The ELF-awareness framework for ELT pedagogy and teacher education has been put forward as a comprehensive plan for incorporating ELF-related concerns within different teaching and learning contexts. The framework’s orientation is context-dependent and prioritises a critical reflective approach to the use, teaching and learning of English. This paper aims to elucidate the critical reflective component of the ELF awareness framework. We begin by situating the notion of reflection along the four distinct levels of reflection proposed by adult education theorist Jack Mezirow. These levels extend from non-reflective mechanical thinking to thoughtful action on what is experienced by individuals, to a more analytical assessment of experience (what Mezirow calls content and process reflection), and finally to critical reflection of underlying assumptions and convictions (or premise reflection, according to Mezirow). We argue that ELF aware reflection is identified as premise reflection and go on to discuss examples of teachers’ reflective perspectives, as submitted in an online ELF awareness teacher education programme, with reference to the above levels of reflection. Finally, we argue that understanding the different forms and levels of reflection is particularly useful not only for raising teachers’ (and other stakeholders’) ELF awareness, but also for prompting them to develop autonomy and agency in their teaching practice.

Research shows that, while exposure to English as a lingua franca (ELF) discourse and to discussion of ELF-related interactional strategies – such as rephrasing, paraphrasing and translanguaging – can help raise English language teachers’ and learners’ ELF awareness, this is often not enough nor is the value of such exposure adequately monitored. In this paper, following the principles of ELF awareness (Sifakis, Nicos. 2019. ELF awareness in English language teaching: Processes and practices. Applied Linguistics 40(2). 288–306), I suggest that raising teachers’ and learners’ awareness of and attitudes towards their own experience as users of English inside and outside of the classroom needs to be prioritised, especially in Expanding Circle teaching and learning contexts. Together with this awareness, teachers and learners need to be made fully conscious of their deeper perceptions about key ELF concerns, such as the role of the native speaker in ELF interactions, the nature of intercultural communication, etc. Such awareness can be raised through metalinguistic and metacognitive activities and questions added to existing activities/materials. To this end, I propose a framework and a series of specific step-by-step scenarios and tools for raising teachers’ and learners’ ELF awareness along these lines and present four examples of integrating such metacognitive and metalinguistic activities with those of a specific textbook.