DDL (DATA DRIVEN LEARNING) IN RUSSIAN UNIVERSITIES

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Abstract. Language corpora and the Data Driven Learning (DDL) based on their use are increasingly approached for language teaching. The term Data Driven Learning was first coined by Tim Jones in 1991 (Johns, T. 1991) and over the past 30 years has become a commonly used term to describe an increasingly popular learning practice. Data Driven approach to problem solving is used in various fields: in technology, in business, in science. When it comes to using data- driven tasks for teaching, we are talking about Data Driven Learning. We will consider how this approach can be used in language teaching in Russian universities.

The general method of DDL is based on the fact that the student himself, albeit under the guidance of the teacher, analyzes the corpus examples and induce rules from this analysis. Depending on the type of language corpora and on the tasks that the teacher sets for the student, the student can in inductive method “make a discovery” and gain knowledge of both semantic and stylistic, grammatical, phonetic and other features of a particular language unit, or phenomena.

The article describes what kind of tasks using what corpuses can be used in Russian universities. The examples relate primarily to German and English, but can easily be transferred to other languages.
It is concluded that DDL technology can be applied to any language disciplines (Practice of Speaking and Writing, Practical Grammar, Intercultural Communication, History of Language, Translation Studies, etc.) and for different learning targets – vocabulary, writing, grammar, translating etc.

During autonomous research work in full-time / distance learning or as part of independent work, students can develop or consolidate many key skills relevant to modern society: the ability to work in a team, the ability to self-study, the ability to choose the appropriate strategy for solving a specific problem. All this makes the DDL approach promising for implementation in the educational practice of Russian universities.

Keywords: Data Driven Learning, DDL, language corpus, learner corpus, foreign language.

 

Irina A. Kotiurova

Petrosavodsk State University koturova@gmail.com

Petrosavodsk, Russia

e-mail:

ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6766-0458

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