building a practice of reflective phd supervision

Department of Science Education

Building a practice of reflective PhD supervision

Aims of session:• Discussion on outcomes and capabilities

of a PhD study• Relationship between supervisor and

PhD-student• Supporting the project• How can I as a supervisor develop being

a good supervisor


Outcome and capabilities of a PhD-study

• Why do we educate an increasing number of PhD-students?• What are the outcome and capabilities of a PhD-study for

society?• Should the outcome and capabilities be different when PhD-

students are not going to be employed in academia?• What are the outcome and capabilities for the individual

gaining a PhD-degree?

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Building relationships

Supervision styles

Clarify mutual expectations

Trust

Co-supervision


Styles - Gatfield

October 4 2012Gatfield, T. (2005) An investigation into PhD supervisory Management Styles: Development of a dynamic conceptual model and its managerial implications

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Product concern

People

conce

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Gatfield - styles

Pastoral

Supervisor: Considerable personal support but not in a task-driven directive capacity

Contractual

Supervisor: Good management skills and interpersonal

relationships

Laisser-faire

Supervisor: non-directive and not committed to high levels of personal interaction

Directional

Supervisor: Regular meetings, but avoids non-task issues

Low Structure High

Low

Support

H

igh

Gatfield, T. (2005) An investigation into PhD supervisory Management Styles: Development of a dynamic conceptual model and its managerial implications

Product concern

People

conce

rn


Adapting style

How can a supervisor then adapt her/his style to need of the PhD student?

Geoff Gurr developed a toolkit to talk about style with his PhD students. He uses it every 6 months in order to talk about supervision.

Gurr, G.M. (2001) Negotiating the “Rackety Bridge” – a Dynamic Model for Aligning Supervisory Style with Research Student Development. Higher Education & Development, 20 (1), 81-92.


Model of supervisory styles

October 4 2012

Gurr, G.M. (2001) Negotiating the “Rackety Bridge” – a Dynamic Model for Aligning Supervisory Style with Research Student Development. Higher Education & Development, 20 (1), 81-92.

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Exercise: Clarify mutual expectations

Go through the statements on p. 66 and mark you position (10 min)

Compare with your neighbour positions and look for mismatches. Discuss your understanding of the statement and reasons for diverging positions (20 min)

Exercise

Building trust – and undermining it

How do we build trust?• Active listening• Being reliable• Openness• Honesty• Clarity

Some classic ways to undermine your relationship:

• Hiding (yourself or real or imagined problems)• Ignoring (feedback you don’t understand or don’t like)• Forgetting (appointments, deadlines)• Mixing (business with personal issues)• Gossiping (about your PhD-student/supervisor or colleagues)• Assuming (what something meant, what you’re entitled to do)


Co-supervision

Chapter 6• Benefits of co-supervision?• Challenges of co-supervision?

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Co-supervision

• Meta-communication• Use of tools

• Division of labour• Competencies• Good cop><bad cop• Academic integration >< social integration• Process ><content

• Let the PhD-student decide• Accept the differences • Benefit from diversity – both PhD-student and supervisor

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Supporting the project

• Keeping research on track• Feedback• Plagiarism

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Keeping the research on track

How to keep on track:• Roadmap• Grey boxes chapter 5 + 7• Getting students to write

> Linear metaphors

• What about the unexpected?• Research as a less travelled road – winding with detours• Rules for critical thinking? In all disciplines?

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Getting students to write

• submit a given number of pages at or before every meeting • write a one-page synopsis of their thesis at regular intervals • free write their way through problems, blocks, and for

coming to grips with new ideas • write a maximum of two/three pages describing the process

of their research, identifying problems, thinking through possible solutions

• write a one-page review of everything they read • write a two/three pages review of a number of articles

dealing with a particular theme, comparing points of view, commenting on the relevance for their research

• write expanded structures (synopses) for the whole thesis or for each of the proposed chapters or articles

Feedback


Feedback at different levels

Where is the PhD student in the learning process?

What is the most important thing to learn right now?

What is the purpose of the text/presentation the students wants feedback on


The substance of the feedback

Praise

Criticism

General Specific


Supervisors’ dilemmas

Many supervisors are concerned that they give too much negative criticism and not enough praise.

Many students say that they are happy because they get a lot of critical comments.

At the same time they are hungry for praise.

How can this be understood?


Interpretation

The positive comments students get from supervisors are often general, sweeping and consequently not ’trustworthy’. They do not document that the supervisor has read the text well.

Criticism (negative comments) are much more specific and provide ideas for improvement. It also documents that the supervisor has studied the text thoroughly.



Different ways of giving feedback

The sandwich model:Praise-critique-praise

Traffic lights:Red: Avoid thisYellow: Be aware ofGreen: Continue doing this

Appreciative feedback:Caring: Sincere, appreciative and respectfulConstructive: With the real possibility of improvement and developmentConcrete: Specify and give examples

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Example

Feedback on a text:• What should remain in the text? What should you keep

doing?• What should there be more of in the text? What do you more

often?• What needs to be less of the text? What should you do less

often or completely stop?

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1. Find the right level of expectation2. Use meta communication3. Be honest4. Be specific5. Remember to look for the positive things

Five rules of feedback in supervision



Advice for feedback provider

• Start by agreeing on purpose of the (supervision) meeting (the outcome of this supervision should be...)

• Begin with the positive• Think forward “how can you improve this” instead of

backward “you should have done”• Remain on ‘your own half’ by using ‘I’ (“I did not quite

understand the conclusion” instead of “the conclusion is unclear”)

• Use open-ended questions (especially what and how, whereas why can be accusatory)

• Choose your words carefully - especially when written feedback

• Use active listening• Think of your body language and observe the other's body

language

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Advise for feedback receiver

• Start by making sure you understand and agree on the purpose of the feedback – adjust if necessary

• Do not explain or defend yourself• Try to perceive feedback as a gift and not as a criticism• Ask what the feedback provider would like to see more/less

of and what already works• Repeat points to make sure that you have understood the

message• Use open questions and ask for examples• Choose your feedback partners carefully• Receive feedback from several people and several times,

preferably early on in the process

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Literature

Eco, Umberto (1979) The Role of the Reader Indiana University Press, s.3-43

Eco, Umberto (1996) How culture conditions the colours we see.

I: Poul Cobley (ed.): The Communication Theory Reader. Routledge, s.148-171

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Plagiarism

• Happens everywhere• Can you buy a PhD?• Resources for avoiding plagiarism

• http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/plagiarism/default.asp?s=&n=&i=&v=&o=&ns=0&t=&uid=0&rau=0

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http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/plagiarism/default.asp?s=&n=&i=&v=&o=&ns=0&t=&uid=0&rau=0




Develop as a supervisor

Exercise:Key elements of supervision

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building a practice of reflective phd supervision

Documents

dato og enhedens navn

phd students

indfj sted og dato

phd studyrelationship

increasing number of

navn p oplgsholder navn

good supervisor overskrift

management model