Presentation Doing DDL Right: Principles and Practical Tips for the Classic Use of Corpora in the Language Classroom more

The original, classic conception of data-driven learning (“DDL”), learners’ use of corpora to access exemplars of words or constructions, has been convincingly shown to be effective, but remains relatively uncommon in classrooms. Recent research shows a shift towards teacher training in corpora and DDL, a trend with the potential to stimulate wider adoption and move DDL closer to mainstream status among practitioners. The project presented on endeavours to support the effort to make DDL more practical for teachers by examining effective and transparent implementations of it and identifying underlying principles contributing to success. Using a systematic literature search and thematic analysis, the project investigates the research questions: (1) what are the characteristics of DDL implementations reported as successful in primary studies, (2) what aspects of the implementations can their success be attributed to, and what aspects can be observed to be disadvantageous, and (3) what other themes emerge from the analysis? Based on analysis of major themes, some core characteristics of DDL and factors impacting its success are proposed. Finally, connecting these principles to practice will be supported and encouraged by reviewing tools and activities for implementing DDL confidently, efficiently and with minimal upfront effort.