Learning Styles are bunkum

Educators have a tendency to talk about Fleming and Mills (1992) learning styles of auditory, visual, kinaesthetic and digital learners, or VARK, as though the theory is scientifically valid. It is not (APA, 2019; Cuevas, 2015; Newton & Miah, 2017; Pashler et al, 2008). I will not re-state the flaws in this invalid theory, as I have written about learning styles before (here).

However, VARK/Learning style theory (Fleming & Mills, 1992) is a myth that keeps giving. I recently signed up for a teaching and learning course at my own institution, only to find the VARK dogma still being spouted.

There is nothing wrong with providing learning using a variety of communication channels. On the contrary, it is great practice to use as many channels to assist learning as we can. But we should not attribute teaching this way to an unevidenced theory such as 'Learning Styles'.

What we all want in education is to provide 'sticky' learning materials to our learners. Let us all simply expunge 'Learning Styles' from our lexicon, and talk instead about providing learning in a variety of formats. There is good evidence that video is 'sticky' (O’Connell et al, 2004). Case studies, if they are real (Ellet, 2007; Hansen, 1997; Harling & Misser, 1998; Hativa, 2001; Remenyi, 2012; Wright, 1996; Vega, 2011; Yadav et al, 2007), have story vollendung (‘fulfilment’ to quote Heidegger, as cited by Lewis, 2011, p. 206), and contain dialogue (Hansen, 1994; Wright, 1996), are 'sticky'.

But we don't need to work 24/7 to create our own podcasts, mind maps, drawings, prezis, or pinterest pages, in addition to creating our own online course materials. The real gains come from students interacting with the written or video materials, taking their own notes, and discussing their impressions with their peers. Create a culture of student discussion using cases, supported by video. That is proven to work well.

And, while we consider how best to provide 'sticky' learning, we also need to be mindful of tutor workload. Much of the sourcing and creation of a variety of materials takes a long time. The world of teaching and learning is becoming more complex; it is harder to keep up; and the pay certainly hasn't kept pace. We have to continually deliver a Rolls Royce value on a Tata budget. It would be nice if that changed, but I can't see it doing so on the near future. What we can do is to be smart about curating other's materials, and accepting that we can only do what we can do.

But ignore VARK. It's bunkum.

Sam

References:

• APA (2019). Belief in Learning Styles Myth May Be Detrimental. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/05/learning-styles-myth
• Cuevas, J. (2015). Is learning styles-based instruction effective? A comprehensive analysis of recent research on learning styles. Theory and Research in Education, 13(3), 308-333. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878515606621
• Ellet, W. (2007). The Case Study Handbook: How to Read, Discuss, and Write Persuasively About Cases. Harvard Business Review Press
• Fleming, N. D., & Mills, C. (1992). Not another in ventory, rather a catalyst for reflection. To Improve the Academy, 11, 137-143. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2334-4822.1992.tb00213.x
• Hansen, A. J. (1997). Writing Cases for Teaching: Observations of a Practitioner. The Phi Delta Kappan, 78(5), 398-403.
• Harling, K., & Misser, E. (1998). Case writing: An art and a science. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 1(1), 119-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-7508(99)80032-9
• Hativa, N. (2001). Teaching For Effective Learning in Higher Education. Springer Netherlands.
• Leite, W.L., Svinicki, M., and Shi, Y. (2010). Attempted Validation of the Scores of the VARK: Learning Styles Inventory With Multitrait-Multimethod Confirmatory Factor Analysis Models. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 70(2), 323-339. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164409344507
• Lewis, P. J. (2011). Storytelling as research/research as storytelling. Qualitative Inquiry, 17(6), 505-510. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800411409883
• Newton, P. M., & Miah, M. (2017). Evidence-Based Higher Education – Is the Learning Styles ‘Myth’ Important? Frontiers in Psychology, 8(444), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00444
• O’Connell, D. J., McCarthy, J. F., & Hall, D. T. (2004). Print, Video, or the CEO: The Impact of Media in Teaching Leadership with the Case Method. Journal of Management Education, 28(4), 294-318. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562903252659
• Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(3), 105-119. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x
• Remenyi, D. (2012). Case Study Research: A quick guide. Academic Publications International.
• Vega, G. (2012). How important is a teaching note? What should be in a teaching note? Bertolon School of Business, Salem State University & Case Centre (formerly ECCH). https://youtu.be/WLoqpACENU
• Wright, P. (1996). Simulating reality: the role of the case incident in higher education. Education and Training, 38(6), 20-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000004283
• Yadav, A., Lundeberg, M., DeSchryver, M., Dirkin, K., Schiller, N. A., Maier, K., & Herreid, C. F. (2007). Teaching science with case studies: A national survey of faculty perceptions of the benefits and challenges of using cases. Journal of College Science Teaching, 37(1), 34-38.

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Career assessment blind areas

While in career practice we get clients to undertake a number of career assessments, we sometimes forget to remind ourselves of the limitations of those assessments.

For example, a key limitation in personality testing is that most tests are self-reporting. We may see ourselves clearly - but it is most likely that we do not see 'all' of ourselves. If we consider the JoHari window - now there is an old theory! - we know that there are parts of ourselves that we are blind to (Luft, 1963; Luft & Ingham, 1955).

If we consider Joseph Luft and Harrison Ingham's model (1955), we can see that, of the four windows, only one is evident to ourselves. One area - the 'blind area' is only evident to others. There other two areas - the area we avoid, and the area of completely unknown activity - can be seen by no one. This can become a serious limitation in assessments.

As we age, we get to know ourselves better. We know what others say about us, so we make the yellow cell larger, making the blind area smaller. We may also, if we are reflective enough, push the avoided area back also. In doing those two things, we manage to reduce the area of unknown activity at the same time.

In addition, our training may well affect how we see ourselves over time, which will change our self-reported results. While we like to think that our work does not affect our personality, if we considered five different professions - perhaps a police detective, a doctor, an engineer, an accountant, and an career practitioner - we are likely to get five different focuses. They would all be valid, although biased due to the nature of our profession, our training and our experience.

What might those five professions look for? My biases suggest the following:

1. Police detective: alert to potential criminal activity. Looking for falsehood. Seeking gaps in stories.
2. Doctor: seeking symptoms of disease. Assuming the client will not/cannot be honest (alcohol reporting for example: doctors automatically double what they are told). May not seek symptoms of health, though some do
3. Engineer: seeking evidence of systems problems to take corrective action. Assumes the client knows too little to provide quality information.
4. Accountant: evaluating past evidence of financial health. Focusing on historic information. Not necessarily developing future financial health, though some now do
5. Career Practitioner: reflecting back to our client what they tell us to check the validity of what the client is seeking. Not telling, but asking. Mirroring client truth to assist clients to make their own decisions.

It is easy to see that assessment self-reporting may be skewed, based on our professional shaping. Accountants may be blind to the future. Engineers and doctors may focus on what is going wrong, not what is going well. Detectives may be blind to truth-telling. Career practitioners may be poor decision-makers. Although I know plenty of people in 3, 4 and 5, it would be good to talk to people who work in professions 1 and 2 to see if my take has much 'professional' accuracy.

Interesting.

Sam

References:

• Luft, J. (1963). Group processes: An introduction to group dynamics. National Press.
• Luft, J., & Ingham, H. (1955). The Johari Window: A Graphic Model for Interpersonal Relations. Western Training Laboratory in Group Development. University of California at Los Angeles, Extension Office.
• Luft, J., & Ingham, H. (1961). The Johari Window: a graphic model of awareness in interpersonal relations. Human Relations Training News, 5(1), 6-7.

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Boundary crossing 2

As career professionals we may be exposed to hearing more information at times from our clients than we are comfortable with. Interestingly, this seems slightly more likely when we are working with young people.

A boundary gets crossed, and information about issues such as personal safety or mental health are shared with us. Sometimes a 'safe' pair of hands and trust means our clients may unburden themselves to us in ways that are outside our areas of expertise. Sometimes disclosed issues may fall well outside our professional practice capacity. The CDANZ Code of Ethics provides clear advice to us in these circumstances - that we must "only undertake those practices for which [we] are qualified and in circumstances where [we] have appropriate experience" (2016).

What to do in this type of situation can be incredibly complex, but the career session clock stops ticking at the moment these other issues appear. Not only will immediate safety issues will limit anyone's ability to think constructively about their future work, but our expertise runs out, and we need to refer our client to an appropriate professional.

I personally like to think of this as 'hosting' the client: I can find someone who has the expertise to help my client, and I can consider how can I meaningfully and sensitively host the client into an introduction so that their underlying needs are met as well (at least as I can have them met). For myself in private practice, this means relying on my expert networks. In an educational institution, or in a large organisation, there are usually structures already in place.

So how do we prevent boundaries from being crossed? One easy way to prevent boundary crossing is to begin any session by briefly discussing what we are getting together to talk about. We set an - informal - agenda. This scoping of our work helps us to stay within our expertise, and to focus on the mahi we have met to undertake. And if we have talked about the scope of service we will deliver before we start a session, there is less risk of us facing situations which we are unprepared for.

I have been lucky in my career that I have not - knowingly - had clients with suicidal thoughts. I have seen clients who were mentally ill, though. Luckily none of those clients were immediately in danger, so I was able to take more time and direct them kindly to expert and appropriate services.

Or perhaps it is less luck, and more planning.

Sam

References:

• CDANZ (2016). Code of Ethics. http://www.cdanz.org.nz/uploads/CDANZ_CoE_Word%20English%20Final.pdf
• Popadiuk, N. (2013) Career counsellors and suicide risk assessment. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 41(4), 363-374. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2012.726964

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Adding undo to File Explorer

Have you ever had that ghastly sinking feeling when you have gone to rename one file and realised that you have inadvertently selected every file in the folder? The Argh moment where you realise that in Windows, File Explorer has no "Undo? button? And you can't remember the shortcut keys to undo?

Then this is the post for you!

I have two quick reminders. Firstly, the undo command is:

Ctrl & Z

Emblazon it on your memory! (though I must admit, in that brain-freeze moment when we do something like this, it is probably not going to stick. A post-it note on the bottom of our screens might help though!).

The next tip is to add an undo command icon to the Quick Access Toolbar in File Explorer. Click the dropdown beside the small arrow on the top left-hand corner of File Explorer, and simply add Undo and Redo from the customisation menu. Too easy.

Sam

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Can't log in to Hotel Wifi

Travelling. It can be fun, but if we are travelling for work, and can't get onto the hotel Wifi, travelling can suddenly turn into a 'grit the teeth' time. You know, when we go to log in, we find the Wifi, we connect, and our laptop opens a blank browser page so we can enter our log in details and accept the terms and conditions... and nothing else happens. We keep getting a blank page, and no connection. Our Wifi may say we are connected, but we are not. We refresh, we reconnect, we disconnect, we 'forget' the network... and nada.

I am not sure why, but I rarely have difficulty logging on to hotel Wifi using my phone: it is just my laptop that drives me mental. I have used the 'logout.gg' in the past to great effect (here), but this doesn't always work.

However, a helpful Reddit poster (Markhyo, answering Doorhingetedman, 2016) provided me with some advice, although the steps that get us to get the information have changed. Try the following:

• Find and 'Connect' to the Wifi network
• Click on the network Properties hyperlink. This will open the network settings pane.
• Scroll down to the 'Properties' section.
• Scroll down to the 'IPv4 Default Gateway'. The address will look something like this: 172.xxx.x.x (see image accompanying this post).
• Copy the IP number and enter it into the browser.

This should take us to the hotel's Wifi's terms and conditions page, so we can sign in.

Sam

• Reference: Doorhingetedman (2016). Can't connect to Hotel wifi - sign in page doesn't appear. https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/4i7bbd/cant_connect_to_hotel_wifi_sign_in_page_doesnt/

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Blah, blah blah

Recently I read about a new behaviour doing the rounds called "Prolix syndrome". This is supposedly an affliction for interviewees in Zoom interviews where they simply don't stop talking, and the interviewers, instead of listening, get fixated on how many questions they still have to ask. And whether they might get a minute to ask them in the avalanche of information (Barden, 2021).

Hmm. I don't think this is quite the meaning of prolix, which is noted as a 'formal disapproval' adjective, defined as "using too many words and therefore boring or difficult to read or listen to" (Cambridge Dictionary, 2021). 'Garrulous' might be the equivalent. Verbose, perhaps. In fact, would not either of those words do instead?

I wonder if vomiting up too much information in an interview needs to have to have anything to do with Covid-19, and using Zoom. As Barden (2021) implies, when talking on video, we can easily miss cues. Although Barden (2021) does not mention why that might be, I think we miss cues because - if we are well prepared and experienced Zoom users - we will be looking into the camera, and not looking at the people on the screen.

This brings up an interesting flaw in technology. Can technology be organised to allow us to see our audience, while appearing to look directly into the camera? It would be great if we could get that sorted. And it raises a couple of valuable points: how can we appear natural in an interview; and how can we check in easily to ensure we are not missing cues?

Firstly, we can ask the interviewers at the outset what their expectations are for the interview, and roughly how many questions they have for us. We can explain that we are asking so that we can ensure that we keep our answers to the point, and allow enough time for the all the panel's questions to be satisfactorily answered. We can explain that it is sometimes hard to judge cues when in a Zoom session, and we want to ensure that the panel get the information they need.

Then we can then use a stopwatch app at our end to keep an eye on the time while we are answering the questions. We can be disciplined, professional, and not treat a Zoom session like a family Skype blather.

Secondly, while we can direct our answers at the camera, we can make checking in with the panel easier by shrinking the Zoom window and having it just below our camera. Then, like the rear vision mirror in the car, we can keep an eye on what is happening for the panellists. We also take micro-pauses for a drink, a review of our notes, making a note, and check in with the panel as we change tasks.

These are useful reminders for us all. And I really don't think there is a Prolix syndrome.

Sam

References

• Barden, D. M. (5 March 2021). Are We Talking Too Much in Video Interviews?. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/are-we-talking-too-much-in-video-interviews?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_2531105_nl_Your-Career_date_20210706&cid=yc&source=&sourceId=
• Cambridge Dictionary (2021). Definition of Prolix. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/prolix

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Busy, busy, busy

It has been an interesting eighteen months, living in a Covid-19 world. From a career development point of view, a number of my clients have made large shifts in their focus. They are transitioning out of work where they no longer feel there is meaning or identity for them, into work that will provide a more meaningful identity (Huffington, 2021).

I am meeting with clients who are taking stock of their lives. Many say they feel over-burdened. They want to feel recharged, but want help with how to do that.

If we think of ourselves in our pre-Covid lives, many of us squeezed a lot in. Our normal running speed was at 95% of capacity, continuously. Then along came Covid-19, and added another 5 or 10% of load on us - depending on our roles, and suddenly there was no room for anything to go wrong; or we were already into overload.

Worse, there was nothing we could do about it. We either had to live through it, or collapse from the strain. Many of those who weathered the storm are now transitioning out of high stress roles: medical workers, border workers, teachers, hospitality workers, retail staff (Andrews, 2021; Huffington, 2021; Wan, 2021). Those who collapsed may still be recovering, and there has been a high suicide rate, particularly in the US (Kane, 2021).

Even those who 'got through' often feel like they 'only just' managed (Andrews, 2021). In this slightly more relaxed world of vaccines and fewer deaths, they now have time to take a breath. But they are not yet recharged.

People tell us all the time to stop and smell the roses, but we don't tend to listen, or - if we do listen, we may feel powerless to action that advice. So when a short by HBR came across my desk entitled "Time Management May Be the Problem — Not the Solution" (2021), it made me pause to think about our capacity, overload, and 'making room' for the problems that will occur in our lives.

When we are running at peak, one 'extra' thing may derail us: the illness of a whanau member; an extra project at work; a colleague who is out of action; an injury; or a longer commute. When we start to feel overwhelmed, our stress may mean that we trying to pack too much in to our lives. We need to create time and space to think, to process, to plan. We need to digest what is happening for us, so we can make choices in what we need to let go. Whereas time management is the art of wedging extra stuff in to our lives, stuffing tasks into every nook and cranny. When considered this way, it is clear that time management really is not a solution: it is a band aid showing - clearly - that we are trying to do too much (Harvard Business Review, 2021). Efficiency may not be effective, to misquote Drucker (1974).

We are better to, when "feeling overwhelmed, [...] attack[...] the root cause: the sheer volume of tasks" (Harvard Business Review, 2021). We can do that if we "think in terms of priorities not time". When we are asked to do more, we need to ask what the priorities are, and what can be dropped.

Doing this helps us in two ways. "First, it [reminds us that our] time is limited and [we] can only commit to completing a certain number of tasks at a time. Second, it [shifts, or shares, responsibility on deciding] which task is more important, so that [we] don’t have to worry about failing to meet a critical commitment" (Harvard Business Review, 2021). If we are considering who will care for an ill parent, for example, we can consider dropping work hours, so reducing the complication of work stress, to make space for undertaking that care. If we have an extra project to tackle, we can drop something that is less important. I have written on prioritising previously (here), which covers a range of techniques for different situations.

And perhaps, if we focus less on time management when we are nearing burnout, we can decide to reduce or change roles earlier rather than later, and so start recharging our batteries more quickly.

Sam

References:

• Andrew, S. (21 February 2021). Traumatized and tired, nurses are quitting due to the pandemic. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/25/us/nurses-quit-hospitals-covid-pandemic-trnd/index.html
• Drucker, P. F. (1974). Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices. Harper & Row
• Harvard Business Review. (6 July 2021). The Management Tip of the Day: today's tip - Time Management May Be the Problem — Not the Solution [email]. https://hbr.org/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=mtod_notactsubs&deliveryName=DM140011
• Huffington, A. (30 June 2021). People Aren't Just Quitting their Jobs: They're Redefining Success. Inc. https://www.inc.com/arianna-huffington/people-arent-just-quitting-their-jobs-theyre-redefining-success.html/
• Kane, L. (22 January 2021). 'Death by 1000 Cuts': Medscape National Physician Burnout & Suicide Report 2021. Medscape. https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2021-lifestyle-burnout-6013456
• Wan. W. (22 April 2021). Burned out by the pandemic, 3 in 10 health-care workers consider leaving the profession. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/04/22/health-workers-covid-quit/

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Career Practitioners as Askers of Questions

I have written before about leaders as askers of questions (here). However, I have not written about career practitioners as askers of questions of our clients.

While good leaders ask questions, so too to good career practitioners. Good career practitioners ask questions to hold up a mirror to the client. The client gets used to the idea that they will not be given answers, but will dig into themselves to find their own solutions. The conversation is what creates a free flow of information, reflection, and empowers the client to make decisions. Asking encourages thought, solutions, responsibility, and sharing. That provokes critical thought processes & deeper learning (Daft & Pirola-Merlo, 2009).

I was watching a video recently where ten counselling questions were suggested, to be slipped into the conversation wherever they best fitted, to prompt a check in of the client, and addressing a range of human needs (which are in brackets afterwards). I was thinking that these could be relatively easily adapted for career practice. We just need to confine or focus these to the workplace, work transitions, education, or training. The original question is in black (Tyrell, 2019), my suggested change in blue:

1. How often do you get to meet up with friends? (need for attention and community). Do you get to see your team members often enough?
2. Can you and your partner really talk together? (attention and intimacy). Do you feel able to talk to your manager?
3. How are you sleeping these days? (mind body connection). Is work keeping you awake at night?
4. Are you happy with your diet? (mind body connection). Are you able to take breaks at work?
5. How much exercise are you getting? (mind body connection). Are you able to move around enough at work?
6. Is there anyone who you feel really understands you, and is close to you? (intimacy). Are you well connected with colleagues at work?
7. What choice do you have about what happens in your life? (control and security). What choices do you have about what happens at work?
8. Do you have a clear sense of where you want to take things in life? (purpose, what gets me out of bed in the morning). Do you have a clear sense of where you want to go at work?
9. Do you feel excited by stuff in your life? (challenge purpose meaning). Do you feel excited by work?
10. What involvement do you have with people around you? (community and status). What involvement do you have with those who work around you?

What are your thoughts?

Sam

References:

• Browne, N. M. & Keeley, S. M. (2007). Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking (8th ed.). Longman
• Daft, R. L. & Pirola-Merlo, A. (2009). The Leadership Experience (1st Asia-Pacific ed.). Cengage.
• Tyrell, M. (9 January 2019). 10 Therapy Questions to Get to the Root of the Problem [video]. Uncommon Practitioners. https://youtu.be/B8G846WVA2I

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Who owns Oceania's banking

I recently answered a Quora post where someone had talked as a side issue about New Zealand's banks being owned in Australia. This is not quite correct. New Zealand's banks are apparently owned in Australia, but Australia's banks are actually largely owned by financial companies based in the USA.

For example, the ANZ bank, New Zealand's largest bank, is "61 per cent owned by US shareholders with just 17 per cent of shares held in Australia" (Dann, 2018). "Westpac is 58 per cent US owned with 22 per cent held by Aussie shareholders" (Dann, 2018). The ASB and BNZ too are "dominated by US shareholders with Australia a distant second" (Dann, 2018).

This has been laid out graphically by Andrew Boyd (2020), as follows:

It is extremely useful to see just where our money goes: to JP Morgan, to CitiGroup, and to the HSBC.

Sam

References

• Boyd, A. (4 August 2020). Who really owns Australia's Big Four banks?. https://finty.com/au/research/big-four-ownership/
• Boyd, A. (4 August 2020). Big Four banks. https://finty-au.s3.amazonaws.com/images/big_4_banks.width-800.jpg
• Dann, L. (31 August 2018). Who really owns our banks?. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/who-really-owns-our-banks/ZTAJ6KOSCCOKOZXXKLZDD7LST4/

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Ten PhD preparatory tasks

Starting a PhD is scary. It is a huge chunk of our life if we are a young student and able to do this following on from our undergrad degree and a Masters (or undergrad and honours). We effectively double our time investment and go for eight years of overall study to smash out a PhD (and yes, I know many of us will be hoping for three years, but the time usually creeps towards four years and beyond). If we are in a job, we get the grind of a part time PhD where we are not allowed to finish in fewer than six years, but must finish by eight. Both of those scenarios require a long time to commit to one idea and to follow it through. We need endurance to finish, because this race is not a sprint: it is about toughing it out.

I have blogged about Tara Brabazon a number of times (here), and earlier this year she served up yet another pithy dose of excellent advice to those who are about to start their PhD, gleaned from a number of academic and non-academic sources (2021).

View the video (Brabazon, 2021):

To summarise, in the order that I would tackle each of these, what Tara explored (Brabazon, 2021) was as follows:

1. Reflection. In undertaking this PhD project, we need to think deeply about what frightens us; what we are worried about. We need to write about it. We need to dig into it. We need to consider what we think we need be informed about before we begin. This is deep work, and must not be superficial, and shapes the following steps.
2. Personal Outcomes. We need to consider our personal goals. We must understand our own motivations. Tara suggests that we answer the question “What do I want to achieve from this PhD” (2021, 21:50) in writing. We can then use this to remind ourselves, as we get into the project, of what we are aiming for, what skills we need to gather.
3. Literacies. Tara then talked about academic and information literacies, citing Linhart who called information literacy “neglected essential learning” (2021, 14:56; Linhart, 2008, p. 1). We need to get to grips with GoogleScholar, databases, courses in library science, and to understand that we will need to build a good relationship with our librarian. We have to get to grips with the software, and the referencing. From the reading and the writing, we should know who the top authors are in our field, and what our key words are to lead the search for what we need to read.
4. Read. A lot. Methodology. Current articles in our field. Read as much as we can – and set aside time to read every day to build the habit before we apply enter the programme. It takes – as I recall – about 90 days to build a habit. Throwing three months at a project which might last four or eight years is not that big an additional ask. It is pre-training.
5. Write. “Write early, write often, write now” (Brabazon, 2021, 11:35). As we read, take notes. We are reading every day, so write up what we read, every day. This act will not only improve our writing, but it will help us to synthesise our ideas as early as we can. Early on this will help us to understand the shape of the environment we are going into; later it will get our write up done as we go (read my post on how long this takes here).
6. CV. Tara suggests that we create an educational CV including publications etc, if you are looking for academic work around presentation, conference presentations, consultancy, community engagement etc. While this probably feels unnecessary for those who are already in sustainable work, we will need a CV for our PhD application to reassure our prospective institution and intended supervisors that we understand the process and the expectations on completion.
7. Workspace. Determine where we will work, and how we will work – possibly in a shared space. Create space. Be clear about privacy. Be clear about others and our own silence. Have thought through likely distractions, set delimiters, and be clear if a shared space what our signals are.
8. Clarify relationships. We need both professional and personal relationships to get the job done (see item 3 above, too). We need to be clear about what each participant’s rights, responsibilities and expectations are. This includes our significant others, our supervisors, our peers, our whanau, and ourselves as a supervisee. If we have clarified what we each expect from each other - our ‘job descriptions’ so to speak – we are less likely to have problems later.
9. Project Outcomes. Tara started this item with “Start with the end in mind”, citing Stephen Covey (1989, p. 95), suggesting that we start the project aimed at what it will look like when it is completed. We need to design the project so that we stay focused on the outcome. To prepare for this, we need to read successful PhDs in our field, understand construction, read our institute’s regulations for submission so that we understand the processes, and what our outputs and outcomes will be.
10. Learn about teaching and learning. Learning about how to learn will be useful. While I am less convinced about teaching – many PhDs no longer begin or end with the idea of going into teaching – learning how to ‘teach’ when we deliver our candidature presentation and our viva will certainly be useful. This though, in my mind, is the least important item in this list.

I hope you find this list of Tara’s useful: I certainly did.

Sam

References:

• Brabazon, T. (2 July 2021). Vlog 276 - Preparing for a successful PhD programme [video]. https://youtu.be/-ckoeUaqU7w
• Covey. S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful lessons in personal change. Franklin Covey.
• Linhart, R. J. (2008). Information Literacy: A Neglected Essential Learning. [Doctoral thesis, University of Tasmania]. https://core.ac.uk/reader/33332338

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What is Narrative Therapy?

Narrative therapy was developed by Australian social worker Michael White, and New Zealander David Epston in the 1970s and 80s. It is a social constructivist, client-centred approach which assumes there are no absolute 'truths'; only socially-sanctioned 'truth' in the eyes of the client. In this theory, truth is truly relative. Narrative therapy takes a social justice viewpoint.

It allows clients to reframe themselves "as separate from their problems". This enables clients to create separation between the issues at hand, and their own identity, to consider their actions and behaviours in an external light, and decide whether acts are "helping them, or protecting them, [or] hurting them" (Psychology Today, 2020). This can allow clients to feel in control, and better able to make change, while understanding that their changes of action will not change their identity.

The following Google search might be useful (https://www.google.com/search?q=Narrative+career+theory&rlz=1C1GCEB_enNZ837NZ837&oq=Narrative+career+theory&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i433i457j0l6.3647j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) to see a range of resources. In addition, there are a number of good texts:

• McMahon, M. (Ed.). (2016). Career counselling: Constructivist approaches. Routledge.
• Maree, K. (2019). Shaping the story: A guide to facilitating narrative career counselling. Sense Publishers.
• Cochran, L. (1997). Career counseling: A narrative approach. SAGE Publications Ltd.

The key current authors are Mary McMahon, Peter McIveen, and Wendy Patton - but we mustn't forget Cochran, as well as keeping our eyes open for new authors in the field in the career journals.

Sam

References:

• Cochran, L. (1997). Career counseling: A narrative approach. SAGE Publications Ltd.
• McMahon, M. (Ed.). (2016). Career counselling: Constructivist approaches. Routledge.
• Maree, K. (2019).Shaping the story: A guide to facilitating narrative career counselling. Sense Publishers.
• Psychology Today (2020).&Narrative Therapy. https://www.psychologytoday.com/nz/therapy-types/narrative-therapy

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How to APA secondary sources

When we are citing someone whom a textbook has cited, who should we cite? For example, in the book, "Understanding Careers" by Inkson et al., do we cite Inkson et al., or the people who Inkson et al. are talking about? While I have written on this topic before (here), I thought it worth another explore.

The American Psychological Association says that a secondary source is "content first reported in another source" (2019, p. 258). So if the book or journal we are reading is citing someone else, it is called a secondary source.

Many students fall into the trap of wanting to cite the primary source, when they have only read the secondary one. What we need to do is to cite the book that we have read. If we have read the secondary source, we cite the secondary source. We don't pretend we have read the primary author when we haven't.

If we have been reading Inkson, then we should cite Inkson (the secondary source), even though Inkson et al. are citing the primary source (Levinson). If we mention the primary source's name - Levinson - then we have two choices. We can either:

• cite the source as (Inkson et al., 2015); or
• we can cite it as (Inkson et al., 2015, citing Levinson et al., 1978).

Hope that helps!

Sam

References:

• American Psychological Association (2019). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style (7th ed.). Author.
• Inkson, K., Dries, N., & Arnold, J. (2015). Understanding Careers (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.
• Levinson, D. J., Darrow, C., Klein, E., Levinson, M. & McKee, B. (1978). The Seasons of a Mans Life. Knopf.

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If Aotearoa was a village

Statistics New Zealand published an infographic on data derived from the 2018 census data (2019), showing the population of Aotearoa as it would be if we were a village of 100 people. It is a very interesting insight as to how our national profile is slowly developing into something more unique.

The statistics are also presented on the page in narrative form, but, when comparing the two, it becomes clear just how sticky the infographic is when compared to the text, as you can see below (Statistics New Zealand, 2019).

While we can read all the population statistics we would like, the idea of a village of 100 is a very visible and digestible construct. I hope that this presentation of data might be updated following each census so we have comparability of data sets. Of course, by 2023, Statistics New Zealand may have already moved onto AI development of infographic animated video... but hopefully they would do a video-retrospective of past data.

We will then be able to better see the slow evolution of our society over time.

Sam

References:

• Statistics New Zealand (23 September 2019). New Zealand as a village of 100 people: Our population. https://www.stats.govt.nz/infographics/new-zealand-as-a-village-of-100-people-2018-census-data
• Statistics New Zealand (23 September 2019). New Zealand as a village of 100 people [image]. https://www.stats.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Infographics/New-Zealand-as-a-village-of-100-people-2018-Census/new-zealand-village-of-100-people-2018-census.png

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Finding new career ideas

The past year of Covid has shaken us all up like ants in a box. Forced lockdowns, uncertainty, increased personal risk, unemployment, over-employment have collectively made us reconsider our options, and do some bigger picture thinking. As a result, a number of us who have been procrastinating about making changes, are now seizing the moment to make it; while a number of us who were pursuing what we thought we wanted are now having a rethink.

Many of us are searching for something new. We can find evidence of this in places which we may not have ordinarily thought to look.

For example, we could explore the top ten job searches on the Careers New Zealand website over the past year, which have been (TEC, 2 March 2021):

1. Police officer (also the most popular search in 2018 and 2019)
2. Registered nurse
3. Psychologist
4. Paramedic (up from 6th most popular search in 2019)
5. Accountant
6. Electrician (was in 10th place in 2019)
7. Secondary school teacher (down from 4th in 2019)
8. Architect (down one search spot from 7th in 2019)
9. Early childhood teacher
10. Real estate agent (new to the top 10)

However, we need to remember that the TEC list is only a list of searches. Searches are like window shopping: as looking is not synonymous with buying: so too are searches not synonymous with new entrants to the listed professions.

Another example is to read opinion pieces by futurists on what professions are projected as growth areas. While these projections need to be taken with a kilo of salt, they can often spark our imaginations, or at least allow us to consider areas which we may not have previously been on our radar. A list of areas which are projected to grow, post-Covid-19, are:

1. Health and wellbeing (including "health and wellness coaches, physiotherapists, personal trainers, nutritionists and dieticians" Dickinson, 2021, citing futurist, Morris Miselowski)
2. Mental health workers (ranging from "telehealth counselling to senior policymaking"; Dickinson, 2021)
3. Aged care (including "physiotherapy, gardening, preparing meals, driving and delivering supplies; Dickinson, 2021, citing futurist, Morris Miselowski)
4. Surgical assistants ("physician assistants [,..., RNs], operating theatre nurse[s] or theatre team leader[s]"; Dickinson, 2021, citing futurist, Morris Miselowski)
5. Virtual influencer teams (predicted to include software engineers, marketers, and psychologists; Dickinson, 2021, citing futurist, Morris Miselowski). I think influencers are already past-peak, but hey. It is worth the thought.
6. Robotic-to-human experts (aka software, hardware and mechatronics engineers; Dickinson, 2021, citing futurist, Morris Miselowski).

One area that Dickinson did not have on the list was that of pets. We have more pets than ever, so need more vets, more animal services (grooming, accessories, pet health, insurance, walkers etc). This was predicted to be, along with aged care, and wellness, one of the three main growth areas at the turn of the century. I think we are only now starting to feel the impact of these.

What is interesting is that there is only one trade mentioned. Something else to think about.

Sam

References:

• Careers New Zealand (2 March 2021). The top 10 most searched jobs on careers.govt.nz in 2020 have a strong focus on service roles. https://www.tec.govt.nz/news-and-consultations/top-10-most-popular-jobs-of-2020/
• Dickinson, P. (10 March 2021). Revealed: The six most promising career paths for job-seekers. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2021/03/revealed-the-six-most-promising-career-paths-for-job-seekers.html

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