And the student will not hide and pretend to think or feel something inauthentic. If the relationship is strong, the student will feel cherished rather than threatened by my questions and counter-examples. A crucial ingredient is my operating according to a theory of intellectual development. Theory keeps me focused in terms of observing and diagnosing the level of a student's thinking, reading and writing abilities. It keeps me mindful of the slow and gradual nature of development.
Theory also provides general guidelines on what to tackle with students.
One student might need to stop regarding authors as experts who are beyond questioning. Another might need to add personal experience and opinion to highly analytical, formal thinking. Connected knowing is a theoretical construct of great importance in this work. As faculty we are much more prone to pounce upon error, pronounce it wrong and push our own views onto the outwardly compliant student. But it is only by resisting that urge to pounce and carefully drawing out the student's own thoughts and opinions that the student will feel heard, setting up conditions for dialogue and the transformational advisor-student relationship.