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Diane Larsen-Freeman

Professor Emerita of Education, Professor Emerita of Linguistics, Research Scientist Emerita.

Diane Larsen-Freeman received her PhD in linguistics from the University of Michigan. Following appointments at UCLA and the Graduate SIT Institute (where she remains affiliated as distinguished senior faculty fellow), she returned to the University of Michigan in January 2002 to direct the English Language Institute for six years. She is currently a research scientist at the English Language Institute, as well as a professor of education, professor of linguistics, and faculty associate of the Center for the Study of Complex Systems at Michigan. Her interests include second language acquisition, language teacher education, English linguistics, language teaching methodology, and complexity theory. Larsen-Freeman has made presentations in sixty-five countries around the world and is the author of eight books. She was the editor of the journal Language Learning for five years.

Larsen-Freeman focuses her research and interests on attempting to understand the process of second language acquisition. She also researches English grammar. She regards English grammar not only as a set of structural patterns, but also as an important resource for making meaning and for adapting language appropriately to the communicative context. In addition, she has found that chaos/complexity theory provides new insights into language, its acquisition, and its use. She sees all three as complex, non-linear, dynamic processes. Such a perspective has contributed to her dynamic view of language, which she has applied to teaching grammar, or “grammaring” as she calls it. The approach also acknowledges the individual paths that students chart to second language success and views teaching as fundamentally a process of managing learning. 

Diane-Larsen Freeman retired as of December 31, 2012.
 

Literacy, Language, and Culture ; Elementary Teacher Education; Elementary Teacher Education (ELMAC).

Selected Publications

Recent Books

Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching.  (2011). (With M. Anderson). Third Edition.  Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Language as a Complex Adaptive System.  (2009).  (Edited with N. Ellis).  Wiley/Blackwell.

Complex Systems and Applied Linguistics. (2008).  (with L. Cameron).  Oxford: Oxford University Press.  (winner of the 2009 Kenneth W. Mildenberger book prize, awarded by the Modern Language Association) 

Recent Articles

Transfer of Learning Transformed. (2013). Language Learning, Special Issue.

Complex, dynamic systems and technemes. (2013). In J. Arnold Morgan and T. Murphey (Eds.), Meaningful Action: Earl Stevick’s Influence on Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press.

Complexity Theory/Dynamic systems theory.(2013).In P. Robinson (Ed.),  Encyclopedia of Second Language Acquisition. Routledge.

Chaos/Complexity theory for second language acquisition/development. (2013). In C. Chapelle (Ed.),  Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics.  Malden, MA:  Wiley Blackwell.

The emancipation of the language learner. (2012). Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 2(3), 297-309.

On the role of repetition in language teaching and learning. (2012). Applied Linguistics Review. Volume 3, Issue 2, 195–210.

Grateful for the many learnings from Caleb Gattegno. (2012). InThe Gattegno Effect:100 Voices on One of History's Greatest Educators. Educational Solutions, Inc.

Complexity theory. (2012). In A. Mackey and S. Gass (Eds.), Handbook of Second Language Acquisition. Routledge.

From Unity to Diversity… to Diversity within Unity. (2012). English Teaching Forum.

Affiliations

• Educational Studies
• Teacher Education

Courses

Term	Catalogue Course Description	Syllabus
Fall 2011	EDUC 593 (ELI 593). Educational Linguistics	EDUC 593. Educational Linguistics
Spring 2011	EDUC 579. Second Language Learning	EDUC 579. Second Language Learning

Last edited by Elena Godin on Tue, April 30, 2013 - 10:39:49