Pedagogy, didactics and the co-regulation of learning: a perspective from the French-language world of educational research

Since pedagogy is a key term in the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) principles, it is of interest to examine the evolution of the concept of pedagogy in the French-language world of education, as well as the emergence of a new field of research called ‘didactics’. Work on situated cognition provides a framework for defining co-regulation of learning in the classroom as resulting from the joint influence of student self-regulation and of regulation from other sources (teachers, peers, curriculum materials, assessment instruments, etc.). Several examples of research on this topic are mentioned. In conclusion, it is argued that the concept of co-regulation of learning can be seen as a way of linking the TLRP principles of scaffolding and of student engagement.