ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the use of data-driven learning (DDL) in the language classroom. It highlights its pedagogical functions and describes the main issues to bear in mind when choosing a corpus and a query tool to do DDL. It also provides an overview of the way DDL may be operationalised and shows how the DDL activities should be adapted to the learning context, learners’ level and topic being investigated. The chapter then reviews studies that have evaluated participants’ attitudes towards DDL, learners’ practices and the efficiency of DDL, revealing the promises that DDL holds for language teaching. It also highlights some of the limitations of DDL which account for its relative lack of implementation in the classroom, and gives some indications as to how DDL should evolve to become a viable pedagogical approach.
