Introduction

The continuum of teacher professional development begins with pre-service teacher education, followed by in-service training and ongoing support that can help teachers continue to grow as professionals over the course of their careers. Within a structured pedagogy (SP) program, in-service training events  are important for introducing new techniques and approaches, familiarizing teachers with new materials, and preparing them to try these new approaches.

After a teacher training event, targeted ongoing teacher support (i.e. external or in-school coaching, communities of practice, remote support via digital technology) helps to ensure that teachers  receive support they need to begin implementing the new practices in their classroom, reflect on this experience, and become increasingly proficient in their use. Ongoing support also can help to provide a signal from leadership around expectations for implementation and help teachers to feel more connected and enthused as they see their students’ improvement.