• How can we keep track of what we've learned?
• How can we think about the way in which we learn, reach conclusions about it and improve our skills over time?
• Who is driving our own learning processes?
• How are these skills transferred to life outside the classroom?

These are all questions that relate to the use of portfolios and self-regulated learning.

Research evidence has established the value of portfolios as a way to capture students' metacognitive processes and evidence of learning. Two decades of evidence has also indicated the importance of developing students' self-regulatory skills - the cycle of Forethought, Performance and Self-reflection - both for successful school learning as well as for self-directed learning in adulthood. Self-regulation, research tells us, is a LIFE SKILL.

At the CSLP, we saw a valuable opportunity in combining the use of electronic portfolios with self-regulatory practices. ePEARL was designed with the help of sound pedagogical research, input from LEARN and English language arts consultants, and practical advice from teachers in the field. ePEARL is designed to scaffold the self-regulation process for students as well as to support the teachers guiding them. Developed in PhP, using a MYSQL database, ePEARL is web-based and available in both English and French.