Data-Driven Learning for the Next Generation

'This book is an exciting, thoughtful and wide-ranging collection of papers from some of the leaders in the area of DDL. It is an understatement to say that it is long overdue! Amazingly, almost three decades have passed since DDL emerged as a pedagogical approach in language teaching and, in all of that time, this is the first edited volume to curate work on the use of DDL specifically in the context of young learners. While the volume is very forward-looking in the context of ever-improving technology and availability of corpus data and tools, contributors do not shy away from the challenges that have prevailed over the years to limit the mainstreaming of DDL as a pedagogical practice. Authors, exploring primary and secondary school learning contexts, showcase the potential of DDL for young learners but they consistently point to the need for more research, better teacher development and more equitable access to technology in primary and secondary schools. This book is a fanfare to what DDL has to offer in the context of language teaching in primary and secondary schools and, for sure, it will inspire teachers and researchers to open up to the opportunities of DDL for young learners.' - Dr Anne O'Keeffe, MIC, University of Limerick, Ireland 'This is a very timely collection of papers that showcase recent research on pedagogical corpus use in primary and secondary school settings. The book will no doubt serve as an invaluable resource for anyone who is curious about whether and how DDL can work with younger learners, and for anyone who is ready to be inspired by some of the leading teacher-researchers in the field. Highly recommended!' - Ute Roemer, Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, Georgia State University, USA 'This interesting and timely collection of studies is an essential reading for anyone conducting research on Data-Driven Learning (DDL) or considering using this approach with young learners. Together, the authors of the chapters present an in-depth review of the relevant literature on DDL, explain its strengths and weaknesses, and discuss the conceptual barriers and technical difficulties that might need to be overcome before the approach can be successfully adopted in the classroom. The book also describes some innovative uses of mainstream and custom DDL tools as well as offering many practical suggestions for designing useful DDL activities. In short, it is an extremely valuable resource.' - Laurence Anthony, Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Japan