Supervisor relationships: The supervisor-student dance 87 

This property or window pane allows the “audience” of reflection an understanding of supervisory relationships beyond the explicit evaluation completed by the supervisor. Based on many of the Time-point 1 and 2

reflections, reflection in this context offers students the opportunity to share their

Reflection as a window Challenging experiences Supervisor relationships: The supervisor- student dance Self- perception and working with supervisor feedback Unique trajectories of growth, readiness, and capacity for reflection Tacit values and espoused theories: Tensions revealed Professional identity: Becoming an audiologist

perceptions of clinical placements and supervisor relations. Reflections revealed students’ voicing of concerns, for example: about the quality of their learning on placement, their comfort level with their supervisors, and their satisfaction with and appreciation for positive experiences. I extend that these expositions could be important opportunities for faculty and supervisors to monitor external

placement site experiences. I also posit that this window pane could create a connection with what is taught and learned in these crucial external parts of the curriculum, into which faculty may not otherwise have a window.

The processes involved in this property (pane) of the window facet posit the role of reflection as a window to understand the student-supervisor dance or

experience, particularly to understand what students are feeling and to understand supervisor concerns and reasons for their actions

Student opinions about placements and supervisors, at times reveal their level of maturity and interpersonal skills. A delicate dance exists between student and supervisor, and it seems that mastery of this dance is difficult for both partners.

I felt like she put a lot of pressure on me to like know everything and be as independent as possible as soon as possible which um I guess really isn’t my kind of learning style, and it’s more of her teaching style and um I think earlier on I would have liked a little more guidance from her cuz like she has 15 years experience. I have none, you know what I mean, so I just think I found that really hard because she kind of just thought I’d be able to do everything and like when a patient comes in the door with a problem with their hearing aids or something I’m not necessarily going to know what to do, but maybe she does because she has that experience cuz she’s had patients with similar problems so I would have expected her to kind of like go through and say like “oh this is what I would do this is”…like…kinda teach me more (1007-2 interview).

In the example above, a student expresses discontent with the teaching style of a clinical supervisor. I speculate that if this had been communicated to the

the supervisor could have explained the rationale behind her style, or slightly adapted her style if she thought the student’s concerns held merit.

Also, the window offers us a chance to learn of supervisors’ concerns about students, and to discuss the dance that occurs between student and supervisor.

... I always hope that or what I try to be is be supportive. So sure things aren’t always going to go perfectly but do you feel that when you have a problem that I’m here to support you or that I’m here to judge you and I try to always make it feel that I’m there to support them and so a lot of times too when I’m searching for student to grow or to develop it’s um through their own realization so

questioning rather than telling um I find for me works really well. So um you what are you going to do next or when they ask a question sometimes responding with a question which they always hate right they look at you like “I want the answer” but ultimately again there’s that much more rapid growth … when they’ve come to the realization themselves and so often too um it’s a lack of confidence so basically they already know what they want to do and they’re asking me just to feel supported in that … (2002-2-interview).

The supervisor’s comments above demonstrate the dance from the supervisor’s perspective. The lead in the dance may be different depending on the individual partners, and the context of the situation. Further, negotiating the dynamic roles within this partnership can be challenging, especially when the two partners have differing perspectives on their roles. Also, these roles may or may not be

explicitly discussed, making it even more challenging to fill each other’s expectations.

In reflecting on the supervision relationship, the supervisor may also grow in his/her supervision style and skills. The above examples demonstrate the value of a joint student-supervisor reflective journal (which some students experience), or of reflective dialogue if this is a preferred and comfortable option. Both student and supervisor could explain, express, contemplate, and reconsider their own and the other’s actions, reasons, rationales, preferences, and/or concerns.

This particular property relates to the fostering of reflection by supervisors, discussed in Section 4.5.3.

Reflection allows students and supervisors some opportunities, which in the case of shared reflection, allow the audience a window into some otherwise private experiences. For example, in this study, student reflections reveal: how they think critically about their interactions, inner fears and pride, expectations of the

supervisory relationship, and explanation of supervisor/supervisee actions taken. If done in writing, this interaction could take place in a way that is potentially safer than a face-to-face confrontation or conversation. This is not to say that

reflections on supervisory relationships should always be made available to the supervisor, for the safe space that is provided by the elicited reflective writing could be compromised in this way. However, some participants engaged in shared reflective writing because it was a supervision tool of some supervisors. This approach, suggested by the data, could open the window to the student- supervisor dance.