Professional Growth: A Reflective and Motivational Practice Toward an Endless Journey in Education

Once considered an externally structured theoretical endeavor, professional development within the teaching profession has grown to be understood as a more pragmatic, meaningful teaching practice, most benefited by an approach that promotes collaboration and the co-construction of knowledge in contextualized teaching scenarios. Taking up this approach, this chapter examines definitions, characteristics, perceptions, contexts, and challenges related to professional development in the context of Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Championing the idea that professional development must be understood as an intimately personal and contextual endeavor, this chapter provides the author’s very own professional development framework: JUMPS. Recommendations are made as to how teachers can most effectively engage with their own professional growth through a process loaded with reflection and criticality, that embraces challenge and relentless change, seeking understanding through the promotion of ubiquitous questioning while adopting a humble and resilient attitude that welcomes a sense of self-efficacy and presence.