When I was learning to drive, I had my first few lessons with the same instructor my older sister had learnt to drive with. To cut a long story short, she was not the right instructor for me. She was really mean! She would tell me off if I was doing it wrong - which lets' face it - is basically all the time when you're learning something new or doing something scary! 

When other drivers on the road had to wait for me (classic L plate road etiquette) she would wind her window down and apologetically gesture to them in this embarrassed-of-me eye rolling fashion. She would also smoke out the window which, although at the age of 18 I thought smoking was pretty cool, made me feel like she wasn't really paying full attention to me and my driving.

The thing is, I might have only been 18 and a new learner, but I wasn't incapable. I was capable of learning to drive just as I was also capable of picking up on her disrespectful and unprofessional attitude. I didn't feel safe with her basically - not personally and not practically. I would finish the lesson feeling demoralised, tense and dreading the next 60 minutes I would have to spend in the car with her. 

Needless to say that first instructor didn't last long. The second instructor however, now this is where the silver lining comes in. He was such a kind and patient person. He always greeted me with a smile. He was a geek (and I mean that in the most loving way). He gave the lessons his full attention. You could just tell that he cared. He cared about his job, about me, about the lessons, about me passing, about me becoming a confident and capable driver. We'd stop for breaks and he'd encourage me to reflect on my progress. "Do you want a mint?", he say before asking me questions. Why yes, I'd love a mint, thank you. (Little did he know about my mint obsession!) So we ate mints and he built my confidence up.

That is how he taught me to drive. I loved those lessons and genuinely missed them (and him) once I'd passed my test.

When I think about this story, it reminds me of two key learning principles.

Safety must be cultivated before we can truly unlock creativity. In order to learn and grow, we need to feel safe. Safe to be ourself, safe to experiment, safe to make mistakes, safe to ask questions, safe to do it our own way.

Learning is a personal experience and process. Different people require different conditions and ingredients (just like my sister & I did). When we find something hard to grasp, we tend to pay too much attention to what we are learning. Instead, we should focus on how we are learning it. This is where a creative approach comes in.

Reflection Time ("do you want a mint?")

My learning to drive experience represents two very obviously contrasting conditions. However, there are less obvious examples out there too. Can you think of examples from your own life that demonstrate a positive or a negative learning experience you've had? What conditions and ingredients are these experiences made up of?

As adult learners it is our responsibility to take charge of and design our own learning conditions to ensure we set ourselves up for a successful and valuable experience. Many of us complain of the didactic and unimaginative nature our school days perhaps imposed on us. But few of us feel empowered to change this story later on in life and so slip back into a familiar disempowered student role, forgetting we have teaching of our own to contribute. Likewise, too many teachers forget that teaching is yet another opportunity to learn. The relationship between student-teacher is interchangeable and by factoring this into the learning experience from the get go, we set ourselves up for a richer, more fulfilling process for all parties involved.