erin donahoe-rankin

Alright NACADA, I missed last year, but now I’m back and SO ready to do this!

No PDX. 14 in a row was a good run, but recovery from 3 surgeries in under 3 months means staying home. Raise a glass for me, NACADA!

@RDScheckel Our 12yo made a similar argument!

@RDScheckel @bellhooks She was an amazing human

Hiring multiple positions: jobs.untsystem.edu/postings/52370

@jbarkemeyer Not exactly, but I’m excited to see you!

Whelp, #nacada21 here I come. This is weird. Is this what real life was in the before?

@christinasueann See you soon!!

All packed up for #NACADA21. I’m not excited or anything…

@KellyJMedley Louise Penny for mystery

@sara_ackerson Not untrue! But maybe we need to define potato? 🤣

@e_d_r :)

@JohnPSauter @msginnywalters @AcAdvChat Oh! And narratives of when we failed, effed up, or made things harder on ourselves have got to be included! “Even your advisor has a term’s worth of really crummy grades.” “Did i ever tell you about being a graveyard truck stop diner waitress?”

@JohnPSauter @msginnywalters @AcAdvChat I was once told I was very “autobiographical” in my teaching (ethics). But like advising, I always came back to thinking that narrative begets narrative, and it’s not about being an expert, it’s about sharing what knowledge and experiences we have.

Q4: The field of cognitive neuroscience lends us the concept of Theory of Mind (ToM), our capacity to step into another's shoes, imagine their perspective, & empathize. Reading complex narratives helps develop ToM. Where & when do you make time to engage narratives? #AcAdv

@AcAdvChat And theory requires push & pull— tell me why and how you disagree with me, or a theory, or whatevs. Theory in isolation cant really be theory.

@AcAdvChat I like, ok, I love philosophy. Doesn’t mean anyone should have to come at theory the same way.

Q5: Admittedly, there may be some barriers for folks who want to incorporate narrative theory & narratological approaches in their #AcAdv practice. What might they be and how could they be overcome?

@AcAdvChat There is also the aspect of Being versus Becoming. As individuals, regardless of age, our views of ourselves change over time and experience. So that we all also exist in relation to our past, present, and future selves.

@AcAdvChat Every individual exists in relation to others. Parents, friends, partners, etc. are not incidental to our decisions, nor to our students. Recognizing and holding space for this is part of it.

Q3: Hermeneutics (the theory & methodology of interpretation) has been applied to understanding both literature & people. Champlin-Scharff (2010) says hermeneutical #AcAdv recognizes & acknowledges "the everyday context within which the student exists." How do you do that?

@AcAdvChat In this, the hermeneutic approach advocated by Hagen and Champlin-Scharff is critical! Questioning both individual narratives and meta narratives means inquiring past the immediate moments and decisions, to deeply ask about the meaning of terms/ideas.

FT: #AcAdv harness the power of story every day. But whose stories are not heard enough? Who do we need to hear from more to better understand, to influence master narratives right back, & to come to terms with who we are?

@AcAdvChat @schulejk And if needed, I think there’s good stuff in existentialism to use here. Part of life is ambiguity, and as Sartre said, we are “condemned to freedom” -to make choices, so it is about doing this with authenticity, with awareness of our facticity.

@AcAdvChat @schulejk Ooo, love this question! Ultimately, I come back to things like, “I can give you options, but this is always your decision.” Lots of times I quote the Buddha, “many paths up the mountain.”

Q2: A big part of Baxter Magolda's Self-Authorship Theory is The Crossroads, w/ its discomfort & dissonance. At which crossroads do your students often find themselves & how do you "suspend the impulse to quickly resolve situations & assuage anxieties" (@schulejk, 2013)? #AcAdv

@AcAdvChat Meta narratives situate us in community with one another, and that relational piece can counter the isolation that can come from that radical individualism. Context matters.

@AcAdvChat While I think every narrative is one’s own, and that frankly, this leads us to approach students with radical indvidualism, I also think that’s what makes the meta narratives more important.

Q1: Hagen (2018) discusses large, overarching narratives that influence smaller, individual narratives. In #AcAdv these include stories of curricula & institutions. education & learning, etc. Do you attend more to these "master narratives" or to the stories of students? And why?