Niagara Catholic & Nelson boost Indigenous lesson support

Niagara Catholic District School Board has partnered with Nelson to deliver Live Lessons on Indigenous curriculum content in its schools. The programme uses Nelson's Edwin digital learning platform to support teachers and students across the board.

The collaboration focuses on lessons in subjects that include Indigenous content, as Niagara Catholic sought curriculum-aligned resources for classroom teaching. Rachel Cha, consultant of Indigenous Education K-12 at Niagara Catholic, oversees curriculum expectations with Indigenous content across subjects including social studies, geography, language and arts across all grades.

The first phase included Live Lessons in nine classrooms at St. Alfred, St. Andrew, St. Nicholas, St. Patrick in Niagara Falls and St. John Henry Newman Catholic elementary schools. The sessions focused on Grade 4 and 5 art and literacy, and Grade 7 and 8 history.

The lessons were designed for both teachers and pupils, combining curriculum content with class engagement and practical skill-building. Nelson gathered feedback during and after each session and adjusted lesson materials between classes.

That feedback loop was one of the practical features highlighted in the rollout. Jennifer Burkitt, research and discovery lead at Nelson, said the team made quick changes when teachers asked for more preparation material before classroom activities.

"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, research and discovery lead at Nelson. "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 to continually improve our resources and tools."

The lessons were taught by Liz Halina, classroom success specialist and consultant, Education for Reconciliation, Equity and Inclusion at Nelson. Halina is a member of Sagkeeng First Nation and works with schools on Indigenous education content.

"It is incredibly important to help students foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous cultures, histories, perspectives and contributions across all subjects," said Liz Halina, classroom success specialist and consultant, Education for Reconciliation, Equity and Inclusion at Nelson. "I understand 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 teachers a safe space to find resources that match the curriculum and use culturally appropriate materials."

Teacher support

For Niagara Catholic, the partnership addresses a gap in teacher preparation around Indigenous history and culture. Cha said many teachers did not learn this material when they were at school and now need support to teach it appropriately.

"Many teachers today grew up not learning about Indigenous culture and history when they went to school. Teachers need support to ensure that they are teaching Indigenous curriculum expectations in a culturally appropriate way. It is imperative to ensure 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. In addition, we need to support teachers and let them know that if they need a question answered or are unsure about how to teach something from an Indigenous perspective they reach out and ask for support from the Indigenous Education team," said Rachel Cha, consultant of Indigenous Education K-12 at Niagara Catholic District School Board.

Alongside the classroom sessions, Niagara Catholic organised an in-person professional development day for the Indigenous Champion from each of its 56 schools. Nelson hosted the event, where about 60 teachers were shown how to find curriculum-aligned Indigenous materials developed and reviewed with Indigenous advisers.

According to the figures provided, teachers who responded to a follow-up survey after the workshop reported a confidence score of 4.68 out of 5 in teaching curriculum areas with Indigenous expectations. Edwin usage at Niagara Catholic also increased after the professional development day.

Platform access

Edwin is used to distribute lesson materials and related resources. Content can be printed, projected in class or shared to student devices, and the platform includes a playback function for pupils who need text read aloud.

The system also allows teaching materials to be revised during the school year rather than remaining fixed in print form. That flexibility matters in areas such as Indigenous content, where teachers may need updated, reviewed material and quick access to support.

More broadly, Edwin includes more than 30,000 resources and access across multiple grades rather than a single year level. Nelson recently launched an AI literacy module for Grade 7 to 10 educators in Canada, covering the basics of artificial intelligence, its use in daily life and ethical questions around decision-making.

Growing use

Teacher attendance at Nelson's Live Lessons rose 593 per cent in the 2024-2025 school year. From September 2025 to the end of March 2026, almost 500 teachers and more than 12,000 students had taken part.

The most-accessed Niagara Catholic resources in the weeks after the workshop included "Who Wanted the Land, and Why?" and "What Shaped Canadien Culture?".