Inspiring discussions and new ideas – Anne Line Wittek reflects on her CRADLE stay

21 April 2020

In early February, the University of Oslo’s Professor Anne Line Wittek arrived for a planned three-month stay at CRADLE. While her visit was sadly cut short in early March, there was still plenty of time for Line and the CRADLE team to share ideas and discuss future opportunities for collaboration during her time in the CRADLE office. Now safely back in Norway, Line took the time to reflect on her CRADLE visit, from inspiring and thought-provoking discussions to a night out at the MCG!

What did you hope to achieve from your visit to CRADLE?

When Dave invited me to visit CRADLE I was really happy to be able to spend time with the researchers there, who are well known in Norway for their high-level contributions. I was keen to explore how my research would align with the research interests at CRADLE, and I was hopeful that during my visit I would be able to bounce some ideas around and see where the conversations would take us. I was hoping for some collaborative projects to emerge, and to be challenged by new concepts and ideas. I was also excited and honoured to have the opportunity to give a seminar titled ‘Peer mentoring groups for supervisor development in doctoral education’. However, because of the Covid-19 situation, I had to go back to Norway earlier than planned, and the seminar had to be cancelled. I was sorry about missing this wonderful opportunity to share our research and receive your input!  

What did you most enjoy about your time at CRADLE?

It was inspiring to chat with the CRADLE team members; these conversations made me rethink some of my viewpoints on feedback, both in general and particularly in the context of PhD supervision and collegial peer-mentoring groups. I also enjoyed having the opportunity to spend time on research without interruptions from my normal day job at the University of Oslo. This was a great opportunity to actually get some writing done and to make interesting new plans for future research and writing in collaboration with CRADLE researchers.

Line in the CRADLE office.

Have you come across any ideas or had any discussions which have challenged your thinking?

I came to CRADLE with a very open agenda; I wanted to explore possibilities for future collaboration. The experience was a great success. Our discussions around the concepts of the ‘educational alliance’ and ‘intellectual candour’ really inspired me to rethink certain viewpoints on feedback and supervision. From our early open discussions, we found interesting themes for joint research. Because of the corona situation, we could not continue our dialogue physically – but it will continue!

How will your visit to CRADLE impact your future research directions?

The dialogues we had gave me lot of new ideas, and I will definitely include these in my future research. During my stay, we made plans for a joint paper on PhD supervision, and also to develop a research proposal on this subject. This is going to be most inspiring, and I am looking forward to it.

What is one thing you will take away with you from your visit?

The one thing I will take away as particularly valuable for me was sitting down with Rola and Margaret to discuss issues like learners’ credibility judgements and their consequences, and also tensions between vulnerability and credibility in feedback relations. There is little research exploring the processes where such aspects are constituted interactionally, and further research is needed.

Two of Line’s highlights from her visit – a trip to the Great Ocean Road, and a night out at the MCG for a Big Bash match.

Best coffee spot and best dining spot you discovered in Melbourne.

My husband and I had many culinary highlights during our stay, and in particular we appreciated the great variety and quality of the local food culture. It is difficult to choose from among the many lovely dining spots, but Tipo 00 in Little Bourke Street was definitely a favourite, with the most delicious Italian food. We also enjoyed our meal at Tippler (Wellington Parade) – the ‘feed me’ menu might sound a bit vulgar (!), but the selection of favourite dishes included in this menu tasted excellent. As for coffee, we were amazed by the high-quality coffee at all spots in Melbourne.

Highlight of your visit to Melbourne?

Aside from working with the folks at CRADLE, I think the day trip we did to the Great Ocean Road was fantastic. The views were breathtaking, and watching the surfers at Bells Beach was great fun. I enjoyed the launch of Margaret Bearman’s book, We Were Never Friends, and I highly recommend the book! Finally, yet importantly – while large assemblies were still allowed, my husband and I went to a Big Bash cricket match at MCG. We cheered on the Melbourne Stars, and we won!