Larsen-Freeman began her career as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching English in Sabah, Malaysia from 1967 to 1969, an experience she credits for igniting her fascination with language acquisition.

[1] Larsen-Freeman first served on the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles and then the SIT Graduate Institute.

She stepped down from directing the ELI in 2008 and retired from the University of Michigan in 2012, where she holds emerita positions[1] as well as at the SIT Graduate Institute.

[4] She remains active in her field, and teaches courses on the structure of English and second language development as a visiting senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

She also researches English grammar, which she regards not only as a set of structural patterns, but also as an important resource for making meaning and for adapting language to the communicative context.