The CATESOL Journal

In recent years, researchers in the TESOL field have emphasized the need to develop more sociopolitically aware approaches to English language teaching (ELT). As a result, some ESL teacher-researchers, such as Morgan (1998, 2002, 2004) and Benesch (2001), have begun demonstrating how Freirean (1970) critical pedagogy can be applied to ELT contexts. Nonetheless, despite this growing interest in the sociopolitics of language classrooms, some practical questions remain unexplored, including the potential for explicit grammar instruction in the context of critical approaches. In this paper, it is argued that explicit form focus can be successfully conjoined with critical attitudes about language and pedagogy. Specifically, through the exploration of a university-level ESL lesson, it is demonstrated how the presentation of a particular linguistic area (modals and modality) in the context of a complex, “real-life” situation can help students understand the interconnected nature of language, interpersonal power, and institutional ideology.