The ALCUORE framework: pre-functional architecture and self-regulated learning

This working paper introduces the ALCUORE framework (Attention/Attitude, Lettura [Reading], Comprehension, Unification, Organization, Retrieval, Expression) as an integrated theoretical-methodological architecture designed to bridge the persistent gap between learning sciences research and concrete educational practice. The acronym, intentionally maintained in its original Italian formulation, does not serve a merely mnemonic function, but identifies a necessary procedural sequence in which each phase constitutes the structural condition for access to the next, describing a coherent grammar of self-regulated learning rather than a collection of isolated study techniques. By formalizing the "Fundamentals of Learning" as trainable pre-functional cognitive gestures and embedding them within a replicable multi-layered pedagogical protocol, the framework proposes an architectural and procedural innovation rather than a new psychological construct. Supported by preliminary observational and ecological data gathered in real-world educational settings, this paper argues that effective autonomous learning requires a highly structured architectural approach rather than the mere application of isolated study techniques.