Theory of knowledge (TOK)

This slide presentation is most useful: It is a goal that IB Diploma Candidates learn more than a body of knowledge; the TOK course is a crucial “link” in this endeavor.

The TOK course provides students with an opportunity to explore and reflect on the nature of  knowledge and the process of knowing. 

It is a core element of the DP to which schools are required to  devote at least 100 hours of class time.

In TOK, students reflect on the knowledge, beliefs and opinions that they have built up from their years of  academic studies and their lives outside the classroom. The course is intended to be challenging and  thought-provoking—as well as empowering—for students. 

The course centers on the exploration of knowledge questions, which are a key tool for both teachers  and students. These are contestable questions about knowledge itself, such as: “What counts as good  evidence for a claim?”, “Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?”, or “What  constraints should there be on the pursuit of knowledge?”. While these questions may initially seem slightly  intimidating, they become much more accessible when considered with reference to specific examples  within the TOK course. 

                                The TOK curriculum is made up of three deeply interconnected parts:

• The core theme—Knowledge and the knower: This theme encourages students to reflect     themselves as knowers and thinkers, and to consider the different communities of knowers to which  we belong. 

• Optional themes: This element provides an opportunity to take a more in-depth look at two themes  of particular interest to teachers and students. The given themes all have a significant impact on the  world today and play a key role in shaping people’s perspectives and identities. Teachers select two  optional themes from a choice of five: knowledge and technology; knowledge and language;  knowledge and politics; knowledge and religion; and knowledge and indigenous societies. 

• Areas of knowledge: The areas of knowledge (AOK) are specific branches of knowledge, each of  which can be seen to have a distinct nature and sometimes use different methods of gaining  knowledge. In TOK, students explore five compulsory areas of knowledge: history; the human sciences;  the natural sciences; mathematics; and the arts. 

To help teachers and students explore these three parts of the TOK curriculum, guidance and suggested  knowledge questions are provided. These suggested knowledge questions are organized into a framework  of four elements: scope, perspectives, methods and tools, and ethics. This "knowledge framework"  encourages a deep exploration of each theme and AOK. Having these common elements run throughout  the different parts of the curriculum also helps to unify the course and helps students to make effective  connections and comparisons across the different themes and areas of knowledge. 

          There are two assessment tasks in the TOK course: 33 % of the grade for IB

• The TOK exhibition assesses the ability of the student to show how TOK manifests in the world  around us. The exhibition is an internal assessment component; it is marked by the teacher and is  externally moderated by the IB. 

• The TOK essay  67% of  your grade for IB engages students in a more formal and sustained piece of writing in response to a title  focused on the areas of knowledge. The essay is an external assessment component; it is marked by IB  examiners. The essay must be a maximum of 1,600 words and must be on one of the six prescribed  titles issued by the IB for each examination session.