Training teachers to use corpus tools in the Spanish language classroom

Language corpora can play a significant role in second language education, particularly given the benefits of data-driven learning. However, most teachers are not able to effectively utilize technologies that search, summarize, and contextualize corpus samples and lack training in the design and implementation of corpus-based learning tasks and materials. Even though attempts to implement formal teacher training in these areas have started to emerge, they tend to concentrate on English language contexts. Similar experiences in Spanish teacher education are almost non-existent, even though digital literacy is a key competency in the preparation of foreign language teachers. Consequently, Spanish language teachers can only rely on general suggestions on how to integrate corpus methods and resources into their practice. This article reviews the scholarly literature on teacher training on pedagogical uses of corpora and describes ways in which Spanish pre- and in-service teachers can be trained in the use of corpus tools.