Lesson 2: Roles, Responsibilities & the Job Share

LESSON 2

Roles, Responsibilities & the Job Share

Learn how to agree clear roles, match the level of support to the pupil, and create a job share that keeps the lesson safe, structured and purposeful.

PICKING UP FROM LESSON 1

What Did You Come Up With?

At the end of Lesson 1, you were asked to think about one of your recent lessons and identify the specific skill the pupil actually needed to improve.

You were also asked whether you could describe that lesson goal in one clear sentence.

What did you come up with?

Keep that pupil and lesson goal in mind as you work through this lesson. Once you know what the pupil needs to improve, the next question is how much responsibility they are ready to take and what support you need to provide.

A clear lesson goal tells you what the pupil needs to develop. The job share helps you agree how you are going to help them develop it.
BALANCING SAFETY & SUPPORT

Agreeing Roles & Responsibilities

Match the Support to the Pupil

Once the instructor understands the pupil’s needs, they should agree how much help the pupil will receive and how much responsibility they are ready to take.

The level of support should match the pupil’s ability, confidence and the risk of the driving situation.

The instructor is always responsible for safety, but the pupil should take as much responsibility as they can manage.

Why the Agreement Matters

The pupil should know what they are expected to do and what help the instructor will provide.

This creates a clearer learning environment and prevents the instructor from either over-helping or leaving the pupil unsupported.

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LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION

The Three Levels of Instruction

Three levels of instructor support showing full talk-through, prompting and independent practice

1. Full Talk-Through

The instructor gives clear step-by-step guidance and takes a high level of responsibility for helping the pupil through the task.

Use more support when the pupil needs it, then reduce that support as they become more capable.

2. Prompting

The instructor uses questions, cues or short reminders to help the pupil think and make decisions while still receiving support.

3. Independent Practice

The pupil performs the task with little or no help, while the instructor continues to monitor the situation and remains responsible for safety.

The Direction of Travel

The aim is not to keep the pupil at one level indefinitely. Support should move towards greater independence when the pupil is ready.

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THE JOB SHARE CONCEPT

What Is the Job Share?

Two People, Different Responsibilities

In a Part 3 lesson, roles and responsibilities should work like a job share. Both instructor and pupil are involved, but they are not doing the same job.

This clarity helps the pupil understand what they are responsible for and what help they can expect.

The pupil should not be carried through the lesson, but they should not be left unsupported either.

The Pupil’s Job

To take as much responsibility as they safely can during the task.

The Instructor’s Job

To manage the learning, manage the risk and provide the agreed level of support.

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BEFORE PRACTICE STARTS

Agreeing the Job Share Before Practice

Agree the Support

Before the practice starts, the instructor should agree the level of support with the pupil.

This should be specific to the lesson goal so there is absolute clarity about who is responsible for what.

“I’ll help you if needed” is usually too vague. The support should be clear.

In-Practice Example

“For the next few junctions, your job is to identify the junction early, start reducing speed… My job is to watch and give prompts… If there is any safety issue, I’ll step in.”

Notice how the agreement links directly to the lesson goal rather than simply saying that the instructor will “help”.

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Ask the Coach driving instructor character
KNOWLEDGE CHECK

What Would a Good Coach Do?

The situation:

You have agreed that the pupil will deal with observations and decision-making at junctions, while you will step in if safety begins to deteriorate.

A few minutes later, the pupil starts hesitating badly and repeatedly looks to you for confirmation before making decisions.

YOUR DECISION What would be the best next step?
Think about whether an agreed job share should remain fixed when the pupil’s needs change.
CLEAR EXPECTATIONS

What Should the Pupil Understand?

A clear job-share agreement should tell the pupil four things:

  1. What they are working on
  2. What decisions they are responsible for
  3. What support the instructor will provide
  4. When that support will be reviewed
Clear roles make the lesson more predictable for the pupil and give the instructor a clear basis for reviewing progress.
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PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE

A Clear Job-Share Agreement

Too Vague

“Have a go and I’ll help you if needed.”

The pupil does not know what support to expect, what decisions they should make themselves, or when the instructor intends to step in.

Clear & Specific

“For the next few junctions, you take responsibility for identifying the junction and managing your speed. I’ll prompt you if your approach starts to become rushed, and I’ll step in if I need to for safety. Then we’ll review how it went.”

The roles, support level and review point are all clear.

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REFLECT

Before You Move On

Think about one of your recent lessons. Did your pupil know exactly what they were responsible for and what support you had agreed to provide?

If you had simply said “I’ll help if needed”, how could you make that agreement more specific next time?

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