I emphasize what others have stated, develop a good relationship with your instructor. Briefings, de-briefings, e-mails etc... Communication throughout your training is very important, no lesson will always be the same because of a combination of factors, I recently e-mailed mine and ask for a lesson plan just to have an idea and then I study the relevant content within the book and other resources.
Lesson preparation is essential it helps to digest all the information within the book and then actioned in practical terms during the flying lessons.
I am lucky that my instructor is at the club purely for instruction purposes and not simply there to build hours and then jump to the airlines. He likes his PPL instruction and his aerobatics.
