How do you determine what to teach?
Before starting a lesson, it's crucial to touch base with the learner to confirm their booking time, obtain their license number, and inquire about their prior driving experience. This helps you gauge where to begin in the curriculum. For example, if a learner recently failed their driving test due to a serious fault, you likely won't need to revisit the basics like moving off and stopping, as you would with someone who's never driven before.
It's also important to ask the learner what they aim to achieve in the lesson. Do they want an assessment to understand their current driving skills? Or are they looking to start from scratch?
If they claim to have experience in certain areas, assess their abilities firsthand. You can adjust their existing knowledge rather than going over the fundamentals again.
Key Skills to Cover
Moving off Stopping
Forward Bay Park
Reverse Bay Park
Parallel Park
Park on the right
Emergency Stop
Vehicle Clearance
Major to minor right turns
Major to minor left turns
Major to major right turns
Major to major left turns
Crossroads
Pedestrian Crossings
Meeting oncoming traffic
Anticipation and planning
Mock Tests
While these topics serve as a solid foundation, keep in mind that the order and focus may vary based on your learner's needs and preferences. This is simply a guide to help structure your lessons. It is imperative you have excellent knowledge and understanding in all subjects — how can you teach someone else something you don't know?
Subjects vs Skill Sets
When planning a lesson, it's essential to have a clear idea of what your learner would benefit from. However, it's equally important to remember that lesson plans should be flexible. Think of your lesson plan as a guide rather than a rigid structure — something that can evolve based on your student's needs. There is no one-size-fits-all ABCD format that works for every learner or every session. Instead, you should develop your own approach that's adaptable and student-centered.
Let's explore an important distinction:
Subjects
Subjects are the broader topics or goals of a lesson. For example: Forward Bay Parking, Emergency Stop, Moving Off and Stopping.
Skill Sets
Skill sets are the specific skills needed to achieve the overall subject. For example: How to find the biting point, how to move the car in a straight line, how to steer accurately into a bay.
The Importance of Structure and Simplicity
Now imagine this scenario: It's your first day training for your Part 3 exam to become a driving instructor. Your trainer bombards you with a list of instructions:
"First ask the student this, then say that, now tell them to do this, and then… go!"
How would you feel? Overwhelmed? Confused? Unprepared? Probably.
This is exactly why we break things down. Teaching should be delivered in clear, manageable steps so learners can absorb and apply what they're being taught. It's more important that a student understands the why, how, and when than simply ticking off tasks.
You may not complete an entire subject in one lesson — and that's absolutely okay. As long as the learner is developing the necessary skills, they're making progress.
So, How Do You Plan a Lesson?
Start with this key question:
"What skills do I need to teach in order to cover this subject?"
We like to refer to this as building your "Lesson Plan Cake" — a layered approach to structuring learning in a way that is digestible, logical, and effective.
Lesson Plan Cake
We've now reached the top layer of our lesson plan cake.
At this stage, the learner takes full responsibility for moving and stopping the car. With these core skills now in place, you're ready to progress to the next focus area — such as steering.
Now we reach the upper layer of our lesson plan cake.
At this point, the student can confidently move the car in a straight line. It may now be appropriate to begin handing over more responsibility — such as managing observations and overall safety. Up until now, you've taken the lead in these areas, but if the learner is ready, this is the time to gradually transfer that responsibility to them.
This is the second layer of our lesson plan cake.
Once the learner has a solid grasp of the foundational skills, you can begin to introduce more responsibility. At this stage, that might involve moving the car in a straight line from point A to point B — using only first gear and focusing on straight steering. During this phase, you share responsibility for safety and observations, allowing the learner to concentrate solely on controlling the car and stopping. You may need to repeat this stage several times.
This is the base layer of our lesson plan cake — the foundation.
Represents the very first step in teaching a subject. For example, if the subject is Moving Off and Stopping, the foundational skill might be understanding how the clutch works and how to find the biting point. At this stage, there's no need for the car to move — focus solely on the relevant controls.
Remember, when teaching, always focus on the
whys, hows, and whensof each skill. Help your learners understand the reasoning behind what they're doing — not just the actions themselves.
Avoid simply giving them all the answers. Instead, use open questions and guided discovery to encourage them to think for themselves. This builds real understanding and confidence.
Never say things like:
- ✅ "Because I said so."
- ✅ "That's just what you have to do to pass the test."
These responses shut down learning and don't support long-term development. Your goal is to help learners understand why something matters, how to do it effectively, and when to apply it in real-world situations. That's what creates a safe, skilled, and independent driver.
This is why it's essential for you, as an instructor, to fully understand the individual skills required within each subject — so you can teach them effectively and at the right pace.
Also, remember: not every learner will start at the bottom layer of your cake. Some may already have prior knowledge or experience and could begin at the second, third, or even top layer. You'll discover this through the effective use of open questions during your lesson.
Task:
For each driving topic, create your own Lesson Plan Cake.
Ask yourself:
What specific skills are required to complete this subject?
Break the subject down into clear, progressive layers — starting from foundational skills up to full independence.
