What is data-driven learning?

Abstract

This chapter begins with a brief overview of the history of data-driven learning (DDL) from the late 1960s to the present, including information on the types of corpora used with learners and the successes and problems reported by researchers on its use in areas such as the learning of vocabulary, grammar and languages for specific purposes. This is followed by an illustration of the type of data which can be obtained from written and spoken corpora in a DDL approach. Only easily accessible corpora are included. The relationship between DDL and second language acquisition is then explored, asking questions such as: Are concordances comprehensible input? Does DDL facilitate the application of the idiom principle in language learning? How important is frequency? Finally, the changes in pedagogy which a DDL approach implies are discussed, including the changing roles of teacher and learner, native speaker intuition and the nonnative speaker teacher’s role and variation and non-standard language. In a brief look to the future, the potential for wider adoption of DDL is assessed.