driving or riding, where appropriate
    
• f. how to deliver accurate and supportive feedback to the trainee instructor

Tri-Coaching Instructor Training (TCIT) know how to address the Standards in their training. If you want to become a trainer with Tri-Coaching and match your training to the National Driver and Rider Training Standard you will first need to complete (or be completing) the BTEC Level 4 Professional Award in Coaching for Driver Development.