Transforming Teacher Professional Development: A Workplace-Embedded Experiential Learning Model for English Language Teachers

Abstract The aim of this study is to design an in-service training model for English language teachers working at the lower secondary level, grounded in adult education principles and integrated with a workplace learning approach. The study conceptualizes teacher professional development not merely as the updating of knowledge and skills, but as a multidimensional learning process encompassing the transformation of pedagogical beliefs, professional identity, and classroom practices. The theoretical foundation of the model is built upon Knowles’ theory of andragogy, Kolb’s experiential learning model, Illeris’s workplace learning approach, and Wenger’s communities of practice framework. Within this framework, teachers’ learning processes are structured as self-directed, experience-based, problem-centered, and grounded in social interaction. The proposed program incorporates practice-based learning components such as micro-teaching applications, structured reflection sessions, peer feedback, and collaborative lesson design activities. The model positions teachers not as passive recipients of knowledge but as professionals who manage their own learning processes, critically examine their practices, and co-construct meaning with their colleagues. In this respect, the study moves beyond traditional seminar-based approaches to in-service training and offers an original theoretical contribution by conceptualizing teacher learning as a sustainable and transformative process embedded within the school context. Keywords: Teacher education; professional development; workplace learning; communities of practice; educational planning