In a concerted effort to provide curriculum-aligned resources and support for educators who are teaching subjects with Indigenous content, the Niagara Catholic District School Board and Nelson partnered to deliver a series of Live Lessons to schools in the system.
Rachel Cha, Niagara Catholic’s Consultant of Indigenous Education K–12, is responsible for curriculum expectations with Indigenous content in all subject areas—including social studies, geography, language, and all strands of arts—across all grades.
“Many teachers today grew up not learning about Indigenous culture and history when they went to school. Teachers need support to ensure they are teaching Indigenous curriculum expectations in a culturally appropriate way. It is imperative that teachers have access to resources that are culturally appropriate, align to the curriculum expectations, and have been vetted for proper use in our schools,” said Cha.
“In addition,” she added, “we need to let teachers know that if they have a question to be answered or are unsure about how to teach something from an Indigenous perspective, they can reach out and ask for support from the Indigenous Education team.”
Indigenous-Focused Live Lessons
To kick off the partnership, Nelson offered Live Lessons in nine elementary school classrooms, focusing on Grade 4 and 5 Art and Literacy and Grade 7 and 8 History—all subjects with Indigenous focus.
These interactive Live Lessons are designed for both educators and students and centre on curriculum-aligned content, skill-building, and engagement. Nelson receives feedback during and after each session so they can modify and improve the lesson as they go from classroom to classroom.
“We saw that teachers needed some prep materials handy to make the most of the time given for class activities during the Live Lesson,” said Jennifer Burkitt, Nelson’s Research and Discovery Lead, who has visited 24 classrooms, worked with 650 students, and met with more than 200 teachers in the last year.
“We adjusted the lesson and made those resources available for teachers the next day. It was a small adjustment that just made things run smoother. It is crucial for us to obtain teachers’ feedback in order to continually improve our resources and tools.”
The Live Lessons were taught by Liz Halina, Nelson’s Classroom Success Specialist and Consultant, Education for Reconciliation, Equity, and Inclusion. Halina, a member of Sagkeeng First Nation, is an Anishinaabekwe educator.
“It is incredibly important to help students foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous cultures, histories, perspectives, and contributions across all subjects,” said Halina. “I understand that not all teachers may feel equipped, and these Live Lessons provide them with practical teaching strategies, classroom-ready tools, and real-time support. We want to give a safe space for teachers to find resources that match the curriculum with culturally appropriate materials.”
Hands-On Support and Curriculum-Aligned Resources
In addition to the Live Lessons, Cha also organized an in-person professional development day for the Indigenous Champion from each of the 56 Niagara Catholic schools, hosted by Nelson.
Around 60 teachers learned how to easily obtain curriculum-aligned Indigenous content that is developed and vetted by Indigenous advisors. These resources are updated to reflect new developments and are easily accessible through Edwin, Nelson’s digital learning platform. The materials can be printed out, projected on a whiteboard in the classroom, or shared with students on their own laptops or devices. Students with accessibility needs can even use Edwin’s included playback feature to have the content read to them.
In a follow-up survey after the workshop, Cha said teachers expressed much more confidence (4.68 out of 5) in teaching areas of the curriculum with Indigenous expectations. Nelson also saw an increase in Edwin usage from Niagara Catholic following the PD day. The resources that were most accessed in the weeks that followed included “Who Wanted the Land, and Why?” and “What Shaped Canadien Culture?” (see samples here).
About Edwin’s Indigenous Resources
Edwin’s culturally relevant content is informed by Indigenous Leadership Circles who consult and review throughout the development of new resources to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of content. These resources are curriculum-aligned; designed to support reconciliation through action; and are available across all subjects including ELA, Social Studies, Math, and Science. For more information, visit: www.edwin.app/indigenous-education.
More Resources:
- “Embedding Indigenous Perspectives Across the Curriculum”
- “Literature for Reconciliation – Storytelling & Visual Expression”
- “Celebrating the Impact of Indigenous Contributions”
About Edwin
Edwin, a digital learning platform created by Nelson, has curriculum resources and tools that suit every classroom need. It includes complete coverage of the current curriculum for Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and French, as well as contemporary topics from Grades 1–12. All resources are customizable to ensure teachers can meet the unique needs of their students. Every one of Edwin’s over 30,000 resources undergoes a rigorous development and review process to support differentiation, accessibility, and cultural responsiveness. Nelson works with subject matter experts, Indigenous advisors and community representatives to ensure resources reflect diverse Canadian experiences.
About Nelson
For over a century, Nelson has worked in partnership with Canadian educators to develop quality resources that are tied to curricula and that meet provincial learning expectations. As Canada’s largest education content provider, Nelson dedicates its business efforts to the creation of quality, innovative solutions that empower learning success by supporting the needs of every student and educator.
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