Despite the growing interest in sign language acquisition, learner corpora and datasets remain scarce, with many studies focusing primarily on isolated signs. Expanding the scope from single signs to sentences requires continuous sign language data, which introduces additional complexity due to the need to analyse both manual and non-manual components of the language. This chapter presents the compilation process and exploitation of a longitudinal learner (L2) corpus for Swiss German Sign Language (DSGS), one of three sign languages used in Switzerland. The L2 data are complemented by a parallel control subcorpus of native signers (L1). Both subcorpora are designed to support research in sign language linguistics, language assessment, and the training of computer-vision-based sign language recognition systems. The implications of this corpus extend beyond linguistic research, offering practical applications for developing automatic feedback tools to support L2 learners while learning DSGS. This chapter outlines the data collection process, from participant recruitment to data processing and annotation, and presents preliminary results from exploratory analyses of non-manual components using L1 data.

All teachers are in some way involved in the assessment of their learners, whether it be informal classroom-based assessments or preparing them for external examinations. This chapter offers cases that raise dilemmas teachers face when their work relates to language learner assessment. It covers topics such as too much internal assessment, the pressure of external public examinations, post-entry university language assessment, and students copying off each other.

In data-driven learning (DDL), learners discover how words or phrases are used by analysing corpus data with tools like concordancers. This makes it a direct application of corpus linguistics in language learning and teaching. This chapter examines the use of ColloCaid, a DDL writing assistant for academic writing, and explores how learners’ perceptions of this tool can inform future corpus applications. After discussing the challenges and opportunities of DDL adoption for learning and teaching, a diary study with twelve academic writers working or studying at a university in Catalonia evaluates how well ColloCaid addresses these challenges. Results suggest that while DDL tools help reduce data overload, they still pose technical challenges, even when user friendliness was a central consideration in their design. An analysis of participant diary entries and responses to follow-up interviews highlights closer integration with word processors and other everyday productivity software as a potential solution. More broadly, the results suggest that the evaluation of corpus-based tools should focus on their usability as well as their effectiveness for learning, take place beyond the classroom in ecologically valid contexts, and consider a variety of text types beyond typical academic genres such as abstracts, essays, and reports.

The Introduction describes case method pedagogy from both a historical and theoretical perspective. It provides an author statement, and describes what cases are, what the benefits of the case method are for teachers, and outlines the organization of the casebook.

Teachers’ relationships with their students are the focus of this chapter. These relationships can determine the outcomes of learning, but also affect the professional and emotional lives of teachers. The cases in this chapter examine how teacher-student relationships unfold in diverse multicultural contexts and cover topics such as being a Black teacher in Japan, compromising the privacy of a gay primary school teacher in Canada, and knowing students’ names.

Each case in this chapter examines the experiences of a language learner from a different country, usually from the perspective of their teacher. Learners are the people who teachers interact with the most in their professional lives and are often the cause of dilemmas they encounter. The chapter covers topics such as gender identity in the classroom, teaching dedicated older learners, and teaching a learner with suspected ADHD.

There are multiple dimensions to the work that language teachers and teacher educators do in their institutions, and beyond, besides teaching in classrooms and doing research. They all perform some sort of professional service, be it administrative or committee work or taking on management and leadership roles. Professional service is the focus of this chapter, and cases include meeting with dissatisfied parents, serving on a Department of Education working group, and giving a talk to pre-service teachers.

This chapter details the potential applications of corpus linguistic research in the study and mitigation of misogyny. The chapter begins by introducing the MANTRaP (Misogyny ANd The Red Pill) project and the work done in this project to examine language used across the online manosphere – a ‘loose online network’ of communities united by a shared anti-feminist ideology (Marwick and Caplan, 2018: 543). This chapter discusses findings from various studies conducted by project team members on corpora collected from online manosphere communities to examine, among other things, anti-feminist discourse and representations of gendered social actors. Following an overview of the academic work done by project team members, we then discuss practical applications and impacts of this research for the purposes of safeguarding children and young people from potential online harms. This discussion centres on various aspects of our work with a number of organisations involved in such safeguarding. In particular, our discussion centres on our contributions to the safeguarding efforts of these organisations through raising awareness with relevant stakeholders, producing and delivering safeguarding materials and training, and consultancy work for software companies providing safeguarding and monitoring solutions to schools. In the discussion, we also reflect on the formative work with non-academic stakeholders that leads to tangible impacts as well as the real-life implications of the applications emerging from this work. These include an increased public and academic focus on the communities researched and the language used in those communities and the use of research findings in safeguarding software designed for the online surveillance of children in schools.

In general, curricula for language teacher education programmes follow some iteration of Schulman’s original framework (1986), which, at its most basic, distinguishes content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. Other components such as technological knowledge (Mishra and Koehler 2006), wisdom of practice, and research (Farr and O’Keeffe 2019) have since been used to imbue and expanded Shulman’s original conceptualisation. In this chapter, we discuss how corpus-based approaches easily align with various curricular components in ways which ultimately enhance the pedagogic approaches utilised with practising and prospective language teachers. To do this, we draw on Farr and Leńko-Szymańska’s (2023) tripartite framework, which articulates the potential modes of corpus integration in teacher education programmes. These include: corpus literacy (CL), which focuses primarily on subject content and technological knowledge; corpus-based language pedagogy (CBLP), which focuses primarily on pedagogical content knowledge; and corpus-based reflective practice (CBRP), which focuses primarily on pedagogical content knowledge, wisdom of practice and research.

It is widely recognised that weight stigma in news media is a problem, with selection of images, language, and news frames shown to contribute to negative and stereotypical representations. In response, several Australian, UK, and international organisations active in improving perceptions and treatment of people with obesity have published media guidelines. Some of these guidelines have been developed drawing on linguistic research or expertise and thus represent clear attempts at societal impact (changes in journalism practices, with presumed flow-on effects on policymaking, public perception, discourse, etc.). This chapter first reviews the recommendations that obesity media guidelines make, focusing specifically on language use. We show similarities and differences across six guidelines published for Australian, UK, and international contexts. Taking a corpus linguistic approach, we then examine to what extent selected advice on language choices from the guidelines is adhered to in journalism in Australia. We analyse dispreferred language (identity-first language and use of nominal-adjectival, the obese), preferred language (person-first language), and pejorative versus euphemistic labels. Focusing on people-first and identity-first language, we also include a comparison with a similar British corpus. The chapter concludes with critical reflections on application and impact, including the potential role of corpus linguistics in this area.

Effective language teaching and learning means managing instructional activities in the classroom, managing students and any issues they present, and managing one’s own professional conduct and learning. Cases in this chapter examine management issues, from New York City in the USA, to Thailand, to Poland, and include topics such as the field trip (that never happened), planning too much lesson content, and managing a new student in class.