Lopriore, L., & Grazzi, E. (2019). English as a lingua franca in language classrooms: identifying priorities for teacher education. In G.C. Veronica Bonsignori (a cura di), Worlds of words: complexity, creativity, and conventionality in English language, literature and culture (pp. 399-409). Pisa : Pisa University Press.

English language education in Europe has recently been affected by a number of factors: the growingly plurilingual profile of its population; the implementation of European multilingual education policies; the widespread use of online communication; the global spread of English and the emergence of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) as the most widely used form of communication among speakers of different lingua-cultures to communicate with each other. Another feature that characterizes the current status of English is the growing number of English teachers that are by large non-native speakers with a role in English language programmes. These new scenarios are challenging existing paradigms, demanding for a shift in English language teaching (ELT) and education and the adoption of an ELF-informed frame of reference. Ways of devising and implementing these shifts have been explored in several research studies, as is the case of this contribution about an Italian research project aimed at devising an ELF-aware pedagogical model for ELT education. The authors discuss the challenges and preliminary findings of the study.