Creating the container for reflective practice in virtual small group supervision

I am a coaching supervisor based in North America. My primary practice is supervising virtual small groups of executive coaches. Coaching supervision is a developing practice; there is little research in the field of individual coach supervision, and almost none in the context of small group supervision. My overall purposes were to influence the adoption of coaching supervision within North American, where supervision is only beginning to be utilized; to make contributions to the practice of small group coaching supervision by elucidating what actually happened in the groups; and to contribute to addressing the gap in research-based literature. Over the 18 months of research with the North American based supervision groups, the aims of this project were addressed through two inquiries: What are the qualities and conditions that create enough safety in the supervision relationships within a group to enable self-disclosure, reflection and learning? How are these qualities and conditions designed and brought forth? This thesis opens the doors and windows to the virtual rooms in which small supervision groups convened, adding to the collective knowledge about the artful craft and challenges of supervising; the development of the supervisory relationships; the groups’ processes and learning over a year; and the complexities that were present in virtual small group work. Five supervision groups, consisting of 21 coaches and 4 supervisors, participated over 18 months. I was the practitioner-researcher and supervisor for two groups, and for the first time in coaching supervision research1, a full year of recordings of the actual supervision sessions were collected as field texts. The study was further enriched by the collection of the coaches’ monthly journal entries and three action learning meetings that addressed the overall process of the supervision engagement and three groups, supervised by colleagues, which participated in monthly journaling and focus groups about their supervision processes. The research makes two contributions to the knowledge of practice. The first is the effectiveness of virtual small group supervision—when a supervisor and coaches come together virtually in a small group, they learn and develop in their own unique ways, personally and professionally, through integration of inquiry, reflection and action. The second is a number of practitioner accounts which enables practitioners to contrast and compare with how they engage in their work. These stories are instrumental in inviting coaches with little or no supervision experience to consider how they might utilize supervision in small groups to deepen their reflective practices. This is the invitation to North American coaches. More experienced practitioners are able to engage in multi-dimensional conversations to explore and enrich the practice of small group supervision. The contributions to theory are to the understanding of the dimensions of the supervisory relationship within the small group context, as the primacy of the supervisory relationships in the group setting were identified. The supervisory relationships included the individual relationships among the group members and the supervisor: the supervisor with each individual coach, the supervisor with the group as a whole, and the coaches with each other. This research contributes to the knowledge of the qualities required for the creation and stewardship of a safe and trusted container with a small group engaged in reflective practice. Key findings include the articulation of the process for the supervision engagement, a model of the elements the supervisor is holding, a model of reflective practice and learning opportunities, and a model of the overall supervision session

Context dependent learning: its value and impact for workplace education

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe how a management development programme based on situated learning theory resulted in change for individuals, organisational culture and performance. The case study illustrates how new understandings about learning in the workplace and in higher education points towards the need to take account of the context in which learners utilise their knowledge and skills. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative and qualitative strategies were used to provide an evaluation of the impact of a management development programme in a group of companies. A questionnaire, focus groups and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data on three cohorts of supervisors and middle managers at different stages of the programme. A triangulated approach was adopted towards data analysis that illuminated a broad and deep change process. Findings – Positive cultural change was a significant benefit to the host organisation from the training programme. It was apparent that training can move beyond individual development to bring about organisational gains. Research limitations/implications – Future research might adopt a longitudinal design and facilitate a co-researcher approach using students’ learning logs of workplace experiences. Practical implications – Situated approaches to learning in higher education and the workplace need to be developed further to enhance workplace performance. A proposal is made for “learning consultants” to move between the two environments and facilitate knowledge exchange and improve understanding of the variety of learning contexts in business and educational settings.</p

Quadruplex digital flight control system assessment

Described are the development and validation of a double fail-operational digital flight control system architecture for critical pitch axis functions. Architectural tradeoffs are assessed, system simulator modifications are described, and demonstration testing results are critiqued. Assessment tools and their application are also illustrated. Ultimately, the vital role of system simulation, tailored to digital mechanization attributes, is shown to be essential to validating the airworthiness of full-time critical functions such as augmented fly-by-wire systems for relaxed static stability airplanes

Study of radiation effects in Li-doped silicon solar cells Quarterly report

Irradiation and annealing of lithium doped silicon solar cell

Study and determination of an optimum design for space utilized lithium doped solar cells Quarterly report

Hall coefficient measurements for lithium doped solar cell

Control of the pear leaf blister mite and the pear rust mite (Acarina: Eriophyidae)

Delayed dormant applications of endosulfan plus oil or ethion plus oil gave excellent control of both the pear leaf blister mite. &lt;i&gt;Eriophyes pyri&lt;/i&gt; (Pgst.). and the pear rust mite. &lt;i&gt;Epitrimerus pyri&lt;/i&gt; (Nal.) Lime sulphur as a dormant spray gave excellent control of the pear leaf blister mite but the delayed dormant application gave poor control. Both applications of lime sulphur gave good control of the pear rust mite

Bonding machine for forming a solar array strip

A machine is described for attaching solar cells to a flexable substrate on which printed circuitry has been deposited. The strip is fed through: (1) a station in which solar cells are elevated into engagement with solder pads for the printed circuitry and thereafter heated by an infrared lamp; (2) a station at which flux and solder residue is removed; (3) a station at which electrical performance of the soldered cells is determined; (4) a station at which an encapsulating resin is deposited on the cells; (5) a station at which the encapsulated solar cells are examined for electrical performance; and (6) a final station at which the resulting array is wound on a takeup drum