Reflecting on Past Advice

Requirements

Core Skills

In this first  article we're looking for a reflection on advice that you have received over the years.  There are two key skills that I want you to practice in this article:

• First, acknowledge contributions from outside sources.  These are crucial citation skills that we will use throughout the course. In your research papers for this class, every outside fact and quote that you share must be connected to the source where you learned that information.

• Next, share your opinions on that advice.   This represents your analysis of the outside sources. I do not want you to simply agree or disagree —  instead, give your full evaluation of that advice, both what makes it helpful and/or why it's not helpful.  Remember that your thoughts and your experiences and your opinions are very important in this analysis. The paper itself is not about the outside advice — it's about your response to that outside advice.

Word Count and Research Sources

• 300 Words.  I prefer they are typed, but handwritten is completely fine.  If you type your assignment, it must be composed with Google Docs in your portfolio folder.  This will preserve the version history.

• Two outside sources of information.  I recommend using people you know personally, but it's okay to use advice you've heard or read online or from other sources.

• Specific acknowledgment of those sources and their advice.  You must say which source gave which advice, and it must be clear where their advice ends and your thoughts begin.  For this assignment, you are not required to give last names for your sources — it's okay to maintain their confidentiality.

• Your own thoughts, experiences, and opinions.  This paper is not just about the outside advice — it's primarily about your thoughts on that advice.

Choosing a Topic 

You can use advice from any topic, but I recommend reflecting on some aspect of writing or communication.  For example, you might consider the advice that some of your writing teachers have told you about how to write a good essay, or what a literature teacher has said makes some books "literary" while others are "popular."   Or maybe you’ve watched TikTok influencers explain how to make a viral video — that is advice about communication, and that directly ties to how effective writing works.  For example, a curriculum design specialist named Anna once told me that I should never make a teaching video longer than 3 to 5 minutes — according to her, my students would never watch something longer than that.  And I have noticed that some of the most fun videos I watch on YouTube are no longer than 2 minutes, but my favorite YouTube channels regularly have videos between 10 and 20 minutes long, and those carefully researched deep dive videos have taught me a great deal about the world.  I think there is value to making longer and more descriptive videos for my students, though I don't know if every student would agree.  Nearly all my past writing professors have said that it's important to write with specific details, and I'm not sure I can fit all those details into shorter videos, even if some students don't have the time or the desire to sit through those long videos.  Then again, my journalism professor Ted Gup found my writing much too wordy, and I did not earn an A in his course — and Professor Gup was a master of giving readers the right detail in the right place.

If you don't want to write about writing advice, then you can use advice about any topic.  For example, if your grandmother gave you advice on how to cook her famous tuna casserole, you could share her advice in your essay, and then talk about why you do or don't follow her recipe.  The tuna casserole recipe I read in Cooking for Dummies include cream of mushroom soup, but my son absolutely abhors mushrooms — there is no possible way I could feed him tuna casserole with a mushroom aftertaste.  There's no way he would eat it — that's how much he hates mushrooms.  And I don’t hate my child enough to give him food that would make him gag.

Example

Here’s an example of what this writing looks like.  Note that this example has only one source and 200 words — your assignment must have two sources and 300 words.

According to my high school cross country coach Mr. Westbrook, success in running requires "intestinal fortitude."  He wanted us to dig down deep for personal motivation, and he wanted us to realize that sometimes we need to push through discomfort in order to win.  Unfortunately for me, I have a tendency to push too hard.  In the past, I have often mistaken pain for mere discomfort,  and I have pushed through minor injuries without getting them treated, sometimes pushing so hard that a small sprain turned into a lifelong injury that could never fully heal.  So I am torn when it comes to my cross country coach’s advice.  The accomplishments I am the most proud of required a lot of work, including sleepless nights and stress and burnout, but the training injuries I sustained in the army still seriously limit many of my physical activities today.  Had I taken the time to get physical therapy early or at least forced myself to rest and recover, it's possible that I would be healthier and more physically fit today. on the other hand, I don't know if I ever would have pushed myself to accomplish my goals if I wasn't digging deep for that "intestinal fortitude."

Note Two Key Aspects of Citation in the Example:

• First, notice how I cited my cross country by name in the opening sentence.  Next, observe how I indicated his specific advice —  that concept of “intestinal fortitude" —  and then I explained his advice in my own words.  As I explained his advice, I repeatedly said "he wanted" —  this indicates the difference between my own views and my coach’s.  However, this does not necessarily mean that I have interpreted my coach's advice with 100% accuracy —  this is why it is so important to only use quotation marks for direct quotes straight from the source,  as I do for that phrase "intestinal fortitude." also, this does not mean that the phrase originated with my coach.  It's possible — maybe even likely — that he heard this phrase from one of his own coaches.   but by citing his name and giving my interpretation of his advice, I am showing you — my reader — how that advice felt to me in that moment.

• Next, I want you to notice how I've incorporated my own analysis, experiences, and uncertainties.  Did I find his advice helpful?  Did I find his advice possibly damaging if overused?  Yes to both of those questions. But note how I said that "I have a tendency to push too hard."  Coach Westbrook gave advice, but I chose how to follow it. my coach is not the reason I later  pushed myself to injury — my coach simply gave advice, and I chose how to incorporate his advice into my future training. And if I wanted to make this paper more accurate, I should also point out that it was Coach Westbrook who stopped me from running in cross country practice whenever he learned that I had unseen injuries.  Clearly, he did not believe that "intestinal fortitude" should be followed to the point of permanent injury — and he could not possibly have guessed that I later hid injuries from him because I wanted to train harder.

Final Advice: Just Write

For this assignment, remember that this is advice that you have heard and that you have incorporated into your life, whether by following it or choosing to ignore it.  Whatever your thoughts on that advice, write them down.  Give us your personal views, and don't worry about whether you're "right" or "wrong."  You're writing about advice, and no one has perfect advice.