Do You Possess Clarity?
The past couple of weeks I have been reading a lot about the differences between mentors and advisors. In most doctoral programs, you’ll probably find that there aren’t “specialized” or professional advisors in doctoral programs, rather, the individual faculty member who mentors or supervises the doctoral candidate, is also responsible for advising the individual. This led me to question, does Capella’s decision to split this responsibility help or hinder the learner’s growth as a scholar-practitioner?
Then I came across an article by Galbraith (2003) that profoundly stated, “while advising is a short-term process where the focus is on giving information and guidance to the learner, mentoring is a more intricate, long-term, one-on-one relationship that goes well beyond simply providing information. True mentoring is a complex process between professor and college adult learner that supports a mutual enhancement of critically reflective and independent thinking” (p. 16). So if we accept this conclusion, what information and guidance would a professional advisor give to a learner to better prepare for that mentor-mentee relationship? How does a learner prepare to be critically reflective and at his or her core, a critical and independent thinker? And how do I, the advisor, help guide or enhance that relationship?
Rather fascinating inquiry, but it led me to another article published by Davis (2004), titled “Advising and Supervising Doctoral Students: Lessons I have Learned.” In summarizing his article, Davis offers the novice mentor experienced advice on how promote and encourage a dissertation learner. Today, I’d like to encourage you to read Davis’s work, but also leave you with his summary list yet modified to reflect, experienced advice I offer to the novice and future apprentice scholar-practitioners. How are you doing in preparing for your intricate relationship? Do you possess clarity?
1. Clarify in your mind the assumptions governing the doctoral program at your
school. Clarify if they are stable or in a process of change. Decide which
assumptions you wish to challenge and which you are willing to accept.
2. Clarify in your mind the most important motivations for doctorates among the
learners who enter your doctoral program. Clarify which of these motivations can
be well served within the program.
3. Clarify in your mind the advising style that is most natural to you. Clarify in your mind the range of advising styles would help you most.
4. Clarify in your mind the needs your program might present to you as a learner. Ponder what kinds of faculty you can work with best and which kinds you might have difficulty working with.
5. Clarify in your mind the limits of your knowledge and skill in conversing on different methods and on different topics. Consider the limits on your ability.
6. Encourage your school (specialization) to have a good introductory seminar that
prepares learners to be scholars. Participate actively in such a seminar.
7. Participate actively in a regular doctoral learner/faculty workshop, at Capella or otherwise.
8. Learn and actively seek advice on procedures to help manage your dissertation research. Examples consider looking at alternative dissertations outside your comfort zone, a formal dissertation proposal, a dissertation project plan, a formal or informal dissertation proposal defense, and progress documentation.
9. Be supportive of yourself and others in helping them to develop a 10-year plan to be a world class scholar-practitioner. Do a retrospective plan for yourself and update it to understand the benefits and limits of such a plan.
10. Develop approach and style that recognizes individual differences and
establishes a collegial environment in which you are not only a learner but a friend who wants to truly learner how to become a good scholar-practitioner and yet still “have a life.”
References
Davis, G. B. (2004). Advising and supervising doctoral students: Lessons I have learned. Carlson School of Management. Retrieved March 25, 2009, http://misrc.umn.edu/workingpapers/fullpapers/2004/0412_052404.pdf
Galbraith, M. W. (2003). The adult education professor as mentor: A means to enhance teaching and learning. Perspectives: The New York Journal of Adult Learning, 1(1), 9-20.
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August 6th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Becoming Doctoral is a subject I have pondered long and hard. Are people with doctorates somehow superior intellectually to the rest of the world or does the doctorate teach us humility? I am beginning to believe that the more we know, the less we know. The growth of the personality towards acceptance, respect for others regardless of role or status, social justice, and faith are part and parcel of the doctoral process and represent the maturity and wisdom that a doctor needs to have.
I am completely baffled by the mentoring relationship. I believed at one time that our mentors would support us through the emotional and psychic journey, as well as suggest improvements in our dissertation drafts. I have revised that thinking totally. I now think of mentoring sort of like ‘hazing’ in a fraternity; if the learners can eat enough goldfish we can join their courageous number who have suffered through the battles of their own dissertations. The relationship is not intricate in my mind; it is simply one person having unreasonable power over another. I suggest that everyone read Marcel Foucault.