Critical Reflections on Professional Development: Psychological Perspectives on the Methodological Underpinnings and Motivational Practices of Teaching English

AbstractThis article proposes a framework for reflections on professional development: the methodological underpinnings and practices of teaching English in terms of psycholinguistic perspectives. The author highlights the importance of personal beliefs and experiences which contribute to critical reflection on the psychology of teaching as the distinguishing attribute of reflective practitioners. The term self-reflection as developed here merges beliefs and values regarding the state of the art theories of learning via conscious consideration. Reflections on actual methodological practices and classroom-based experiences teaching practice, have been given with some examples of teaching practices. Assumptions about human potential and learning which challenge the psychology of language learners are briefly discussed in terms of the application of actual methodological practices. Recently social constructivism has been the dominant psychological approach to the process of learning and teaching. Based upon this approach, learners interpret realities entirely differently and there is no such a thing as an objective reality. Teachers who follow the constructivist framework always emphasize the process of interaction among individual learners. They also take into account the specific contexts in which people interact with one another to understand concepts and ideas. Learners see the world and the learning situation through their own specific idiosyncratic lens and the teachers need to be well aware of the amplitude of the ways elements of pedagogical enterprise are shaped by the learner