3.6.1 Independent decision making
During cycle training activities, you should encourage riders to make independent decisions. This should always be done under your supervision and, if necessary, with your support. It’s important that riders do not simply copy or follow the lead of another rider, but instead, make their own decisions during training. Explain to your riders that this will help them to be safe and responsible on the road.
When talking to your group, you should communicate in a way that encourages independent thinking and decision making. For example, rather than just telling riders what to do, you could use open questions that get riders thinking for themselves. So, instead of telling riders to “cover your brakes”, you could ask: “Where do we need to keep our fingers? And when should we do this?”
The way that you deliver activities should also encourage independent decision making and sometimes teamwork. For example, when teaching cycle control skills off road, you could ask riders to ride together in a shared space. Let them decide where they each want to ride, before getting them to work together to form an orderly line of riders themselves.
You should also involve riders in the planning process when deciding where on-road training will take place. This can involve asking them which route is best to take. You can then pick the best places to teach your activities on this route. Bear in mind that where you teach should be increasingly busy and complicated, and the way you prompt and support riders should reduce over time.
For more information on independent decision making, please see the Activity Templates.
3.6. What will I teach?