C O N N E C T E D N O R T H : A J O U R N E Y O F T R A N S F O R M AT I O N & W E L L- B E I N G
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Educational Approach
Connected North employs a blended learning approach, combining video-link lectures and discussions, online support,
and local in-class activities that are sometimes co-facilitated across settings. Blended learning is an expansive term
that describes classroom environments where students engage with content both in-person and through digitally
distributed means (e.g., online tools) (Dziuban, Graham, Moskal, Norberg, & Sicilia, 2018). Research on blended learning
environments suggests students tend to prefer this approach to single-format classes and media, and report greater
satisfaction with their education (Kintu, Zhu, & Kagambe, 2017; Meltem Eryilmaz, 2015).
The curriculum is a collaborative design effort that involves educators, elders, experts in distance education, and draws
on TakingITGlobal's 20 years' experience developing, delivering, and managing mass youth engagement projects for
learning and development.
The curriculum is designed around the recognition of the geographic, social, historical, and cultural context of Indigenous
students in remote Northern communities. This includes recognizing the effects of intergenerational trauma that is a
legacy of the Residential School System, which precipitates a need to focus on social and emotional Well-Being (The
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015).
Connected North Participating Schools
