As most instructors are aware the DSA are going to change the current Check Test in April 2014.
Not only is the name changing but also the emphasis; what the DSA are going to be looking at is a more Client Centred approach. The new check test is to be known as a 'Standards Check'
There are a number of courses already available and no doubt many will come out of the woodwork. Many of these will no doubt scare some ADI's into parting with money.
Since the publishing of the Hermes Report there has been a number of trials throughout Europe with regards to Client Centred Learning (CCL), to date no formal results have been published.
DSA in conjunction with TRL conducted their own trials with 50 instructors during 2010 to 2012. At a recent meeting with DSA the only conclusion that had been gained was that the results were inconclusive.
Whether instructors like it or not future Standards Checks will have a slightly different slant on them.
The vast majority of instructors already use some form of CCL and for these there will be no change; however there are a small number that have not come across these techniques so some form of reading and practice will be required.
Many pupils that have been subjected to the CCL trial objected to some of the techniques and wanted to be taught in the more traditional way, such as instructor tells, pupils does. Pupils commented they get this sort of thing a college and it's a pain as while we are doing it we actually learn nothing.
So the whole point of this special edition is to inform what the DSA considered CCL on the recent trial, this is by no means everything on this subject matter, but it is what the DSA used.
We had been after this material for some time, now it's available we thought we would make it available to all.