Decolonizing ELT methods through critical thematic units.

This article focuses on decolonizing English Language Teaching (ELT) methods through the development and application of Critical Thematic Units (CTUs) by Mexican student-teachers working with children in Oaxaca, Mexico. CTUs challenge the colonial legacy embedded in ELT by questioning why English is taught and what social purposes it serves, emphasizing locally relevant social issues such as health and nutrition while valuing multilingualism and Indigenous epistemologies. The CTUs involve co-creating multimodal and multilingual identity texts with children, integrating language learning with critical engagement on community concerns, and employing context-sensitive teaching and assessment strategies. This approach contrasts with traditional Eurocentric ELT methods by situating language teaching within the material and sociocultural realities of learners, aiming to foster social justice and affirm diverse identities.