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TRANSCRIPT
Learning Partnerships to Promote Employees’ Self-Authorship
Marcia Baxter MagoldaMiami University
Ivy Tech, IndianapolisJune 5 & 6, 2013
EXPECTATIONS FOR STAFF
Think critically
Act responsibly
Make good decisions
Demonstrate intercultural maturity
DEVELOPMENTAL LENS
How we “make sense” of our experiences
How we view knowledge - decide what to believe, come to know
How we view ourselves - sense of identity
How we view social relations - how we construct relationships
Holistic perspective - all three dimensions intertwined
[I was] frustrated with not only a new job but also a new city and totally unfamiliar expectations. I hadn’t had a chance to really get those ironed out, and basically they said, “We have faith in you; we think you can do this. Go ahead and do it.” and I suddenly was saying, “Do what? What is it you want me to do?” I think that the best way for me at least, is to have a clearly defined set of objectives and expectations. Then be given the tools you need to accomplish them. ~Gwen
Baxter Magolda, Marcia B. (2001). Making their own way: Narratives for transforming higher education to promote self-development. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
She helps me think through some situations as issues arise and I’m trying to decide what to do. Her management style I just admire immensely. I present the problem, then I say, “So here’s where I am.” Her first question always is, “So what do you read on this? What do you think?” In the beginning it was frustrating because I wanted her to say, “Okay. Well, here’s how you handle that,” because I didn’t know… She’s very good at, “okay, well, have you thought about this? Have you thought about this? Okay.” And then suddenly everything is like, “Oh, so that’s what I’m supposed to do.” Very good at helping you reach your own conclusions. ~ Gwen
Baxter Magolda, Marcia B. (2001). Making their own way: Narratives for transforming higher education to promote self-development. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
A DEVELOPMENTAL BRIDGE
“a holding environment that provides both welcoming acknowledgement to exactly who the person is right now as he or she is, and fosters the person’s psychological evolution. As such, a holding environment is a tricky, transitional culture, an evolutionary bridge, a context for crossing over” (Kegan, 1994, p. 43)
Kegan, R. (1994). In over our heads: The mental demands of modern life. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
LONGITUDINAL STUDY
Began with 101 first-year traditional age college students in 1986
80 interviewed annually during 4 years of college [see Knowing & Reasoning in College, 1992]
30 remain in study in 25th year [see Making Their own Way, 2001; Authoring Your Life, 2009]
Learning Partnerships Model [see Learning Partnerships, 2004]
WABASH NATIONAL STUDYwww.liberalarts.wabash.edu/nationalstudy
Designed to discover the student experiences and developmental capacities that affect growth toward seven liberal arts outcomes (King, Kendall, Brown, Lindsay & VanHecke, 2007)
Began with 315 traditional age students on six campuses in 2006 [approximately one third identified as students of color]
177 students returned for interviews all four years of their college experience
CAVEATS
Good company requires getting to know your partners
Developmental narratives offer possibilities regarding how to interpret adults’ meaning-making
Transferability: educators’ responsibility to judge applicability based on deep understanding of particular context
Learning partnerships: key to understanding partners and interpreting development in context
FOLLOWING EXTERNAL FORMULAS
Believe authority’s plans; how “you” know
Define self through external others
Act in relationships to acquire approval
Baxter Magolda, M. B. (2001). Making their own way: Narratives for transforming higher education to promote self-development. Sterling, Va.: Stylus.
REFLECTIVE INTERLUDE
Consider your context – are any of your employees using external formulas?
If so, how does it play out in your interactions?
LISTENING TO THE INTERNAL VOICE
Recognize the importance of hearing one’s internal voice and begin work to identify it.
Attempt to get internal voice into conversation with external voices.
Baxter Magolda, Marcia B. (2009). Authoring your life: Developing an internal voice to navigate life’s challenges. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
CULTIVATING THE INTERNAL VOICE
Use internal voice to sort out beliefs, establish priorities, and put the puzzle of who you are together.
Work to reduce reliance on external authorities.
Baxter Magolda, Marcia B. (2009). Authoring your life: Developing an internal voice to navigate life’s challenges. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
REFLECTIVE INTERLUDE
Consider your context – do any of your employees seem to be in the crossroads?
If so, how does it play out in your interactions?
TRUSTING THE INTERNAL VOICE
Realize that reality is beyond your control, but that you can control your reaction to reality.
Use internal voice to shape reaction.
Baxter Magolda, Marcia B. (2009). Authoring your life: Developing an internal voice to navigate life’s challenges. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
REFLECTIVE INTERLUDE
Consider your context – do any of your employees seem to be in self-authoring?
If so, how does it play out in your interactions?
LEARNING PARTNERSHIPS
MODELBalancing Challenge &
Support
Baxter Magolda, Marcia B. (2009). Authoring your life: Developing an internal voice to navigate life’s challenges. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Respect learners
thoughts and feelings
Situate in learners’ experience
Mutual learning & problem solving
Complex work & life challenges
Develop personal authority
Share authority; interdependence
Support
Challenge
Learning Partnerships
Baxter Magolda, M. B. (2004). Learning Partnerships Model: A framework for promoting self-authorship. In M. B. Baxter Magolda & P. M. King (Eds.), Learning partnerships: Theory and models of practice to educate for self-authorship (pp. 37-62). Sterling, VA: Stylus.
!
TWO STRATEGIES
Reflective conversations that support adults’ current capacities yet invite (challenge) them to develop more complex capacities
Developmentally sequenced experiences that address developmental capacities cumulatively
REFLECTIVE CONVERSATIONS
Four general phases:
getting acquainted
encouraging the person to reflect on important experiences of his/her choosing
encouraging the person to interpret those reflections
concluding the conversation
Baxter Magolda, M. B., & King, P. M. (2008). Toward reflective conversations: An advising approach that promotes self-authorship. Peer Review 10(1), 8-11.
REFLECTIVE CONVERSATIONS
Encouraging reflection: help people explore beyond what happened to them to why it was meaningful and how they interpreted the experience
Encouraging interpretation: step back and make sense of how experiences have affected them and how to use those insights
Baxter Magolda, M. B., & King, P. M. (2008). Toward reflective conversations: An advising approach that promotes self-authorship. Peer Review 10(1), 8-11.
REFLECTIVE CONVERSATIONS
Key Element: encouraging people to make sense of their experience rather than the educator making sense of it for them!
Baxter Magolda, M. B., & King, P. M. (2008). Toward reflective conversations: An advising approach that promotes self-authorship. Peer Review 10(1), 8-11.
REFLECTIVE CONVERSATIONS AS LEARNING PARTNERSHIPS
Invitation to reflect validates people, respects their thoughts and feelings, situates learning in their experience
Invitation to interpret brings self to forefront, recognizes complexity, values peoples’ perspectives, shares authority in mutual exploration of concerns
Value perspective, offer trust
Help process experiences
Guide employee to find own solution
Ask for rationale, teach how to think about complexity Afford employee
reasonable autonomy
Balance autonomy,
guidance & accountability
Support
Challenge
Supervisory Partnerships
!
Baxter Magolda, Marcia B. (2001). Making their own way: Narratives for transforming higher education to promote self-development. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
WORK GROUPS
How could you use these reflective conversations in your particular work context?
How would you unearth employees’ views of knowledge, self, and relationships as they relate to your work?
Consider how these conversations might be altered with particular groups of employees with whom you work
JOURNEY TOWARD SELF-AUTHORSHIP
Self-Authorship
Dependent on others for answers,
values, identity
Beginning to question
authority, form views, develop
identity
Dev
elop
men
tal P
hase
Externally Focused >> >> Internally Focused
Forming own sense of values
and views to guide
relationships and decisions
Leading Edge: E.g., Recognizing
that multiple perspectives exist
Leading Edge: E.g., Evaluating multiple perspectives to form
internal beliefs
Leading Edge: E.g., Acting
consistently based on internal beliefs
Haynes, C. & Taylor, K. B. (2008, October). Moving from a teaching to a learning paradigm in Honors. General session presented at the annual conference of the National Collegiate Honors Council, San Antonio, TX.
TRANSFORMATION FOR EDUCATORS
Recognize how our authority is interwoven in our behavior
Recognize assumptions about staff
Examine our own development - are we self-authoring such that we can share power and authority with staff ? Challenge structures & systems that constrain self-authorship?
REFLECTIVE INTERLUDE
What are your assumptions about your authority? How do they guide your supervision?
What are your assumptions about staff capability?
Where do you see yourself in the journey toward self-authorship? Can you share authority? Can you challenge your supervisors and systems?