How English Language Teachers Can Use Critical Thinking to Unpack Everyday Ideology

English language teaching often focuses on fluency, accuracy, and communicative competence, but rarely questions what learners are actually being taught to say and why. By applying critical thinking to everyday expressions, idioms, and conversational norms, English teachers can empower students to question the hidden values, biases, and assumptions embedded in English and become more conscious, and ethical users of the language.