She may be just one of those people who needs to do a lot a flying continuously. She really, really needs to understand that a license does not come in a Coco Pops box. It is something she will have work for and if she’s not prepared to do that then she’s not pilot material. One exercise I’ve seen instructors use is to draw a map of the airport (on a whiteboard works best) and insert the circuit pattern. Draw her A/C on crosswind or downwind and get the student to tell you what is coming up next i.e. pre-landing checks, watch for traffic, next radio call etc. Then the instructor calls out a call sign, type, posn, intentions, time in cct etc. Let her manage it.
I did also see my CFI get in his own aeroplane and join a student in the circuit once to get him to look out the window more and aid in his SA.
Get creative, get them out of the classroom and outside in the fresh air with a cup of tea of a morning and have a relaxed chat about it. Most students tend to be more open-minded (is that the phrase?) when the pressure is off. The trick is keeping their mind open when they step in the machine.
Good luck, I’m sure you could have worse students
