CULTURAL-ORIENTED ELT IN TEACHER EDUCATION: CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS

This article examines the conceptual foundations of cultural-oriented English Language Teaching (ELT) in teacher education. In the context of globalization and intercultural communication, future English language teachers require not only linguistic competence but also intercultural awareness and cultural sensitivity. The article discusses the relationship between language and culture, the role of cultural competence in ELT, and the importance of integrating local and global cultural perspectives into teacher education programs. Furthermore, it analyzes the theoretical principles of culturally-oriented pedagogy and highlights methods for developing intercultural communicative competence among prospective teachers. The study emphasizes that culturally-oriented ELT contributes to the formation of reflective, tolerant, and globally competent educators capable of fostering meaningful intercultural dialogue in multilingual educational settings.