SUPPORTING MA-STUDENTS: A group supervision model

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hippie/2596821107/

Carina van RooyenDepartment of Anthropology and Development Studies, UJ

Presentation to the Post-graduate supervision forum

7 October 2010 at UJ

SHARING OUR EXPERIENCES OF GROUP SUPERVISION OF MA-STUDENTS

“There are often no right or wrong answers, but there are a range of approaches from which we can choose” ~ Anne Lee

• Group supervisions of MA-students that jointly and individually supervise

• Still individual one-on-one supervision also

Mix of new students, with fieldwork students, with write-up students

Community of practice

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antphotos/3489600094/

“My classroom is now a community of inquiry where knowledge emerges from conversation” ~ Konrad Glogowski

Value of network

Source: Weller

Create intellectual

climate

Support group

Academic mattersNon-academic problems

&

Pressure group

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42903611@N00/387761039/

(Source: Ken Blanchard & Paul Hersey – Situational leadership)

Approachable

• caring

Humour and funhttp://allfunny.net/pics/crazykids/crazy-kids-8.jpg

Empower students to drive the agenda

(Source of photo: Downes 2009)

Draw on our own experiences

Reflecting

Wiki for MA Tuesday group

Source of photo: Weller

Acknowledgement in one of MA dissertations

“To the Tuesday afternoon master’s group: It was always a pleasure to chat,

and share ideas and receive encouragement.”

Not yet a convincing solution for full-time working students

For future: More use of social media & promoting PLE/PLN

http://old-picture.com

Your thoughts?

Acknowledgements

• If not acknowledged in slides, photos are from google images

• Downes S 2009 Learning 2.0: Learning today and tomorrow. Presentation on 6 April

• Lee A 2008 New approaches to postgraduate supervision and supervisor development. Available online at http://www.srhe.ac.uk/downloads/Anne_Lee_presentation_230608.ppt

• Wheller M Thinking about digital scholarship.