Induction Cooktop Teaching Project

Hands-on learning gives families and students the power to electrify their homes

Our upstart Induction Cooktop Teaching Project (ICTP) fuses hands-on learning with classroom curriculum to help OUSD students understand how cleaner cooking appliances can improve their family’s health and our climate. Through lessons on biology, environmental science, magnetism, and demonstration cooking, the ICTP puts alternatives to the polluting fossil fuel infrastructure directly in the hands of Oakland families.

Understanding the science behind cleaner cooking

In a school district where tens of thousands of children suffer from childhood asthma, using cleaner technologies like induction cooktops can help students—and their families—breathe easier at home. Led by a former OUSD teacher, our team customizes the hands-on ICTP curriculum for each 4th-12th grade classroom, offering demonstrations, science lessons, and participatory learning exercises. With a focus on Title I schools, select classrooms have the opportunity to bring home induction cooktops and equipment, and participate in online cooking classes to learn how to use their new cooktops. At the end of the program, families may choose to keep their cooktops free of charge, avoiding costly appliance upgrades.

The Induction Cooktop Teaching Program’s unique curriculum is designed to help students:

Induction cooktops move households toward cleaner air

The open flame from gas stoves release unhealthy particulates into the air during cooking. A cleaner and more efficient alternative, induction cooktops use an electromagnetic current to heat pots and pans. This means fewer dangerous emissions are released when cooking—and a little more freedom from the fossil fuel industry.

Decarbonizing homes improves West Oakland’s air quality. Here in West Oakland, air quality is worse than neighboring parts of the city. The ICTP helps individual families take their health into their own hands. You can learn more about how WOEIP is fighting for cleaner air inside and outside the home through the West Oakland Community Action Plan, a ten-year strategy to clean up West Oakland’s air.