Democratic professional development is of the teachers, by the teachers, for the teachers. It differs from managerial models, which often have preset agendas and provide what "experts" think teachers need. Managerial models tend to be leader-centered, making some teachers feel treated like "tall children" rather than professionals. Democratic models are participant-centered, fostering collegiality and collaboration. Teachers determine their own needs and construct agendas based on issues of current relevance to them. One simple yet powerful democratic model of professional development comes from the Great Teachers Movement (GTM). This model has been characterized as "well facilitated shoptalk," promoting productive discussions and tapping into the collective knowledge, wisdom, creativity, expertise, and genius of participating teachers. This article explains the model so that it can be applied for teachers of English language learners (ELLs). Both authors are active in the GTM, facilitating seminars, retreats, and workshops for teachers of all disciplines and all levels of education. The first author has utilized the model specifically for in-service and pre-service teachers of ELLs. He directed two seminars for in-service public school teachers of English as a foreign language in Nanjing, China. He also uses the model in his pre-service teacher education courses to guide productive discussions about the teaching of English as a second language.