TakingITGlobal

Probably the most important, however, is the one that I found snuck up on me over time. Many of my students are very shy. They can be hesitant to share their ideas with others. Living in remote communities they often know everyone they speak with on a day-to-day basis and can be quiet when meeting with strangers. Over time, however, in each of the classes I have used Connected North with, perhaps the most important benefit I've seen is how it has opened my students up. I won't lie, it took time to get there; there were some painful sessions in the beginning where no one was willing to share an idea or talk to the speaker. I've used Connected North in my high school, middle school, and elementary classes, in all subject areas. We've done yoga and circuit training for physical education, met with artists across Canada to try different art styles, discussed the history of the Cold War with a former military policeman in Berlin in the 60s, considered the impact of our food choices by looking at the impact on organs, brainstormed our writing ideas with authors, and looked at the history of Canada's immigration policy by acting out arriving as a new immigrant to Canada at Pier 21. Living in a remote community, I can't take my students to the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax, but we've still visited. Making this possible for my students has helped make our learning come alive and connect what we are learning to something real and concrete. But the longer we've done Connected North, the more I've watched my students grow in confidence and bravery and the more their social skills have flourished. Now my students go up and show their art to the artist leading the session, ask questions when learning about piloting a water bomber or go up to the screen and ask about why their circuit isn't working when building robots. Watching them grow in the assurance that they have important ideas to share and that people want to hear them, seeing their self-possession develop and the way they carry themselves in presentations change – this has been the most important and rewarding aspect of having Connected North in my classroom. It can take perseverance as a teacher, encouraging students again and again to share, but I've been so proud of how far my students have come in their confidence in themselves and their ideas. C o n n e c t e d N o r t h i n O u r C l a s s r o o m Katarina Gram - Connected North in Our Classroom 74

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