Supporting Self-Regulated Learning with ICT

Technology has been speeding up the pace of change in our lives, forcing us to quickly come to terms with new knowledge and new tools in both formal and informal learning contexts. In the past two decades, this phenomenon has increased interest in Self-Regulated Learning (SRL), a cross-curricular competence which supports lifelong learning by helping people become independent learners and by favouring the transfer of learning strategies and problem solving methods to different learning situations. SRL is also seen as a way to avoid "inert knowledge" (Whitehead, 1967), that is, knowledge that students have acquired but are unable to apply. Research has shown that students who lack SRL competence not only have poor academic results but also behavioural problems and difficulties in expressing their thoughts and feelings and in understanding those of others (Sanz de Acedo Lizarraga et al., 2003). Therefore, it is not surprising that developing students' self-regulatory competence, in addition to teaching them content knowledge, is increasingly considered a major goal of education and an important field of educational research. In this paper we investigate whether ICT tools can support the practice and development of SRL and, if so, under what conditions. More specifically, we discuss what features of such environments are likely to favour SRL.