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Research in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), that is the medium of communication between people who come from different linguacultural backgrounds, has created a rich body of work in various areas. This article focuses on a more recent development of this research for teachers and teacher educators in the perspective of critical language education (CLE). We explore how ELF research, both the linguistic/discourse-oriented one and the pedagogic-oriented one, can benefit from its links to CLE, with its understanding of teaching for social change. We then refer to aspects of critical transformative theory that become relevant in designing and implementing ELF-aware teacher education programmes, focusing especially on three recursive (non-linear) components, i.e. the phase of exposure, the phase of critical awareness and the phase of development of actions that teachers can implement in their teaching. We finish by exploring the critical role of assessment in language education and conclude by inviting teachers and educators to become involved in ELF research for CLE.

The article discusses ELF-aware pedagogy as a possible way to integrate English as a lingua franca (ELF) in English language classrooms and explores the extent to which task-based language teaching (TBLT) could contribute to this end. ELF-aware pedagogy involves enriching teaching practices with appropriate metalinguistic and reflective activities that help learners develop as competent ELF users. The article makes the case that, when viewed from an ELF-aware perspective, TBLT may provide a coherent methodological framework for creating an authentic communicative environment in the classroom, within which the learners may develop as ELF communicators. To provide an example of how this could be achieved in practice, the author presents an ELF-aware task she has designed and taught in her own classroom. The task integrates metalinguistic and reflective elements and focuses on promoting the learners' pragmatic competence and sense of themselves as true owners of English.