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Distance Learning Solutions in Canada

E-learning solutions have become increasingly popular in Canada during COVID, including classes, courses and career training programs.

Northern Distance Learning

The NDL program was developed to address problems that students in the Northwest Territories face. These are mainly associated with small high school student populations scattered across a large territory. In general, schooling is a combination of regular and online classes whereby a learning management system and videoconferencing are used. All materials are available online. The course offerings in 2019/2020 include math, physics, science, biology, art, and English language arts.

About 95 percent of high school students in the program are members of Indigenous communities. NDL enables them to graduate and pursue postsecondary education without leaving their communities. Children successfully passed 67 percent of all courses. A number of communities participate in the program, among which Fort Good Hope, Fort McPherson, Paulatuk, and Fort Simpson.

Distance Learning Tools Introduced by Provincial Governments

Online learning portals have been launched in some provinces and territories. Learn from Home is a website offering courses and activities to help students in Ontario learn from home. The online portal features a variety of resources for students, parents, and teachers, including wellbeing, mental health, writing, reading, and math resources. Visitors are offered access to activities, podcasts, and videos to enable independent study. Featured resources also include virtual exhibits, practice questions, creative activities, interactive games and puzzles, articles, tutorials, and a lot more. Open School is also an online portal launched by the government of Quebec, featuring resources for secondary, elementary, and preschool students and adult vocational training and education. Preschool activities are included in categories such as memorization and logic, puzzles, colors and shapes, letters and alphabet, and stories and nursery rhymes. Secondary school students are offered access to resources across a number of categories, including history and citizenship education, geography, and science and technology. There is a choice of additional activities such as relaxing, having fun, and socializing.

CBC Kids is another online portal to explore activities, games, and videos. Children learn about meteors, animals, bugs, festivals, and even sugar cookies.

UNESCO

The Canadian Commission for UNESCO introduced the Teacher’s Toolkit, which offers access to a number of thematic resources related to climate action, sustainable development, and global citizenship. Thematic areas also include intercultural learning, non-violence, and human rights. Teachers have access to a variety of resources such as videos, manuals, booklets, and sample book titles. Covered subjects include language and literature, history, geography, and civics. UNESCO also encourages teachers to organize activities to mark days such as the International Day for Tolerance and International Day of Peace.

Other Resources

There is a host of online portals featuring resources in areas such as science, literacy, digital skills, and culture and land. Science websites include Exploring the Seat of Your Pants, Kids Boost Immunity, and Ingenium. Exploring the Seat of Your Pants is one online portal that offers access to virtual trips, lessons, and guest speakers. The list of covered countries is quite long and includes Brazil, Kenya, Portugal, the U.S, Canada, and many others. Students learn about coral reefs, dolphins, lemur forests, and toucan rescue ranches, among other topics.

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