Issue link: https://takingitglobal.uberflip.com/i/1542824
R. Adeboye, C. Flewelling,V. Ogbole, E. O'Sullivan 44 passive viewing. Among the 879 responses to the Content Provider survey 47% 25 mentioned interactivity as key to engaging students, as reflected in their open-ended responses on effective practices, providing strong evidence of how deeply this principle is embedded in program delivery. In line with the expectations relayed by Connected North staff, comments highlighted different ways in which interactivity was achieved: including by incorporating hands-on activities, question and answer opportunities throughout the session, allowing students to direct the learning (e.g., by choosing which animal they would see next in a zoological session), and incorporating movement (e.g., in movement breaks or using gestures to communicate). Notably, some interview and survey comments reflected the care and techniques used to achieve an appropriate level of interactivity. For example they talked about the need to "read the room" to determine students' comfort levels; to start with simpler forms of interactivity like gestures (thumbs up for yes, down for no, etc.); and to work up to more intensive forms. For example, one Content provider stated that "I also found that easing them into the session works well. For example, if you're asking them to be vulnerable in any way (discussions, performance, participation), it's great to start slowly, model vulnerability yourself, then engage them with the most eager ones first. You won't reach everyone, but you will make a significant impact this way." Teachers Teachers' perspectives on the level of interactivity were generally positive. A few explained how the interactivity of Connected North was one of the program's main draws, as compared to one- way educational videos available on YouTube and through other services. Some others highlighted the physical or hands-on elements of the sessions, with some describing why they consider it so essential, even for sessions that might not have an obvious hands-on component. For example, one teacher described how just having a relevant worksheet helped keep students focused: …what I noticed was some of the kids that would not normally, that would just kind of tune out, I noticed that they were doing the [worksheet], and you could see so a lot of the kids were able to do something tactile in front of them that was connected to the learning...Their mind was completely focused because they're taking in through the auditory while they're doing something here that is connected… So that those that need to fidget in a sense, had something that they could use that did not take them out of the session, but kept them in it and engaged. Many of the teachers interviewed did qualify their comments to note that interactivity was not uniform across all sessions. Some simply indicated that "most" sessions were appropriately interactive, while others offered more detailed insights that underscored the delicate balance 25 This was by far the most common theme, followed by the importance of teacher support at 113 responses or 13%.