Whether English language teachers aspire to practice ELF-aware pedagogy or not, they may be implicated
consciously or unconsciously in what Toh (2019) describes as professional “inconsistencies, intransigencies,
and contradictions” (p. 14), which disrupt emancipatory curricular development. The presenter will examine
inhibitory influences and progress made towards effective ELF-oriented pedagogy within a language center at
a Japanese university, informed by daily teaching and administration experience, and by results of a study into
professional experiences of colleagues. Results of the study indicate that despite varying degrees of ‘struggle’ (Holliday, 2005), teachers are 1) increasingly aware of and proficient at adapting language teaching practices to reflect ELF use,
and 2) willing to experiment with ELF-related pedagogy, for example, by supplementing and adapting
textbook activities, by creating and modifying materials, and by tapping into learner interests and motivations.
