From English-only orthodoxy to decolonial pedagogy: A professional development framework for Global South ELT

While in recent years, the burgeoning interest of scholars has challenged the English-only instructional approach in English Language Teaching (ELT) pedagogies through translanguaging, the available work largely consists of scattered, researcher-initiated professional development (PD) initiatives, and a framework that can be exercised in ELT pedagogies of the Global South is still underdeveloped. Extant research informs isolated PD attempts, with limited efforts toward comprehensive, transferable models that equip teachers to interrogate monolingual beliefs, engage with decolonial debates, and enact linguistically inclusive pedagogies. We argue that a solid PD is a prerequisite to make the isolated practices more systematic in the Global South, which motivates us to propose a PD framework for southern ELT pedagogy and beyond. Guided by theoretical foundations laid by teacher cognition, the postmethod pedagogy, the decolonial turn in language education, language management, translanguaging, and reflective practice, the framework is conceptualized as an intervention at the cognitive level that enables teachers to revisit entrenched beliefs and rework existing practices. Its contribution lies in offering a structured and context-responsive model through which teachers can critically engage with English-only assumptions and translate this engagement into pedagogical action through language management and translanguaging. As a conceptual and evidence-informed proposal, the framework is intended to guide context-sensitive adaptation, piloting, and empirical validation rather than to serve as a universally applicable model across diverse Global South ELT settings.