Self-authoring and the writing assignment that changes lives

I believe any approach that fosters self-discovery practices can be highly beneficial for language students. For one thing, it is a chance for them to use the language in a meaningful way. It is meaningful because they are looking inward and asking themselves key questions to help them figure out what their goals are. Once they are more aware of their goals, they can then proceed to devise a plan to achieve them. 

This is a demanding process that requires real commitment. Therefore, I think not everybody is ready to go down that road at the same time, yet I firmly believe that the ones that are can reap the benefits on a very personal level. And whatever they achieve in this process of organising their thoughts and figuring out who they are and what they want is going to inform the next steps in their own journey. 

Another thing that calls my attention in this whole idea of self-authoring is the fact that although students do more or less the same thing, the results are sort of unpredictable in that each person will want something different and will devise their plans in particular ways. As I stated above, it requires real commitment, so there is no room for one-size-fits-all recipes or magic bullets for becoming effective communicators and critical thinkers. Each person will tread their way and fathom what strategies and practices benefit them the most.

Interesting reflection Leandro. I suspect that it is this lack of a "one-size-fits-all" that makes this approach to writing potentially off-putting to teachers. If not everyone is ready to dig into their own motivations should we even bother? How does this get assessed? I guess we have to think long and hard about what it is in our current systems that makes self-discovery such a foreign concept.