2006 International Conference on English Instruction and Assessment Facing the challenge of modern language pedagogy † Michał B. Paradowski Institute of English Studies, University of Warsaw Michal.Paradowski@uw.edu.pl ABSTRACT One of the most noticeable swings of the pendulum in FLT methodology in the past three decades has been its departure from a focus on grammatical correctness in favor of the expression and comprehension of meaning. The pivotal role of grammar in the FL classroom was downplayed as fluency and communicative proficiency have come to be valued more than the mastery of grammatical forms. The growing awareness of the communicative function of language, perceived primarily as a means of sending and receiving information, gave rise to communicative approaches to FL teaching, which recently reached their heyday and are now holding sway. The trend is also evident in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, and in the recent reforms of national school-leaving examinations. Yet, the fact cannot be denied that language functions and notions develop in the learner in strong proportion to linguistic (i.e. structural, grammatical) competence, which constitutes an inseparable component of communicative competence. There are several pitfalls in eclipsing grammatical accuracy in the recent CLT, and mounting rationale for sustaining formal instruction emerges reinforced. With evaluation of linguistic correctness still present (be it overtly or covertly) in mainstream external proficiency measures such as Cambridge examinations, an alternative instruction format suited to the aims of modern FL pedagogy is urgently called for. It will be argued that TL rules must primarily utilize L 1 experience. The Language Interface Model (Gozdawa-Gołębiowski 2003a; Paradowski 2003, 2005a÷e, 2006) is proposed, delineated beneath: 1. Initial exposure and imprinting of new language material; 2. Explication of L 1 rules; 3. Explanation of relevant L 2 counterparts; † Various earlier draft sections of this paper were presented at the 21 st Scandinavian Conference of Linguistics (Trondheim, June 2005), the 11 th National IATEFL Ukraine Conference (Donetsk, January 2006), the Conference on Multilingualism and Applied Comparative Linguistics (Brussels, February 2006), the 40 th Annual TESOL Convention (Tampa, March 2006), and the 40 th Annual IATEFL Conference (Harrogate, April 2006). I would like to thank the audiences of these events for their insightful questions, comments and ideas. I am also grateful to my Supervisor, Prof. Romuald Gozdawa-Gołębiowski, for his invaluable suggestions, observations and stimulating discussion. Needless to say, any remaining errors, inaccuracies, distortions, or misrepresentations are my responsibility alone.