Today we continue our series on the 5 Parts of a Successful Lesson, and today’s part is Part 3: Practice, Practice, Practice…and then more Practice! Can you guess what you do in the 3rd part of your successful in-vehicle lesson? If you guessed practice the new technique you just introduced to your teen, you’re right! If you guessed something else, you’re not paying attention! (Well, okay if you were thinking “practice what we previously introduced, but is not yet mastered,” then you get credit for paying attention!)
Practice is the core of the successful lesson (which explains why it’s in the middle). The techniques you learn in Driver Ed in a Box® are great, and they will keep you out of collisions, but they’ll only keep you collision-free for the rest of your driving years if you take them from being techniques you know to being habits you have, and you only build habits through extensive, thorough, repetitious practice.
I’d like to say it’s no big secret that practice is what makes new drivers safe drivers, but you’d think it was, looking at the scant amount of in-vehicle practice other courses and state regulations require.
So, after you introduce the new technique for the day’s successful lesson, it’s time to practice, practice, practice…and more practice! Practice is good, but it’s only great if it’s structured and well planned. There’s a saying: “Practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.”
Watch this video to see Patrick Barrett, the Driver Education Guru, explain more about how to get the most out of that 3rd part of a successful lesson: Practice!