Understanding advising from the perspective of the complexity theory means to look at the dynamic interaction between advisors and learners as influenced by both internal, individual factors, and external factors, which may hinder or enhance change in the advisor-advisee relationship, in the learning process, and in the advisors’ professional development.
Researchers in the field of second language acquisition have been increasingly advocating for analyzing language learning and teaching processes through the lens of the theory of complex dynamic systems (CDSs). This theory offers deeper insights and a different approach to investigating the dynamic interactions between individuals -teachers and learners, learners and peers, advisors and advisees-, as well as internal, individual factors (beliefs, attitudes, disposition, emotions and feelings), and external factors (institutional constraints, personal and social environment, wider cultural context) which influence the learning process itself, and autonomous learning in particular (see, among others, Paiva, 2006; Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008; Magno e Silva & Borges, 2016). Looking at advising for language learning from this perspective allows us to identify factors which may hinder or enhance change in the advisor-advisee relationship, in the learning process and in the personal and professional development of advisors (Magno e Silva, 2016; Magno e Silva & Castro, 2016; Castro, 2018). In the light of these researches, I began to reflect anew upon my own advising practice, to find out how to transfer the insights gained from CDSs theory to my actions as an advisor: a different way of looking at advisees and interacting with them, taking into accounts elements beyond the mere advisor-advisee interaction, and integrating a wider perspective on elements of the ecosystems in which advisees and advisor live and learn. Starting from my experience, I will discuss how some principles of the CDSs theory contribute to change our advising practice and advisor education.
