Issue link: https://takingitglobal.uberflip.com/i/1542824
R. Adeboye, C. Flewelling,V. Ogbole, E. O'Sullivan 41 Content Providers Content Providers accordingly described cultural relevance as a central and intentional aspect of their session design. As one interviewee described, "We're always mindful to promote the history and culture of the people… sessions are crafted to honour community norms and validate Indigenous worldviews." They emphasized that culturally-grounded learning begins with the realities and identities of the students themselves, and how they draw from their own Indigenous knowledge, community protocols, and land- based teachings. One Provider highlighted over thirty years of work in Indigenous education and spoke about incorporating drumming, songs, language greetings, and protocols related to clothing or ceremony. Another commented on the importance of cultural specificity, noting that "Inuit drum traditions differ from Cree/Ojibwe practices" and that session content is adapted to reflect these distinctions across regions. A modest number (100% positive) of Content Provider responses to the survey question on best practices in engagement also touched on cultural relevance, with a focus on connecting with students through sharing about culture, and having Indigenous Role Models. Teachers As described above, the strength of evidence from the quantitative survey question was determined by a combination of how closely they were aligned with a given Program Implementation Assumption or Outcome, and the strength of the positive or negative sentiment expressed in the responses. The 92% of surveyed teachers who agreed that Connected North sessions reflect and affirm the cultures, identities, and experiences of their students (strong alignment) provides strong support for the idea that Connected North sessions are culturally relevant. In interviews, all teachers had generally positive views of the cultural relevance of the Connected North Program. They highlighted several distinct dimensions, many of which were echoed in the write-in responses to the teacher survey, which included a large number (99% positive) of relevant references. Some interviewees referred to how Connected North supports Indigenous representation, with one teacher highlighting that this was important despite their school's overall strong efforts to support Indigenous culture because "…still, on the day to day, most of their teachers are white teachers in front of them." A few highlighted how ready access to various Indigenous Content Providers is particularly useful when they have students from a variety of different cultures in their classrooms. "I find that getting the students talking about their local culture - food, environment, general geography - is a great way to engage them initially, and after that they're more likely to interact as we continue with the program content." -Content Provider Survey Respondent 92% of surveyed teachers agreed that Connected North sessions reflect and affirm the cultures, identities, and experiences of students, with more than half (58%) strongly agreeing.