Promoting ELF awareness in Language Teacher Education and ELT practices: perspectives and challenges

Abstract

Research into the pedagogical implications of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has seen important developments over the last decade, through investigation of how English Language Teaching (ELT) can, and should, respond to the challenges and issues connected to the global spread of English in terms of curricula, syllabi, materials and classroom practices. In this perspective, Language Teacher Education is a central factor to promote awareness of the necessity to respond to how English is used as a global lingua franca today, not least in terms of Language Awareness, multilingual practices and meaning negotiation through Communication Strategies. In this paper we aim at addressing aspects related to teacher awareness as to ELF, in terms of how ‘language’, ‘language teaching and learning’ and ‘language use’ are conceived within an ELF-aware perspective. We will look in particular at the role that Language Awareness, Communicative Competence especially as to its strategic dimension in pragmatic moves, and multilingual practices play in ELF, and at their relevance in raising teachers’ awareness of ELF and ELF-aware pedagogic practices. We will then examine how these aspects interrelate with the three components in Sifakis’ ELF awareness model – awareness of language and language use, awareness of instructional practices, awareness of learning – also providing exemplifications of activities that could be used in ELF-oriented Teacher Education, and in ELT practices, to foster reflection on how they can become part of English language teaching and learning.