Curriculum1830

=Curriculum 18-30 years old=

Description of the target group.
The life of young adults is very diverse. External things such as education, entering the working life, founding a family and travelling are important. People look for their place in the society and construct their self-conceptions based on the feedback they get from the environment. This is a time of empathizing with life; life has to be felt, it cannot just be a dull theory. The main virtues are spontaneity and genuineness as well as honesty about oneself and the others. A deep wish is to face life directly, freely and independently without the limiting rules imposed by the older generation. This phase in the young adult’s life coincides with the acquisition of a driver’s license in most cultures. Especially young males who have recently received their driver’s license, show up as a spike in traffic accidents. It is therefore essential that this age group receives in-depth traffic safety education in order to turn them into responsible drivers.

Goals of the Curriculum
The goal is to start up the formation of the young adults’ internal patterns. The memory of an individual builds up patterns of the environment. A person creates, shapes, changes, tests and defines his or her internal patterns in a continuous and flexible process. Internal patterns are significant in all mental functions. They are simplifications of the reality and they help people to organise and connect information to logical entities. Internal patterns guide one’s activities in traffic.

The logical thinking skills of young adults have developed onto a level where they can be used to enhance the effectiveness of learning. Thus, methods such as critical thinking and reflection can be successfully implemented in order to reach deep learning.

Detailed goals relating to the four levels of the GTSE matrix
1) A good driver has to be able to control one’s own condition and desires. 2) A good driver respects other people. 3) A good traffic user considers the ecology of his/her decisions.
 * Goals for life and skills for living**:
 * Drivers have to understand that their mental condition affects their own and the passengers’ safety. The personality of an individual is constructed of permanent, variable and changing characteristics. Changing characteristics include e.g. mental conditions. Intense mental conditions affect driving, observing and activities.
 * A driver has to respect other people both in traffic and outside traffic in everyday lives.
 * A driver understands the different needs and goals of other people and differences in other people (children, elderly, disabled etc.)
 * A driver understands that people have different skills and they all make mistakes now and then.
 * A good traffic user chooses his/her means of transport ecologically.
 * A good traffic user can critically consider his/her actual need to use a car.
 * A good traffic user can judge his/her needs and ecological values when choosing a new car.

1) A good driver is able to recognise risks and avoid them. 2) A good driver is able to plan one’s own driving economically and with a safe approach. 3) A good driver is a social driver 4) A good driver considers the ecological aspect of driving.
 * Goals and context of travel (particular route, trip):**
 * The driver has to take traffic into account as a whole, since there are different people with different travel needs and skills in traffic.
 * The driver also has to learn to consider when to use the own car and when to use public transportation. He or she has to learn to adjust the own driving according to the weather, time of the year, busy traffic etc.
 * The driver recognizes the dangers of social (peer) pressure – both from the passengers in the car and other traffic users – and can avoid the risk behavior that such pressure might cause in traffic.
 * A good driver chooses the best travel route, considering ecological and safety values.
 * A good driver combines different travel needs together in order to drive as little as possible.

1) A good driver knows the traffic rules, has enough interaction skills in traffic and is able to drive safely in diverse traffic situations. 2) A good driver is a social driver 3) A good driver considers the ecological aspects of driving
 * Management of traffic situations (particular situation)**:
 * The driver has to know traffic signs and traffic rules. This way, the driver constructs a general view of traffic, activities that abide by the regulations, such as speed limits.
 * The driver can anticipate upcoming events that result from his/her own actions, such as speed and distance to other traffic users, such as pedestrians and bicyclists.
 * Social driver can anticipate possible upcoming events in traffic based on other traffic users and prepare for them before the situation becomes dangerous.
 * Social driver acts predictably and gives enough signals and hints of his/her intentions in traffic to allow other drivers and traffic users to see what (s)he intends to do next.
 * Social driver recognizes the special characteristics of other traffic users and can react to them (children, elderly, slow vehicles etc.).
 * A driver anticipates the traffic lights and does not break hard in order to stop at lights, nor speed up in order to cross the intersection before the red light turns on.
 * A driver anticipates the actions of other traffic users and can adjust his/her driving to their actions, without having to resort to heavy use of brakes.
 * A driver keeps a safe distance to other cars and vehicles in traffic.
 * A driver considers the speed of driving and its impact on safety and ecology.

1) A good driver can control his or her vehicle in different traffic situations and weather conditions. He or she is able to control the most important operations regarding the use of the vehicle. 2) A good driver uses different ways to signal his/her intentions to the other traffic users, such as car blinkers, but also eye contact and hand signals. 3) A good driver knows the principles of the ecological use of engine braking, shifter use and gas pedal use.
 * Tactile/manual control (particular task)**:
 * Vehicle handling skills should develop for years. The driver should evaluate his or her own vehicle handling skills and adjust the skills and knowledge to prevailing traffic situations and weather conditions.

Methods
The critical thinking skills of young adults are at a level where they can be used to deepen the level of achieved learning. The teachers can therefore engage the students in different kinds of discussions that problem solving situations that require them to think critically, reflect on various possibilities and choices and the possible consequences of those choices until they come to a solution.

Critical thinking and reflection is especially important when we try to teach young adults to become responsible drivers and traffic users: the traffic users need to be able to understand that traffic is essentially a social situation where they need to respect the other traffic users just as they would respect their own parents, children and friends in their daily lives. Through this understanding they may become safer drivers and they may start making more responsible choices as to the method of their travel needs and the selection of their cars etc.

However, not all things can be taught through pure reflection and understanding of basic physics. Some things have to be made more concrete even to this age group. This is where different test tracks (slippery conditions) and observations of real life traffic accidents (through, for example, accident reports) are needed. These kinds of activities will make the dangers of traffic more real to the young adults who might normally just brush the threatening thoughts away by saying “that could never happen to me” or “they just weren’t skilful enough”.

Teaching modules
The following introduces a few possible teaching modules/themes that are based on the goals of the curriculum described in above sections. These are also presented according to the levels of the GTSE Matrix, in order to further clarify the targeted levels of processes. Please, also refer to the “Assignments” section in the Wiki to see additional possible training ideas that have been more fully explained for teachers.

Goals for life and skills for living:
One method to introduce this topic to the learners is group discussions that resemble group therapy sessions. In groups, the learners can learn from each others’ mistakes and develop anticipating skills for different situations. At the same time, they will learn about humanity and the human tendency to make mistakes.
 * Personality and Driving**

For example, a presentation of the ecology of car technology, that affects the purchase of a car and the resulting maintenance of the car. This also involves discussion about the possibility of not buying a car but choosing to, for example, use public transportation if there is no actual need to own a car.
 * Ecological car use**

Goals and context of travel (particular route, trip)
Anticipating related to situational speed and understanding of what speeds to drive at in specific situations. Also the effect of speed to braking distance and the effect of speed to stopping distance. Also understanding of keeping a safe distance from other vehicles.
 * Defensive driving**

Discussion about route planning that considers ecology, speed and safety. Including also combining different goals for a single trip instead of separate trips and weighing the necessity of using a car.
 * Ecological driving**

Management of traffic situations particular situation

 * Traffic rules, interaction in traffic**

Anticipating related to situational speed and understanding of what speeds to drive at in specific situations. Also the effect of speed to braking distance and the effect of speed to stopping distance. Also understanding of keeping a safe distance from other vehicles.
 * Defensive driving**

Tactile/manual control (particular task)

 * Vehicle handling / maintenance**