What is Data-Driven Learning (DDL)?
Data-Driven Learning (DDL) has increasingly become a valuable approach in language and literacy education, offering students opportunities to discover patterns in authentic language use through the exploration of large collections of digital texts (i.e. corpora). Rather than being passive recipients of knowledge, learners actively interrogate real examples of language drawn from subject specific texts. This hands-on engagement helps them notice how words, phrases, and structures behave across different disciplinary contexts, which equips them with strategies for becoming more autonomous writers.
How can DDL benefit learners?
In secondary schools, DDL offers particular promise for strengthening disciplinary literacy. Each subject – whether science, history or mathematics – has its own specialised ways of using language. These linguistic choices shape how knowledge is constructed and communicated within a discipline. By integrating corpus-based methods into classroom practice, teachers can help students make these features visible in their writing. For example, comparing vocabulary patterns in Biology versus History (see Figure 1 below) can illuminate how meaning shifts across subjects, while exploring command words in exam items (see Figure 2 below) can demystify the language of assessment.
Figure 1: Meanings across subjects
Figure 2: Command words in Biology AQA exam:
Where can I learn more about DDL?
As part of the BAWESS project, we are excited to extend conversations around DDL’s role in disciplinary literacy at our Third Disciplinary Literacy Symposium. This year’s symposium will focus, among other themes, on the practical application of DDL in secondary classrooms. We aim to bring together teachers, researchers, and practitioners interested in bridging linguistic research with real-world educational practice.
To support teachers who want to experiment with corpus-based pedagogy, the BAWESS research team will also be offering a series of workshops, including:
- Introducing Data Driven Learning and Corpus-Based Pedagogy
- Words and Meanings: Helping Students Navigate Vocabulary in Different Subjects
- Command Words in Exam Questions: Decoding Exam Language Across Disciplines
- Self-Directed Hands-On Corpus Exploration
These workshops are designed to be accessible to participants with no prior experience of corpus linguistics. We warmly invite you to join us, share your experiences, and explore how DDL can support students in making sense of the language of the curriculum.
More information about the symposium and registration details can be found here.
For more information about the BAWESS project and how you and your school can get involved, follow the link to our project website here, or email the team on bawess@bath.ac.uk
