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Deepening Knowledge Project, through Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), undertook research within the Initial Teacher Education program to explore the relationships between teacher candidates and Aboriginal content. Our research question was, "Which strategies used within OISE's Central cohort are most powerful in increasing teacher candidates' willingness and readiness to incorporate Aboriginal knowledges and pedagogies into their classroom practice?" Data consisted of surveys administered to approximately 70 teacher candidates at three key points in their program as well as two rounds of interviews with five purposively selected participants. We found that teacher candidates most appreciated the inclusion of First Voice perspectives, in-depth instruction on current and historical events, and a continuous examination of privilege as means to prepare them for incorporating Aboriginal content into their future practice. While most students reported feeling more confident and willing to include Aboriginal perspectives near the end of their program, there are three commonly stated questions, reported on preprogram surveys that lead to inaction on Aboriginal inclusion. Addressing these questions directly should help encourage more teachers to take up Aboriginal perspectives in their classrooms.

An activity that incorporates the concepts of plant structure and function and ecology is described. Students investigate the reasons why some California chaparral seeds germinate only after a fire has burned the surrounding chaparral. The procedure, discussion and analysis questions, expected results, potential problems, and additional activities are included. (KR)

ABSTRACT To reduce public exposure to diesel particulate matter (DPM), the California Air Resources Board has begun adoption of a series of rules to reduce these emissions from in-use heavy-duty [...]

An abridged life-cycle assessment of electric vehicle batteries revealed that nickel-metal hydride batteries pose the least risk to the environment. There is no infrastructure, however, available to recycle these batteries. Sodium-sulfur batteries have low toxicity but still pose problems because they are not recyclable. Lead-acid and nickel-cadmuim batteries, on the other hand, are highly recyclable but their toxicity is not yet fully determined.

As part of the Deepening Knowledge Project's efforts to create meaningful opportunities for teacher candidates to learn about Indigenous histories, current communities, and pedagogies, our team facilitates a "Build a Community" exercise with students who are enrolled in teacher education programs at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. As an embodied learning activity (Ng, 2012), "Build a Community" is one strategy we use to engage teacher candidates emotionally to learn about topics they are often resistant to, such as settler colonialism. It is also a gateway to host a dialogue on healing and reconciliation. This paper situates "Build a Community" in the literature to bring Indigenous content into teacher education and details our team's experience in developing an effective experience for both Indigenous and settler facilitators and audience members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]