by Julia Yarkoni | 17 Dec 2024 | Politics, Technology, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
Some scientists are building a program that can do what your parents can’t. Get you all to stop arguing already. A computer mediator shows two bickering brothers wher they agree. (Illustration by News Decoder) This article was produced exclusively for News...
by Meera Raman | 9 Dec 2024 | Culture, History, United States, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows, Women
It wasn’t too long ago that a woman wouldn’t dine alone in the United States. Two women decided to change that by opening their own restaurant. A notice once on the wall of Bread and Roses now housed at the The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on...
by Christianez Ratna Kiruba | 28 Nov 2024 | Health and Wellness, India, Sports, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
Weight lifting has all kinds of health benefits. But many woman in India find going to the gym takes an inner strength they didn’t think they had. Mirabai Chanu Saikhom of India competes during the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the 2024 Summer...
by Andersson Boscán | 14 Nov 2024 | Americas, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
In a key stop in a global cocaine network, residents of Durán are trying to just live their lives in a place that has become the murder capital of the world. A handcuffed resident is led away during a military and police operation searching homes for weapons and drugs...
by Julia Yarkoni | 7 Nov 2024 | Health and Wellness, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
High rates of parental stress are cropping up all over the world. For many, child-rearing isn’t fun and games. Illustration of a woman surrounded by crying children. (Illustration by News Decoder) This article was produced exclusively for News Decoder’s global...
by Christianez Ratna Kiruba | 10 Oct 2024 | Environment, Health and Wellness, India, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
Online sales of pesticides helps farmers in places far from suppliers. Can we keep them out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them? A person pulls up an online site for buying pesticides. (Illustration by News Decoder) Warning: This article contains...
by Preety Sharma | 18 Apr 2024 | Asia, Economy, Educators' Catalog, Environment, Politics, Technology, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
Meeting a growing energy demand can go hand-in-hand with the green transition. This is what India could show the world. Workers carry a solar panel for installation at the under-construction Adani Green Energy Limited’s Renewable Energy Park in Gujarat, India,...
India’s position as a growing global economic leader, a leading producer of renewable energy and as a large consumer of energy puts it at the center of the debate on climate-friendly energy transition. Preety Sharma looks at how if India successfully manages the move towards greener energies, it will serve as a model for low and middle-income countries as they develop economically while striving to meet climate goals.
Exercise: Individually, or in groups, students put their research skills to the test. Use the following questions as a guide to finding out more about this topic.
What is energy transition? How does it relate to the UN SDGs? What energies should we transition to and what are the issues surrounding using each of these? What would a ‘model for low and middle-income countries’ look like?
Find examples of countries that have grown and managed energy transition well.
by Ashley Perl | 7 Mar 2024 | Culture, Educators' Catalog, Europe, History, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows, Women
There isn’t much of a gender gap in Iceland, except in its maritime industry. But go back in time, and you’ll find women pulling in nets and steering the helm. A painting of Foreman Thurídur by Marian McConnell. Habitually clad in trousers, a rust-coloured...
For the world’s most gender-equal country, Iceland has a maritime industry that is surprisingly gender inequitable. Why and how has the status of Icelandic seafaring women regressed over the years? This piece by Ashley Perl gives an overview. In the article’s accompanying classroom activity, have students try their hand at uncovering the history of traditionally gendered professions in a research assignment well-suited for Women’s History Month.
Exercise: Read the article as a class, and then discuss the factors that have contributed to an increasing gender gap in the fishing and maritime industries in Iceland. Afterwards, have students select a profession that has a large gender imbalance in your country (perhaps teaching, nursing, engineering, etc.). Instruct students to research the history of the profession to see if these gender imbalances were the case historically, too. As part of this assignment, you may consider teaching research skills like assessing source credibility and using databases like Google Scholar.
by Lance Roller II | 5 Mar 2024 | History, United States, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
Thousands of Black Marines fought in World War II. But they had to fight for the right to do so. Now their nation wants to honor them, if they can be found. Montford Point Marines attend a Congressional Gold Medal Commemorative Ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington...
by Michael Leedom | 29 Feb 2024 | Education, Educators' Catalog, Media Literacy, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
If a child is old enough to learn to read, it’s time to teach them to be media literate. But how to implement that in schools takes some problem solving skills. A teen shrugs at the difference between two computer screens. One shows an article by the New York...
Today’s students are digital natives, but are they digitally literate? In this Classroom #Decoder, guest writer Michael Leedom of the University of Toronto surveys media literacy curriculums around the globe, finding that media literacy education in Finland may be the world’s most robust.
Exercise: Read the article with your class, then have students try their hand at “lateral reading”. This is defined in the text as “checking the credibility of a claim by consulting other sources. Rather than remaining on a website with questionable information to find answers, known as ‘vertical reading’, students are taught to open a new tab and see if new information conflicts with what more trusted websites offer.” Present students with a web page and have them verify the credibility of that page by practicing lateral reading.