Embedded Files
Theory of Knowledge is a required core component of the IB Diploma Program (along with the Extended Essay and CAS).
ToK is two semesters; second semester junior year and first semester senior year.
IMPORTANT TOK I DUE DATES
April 20th: First Exhibition Draft
May 18th: Final Exhibition Draft
May 21st: Submit to Managebac & Complete 3 reflections
What is Theory of Knowledge?
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is designed to develop a coherent approach to learning that transcends and unifies the academic areas and encourages appreciation of other cultural perspectives. Theory of knowledge encourages critical thinking about knowledge itself and aims to help students make sense of their experiences. Its core content focuses on such questions as:
How do we know what we claim to know?
What is the value and what are the limitations of what we claim to know?
How does human interaction impact our knowledge claims?
TOK activities and discussions aim to help students discover and express their views on knowledge issues. The course encourages students to share ideas with others and to listen and learn from what others think. In this process students' thinking and their understanding of knowledge as a human construction are shaped, enriched and deepened. Connections are made between knowledge encountered in different Diploma Programme subjects, in CAS experience and in extended essay research.
At the core of TOK are knowledge questions. These questions help us shape the way we think about the content of our courses in tangible and constructive ways. Some examples are:
How can we gauge the extent to which a history is told from a particular cultural or national perspective?
Do what extent can art convey the intent of the artist?
If mathematics is an intellectual human construct, why is it so good at describing the world?
If science is a discipline of certainty, how can scientific knowledge change over time?
How is Theory of Knowledge Assessed?
Theory of Knowledge is assessed by the IBO in the following two ways:
The Essay
Students write a 1,600 word paper that addresses a prescribed title the student chooses from a selection offered by the IBO. Past titles include:
“One way to assure the health of a discipline is to nurture contrasting perspectives.” Discuss this claim.
Do good explanations have to be true?
“Robust knowledge requires both consensus and disagreement.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
Should key events in the historical development of areas of knowledge always be judged by the standards of their time?
“Humans are pattern-seeking animals and we are adept at finding patterns whether they exist or not” (adapted from Michael Shermer). Discuss knowledge questions raised by this idea in two areas of knowledge
The Exhibition
Students will create an exhibition of three objects that connect to one of the 35 “IA prompts” provided by the IBO. Students must select just one IA prompt on which to base their exhibition, and all three objects will be linked to the same IA prompt. The exhibition will include three objects, or images of objects, and an accompanying written commentary on each object.
Example prompts include:
Are some types of knowledge more useful than others?
What counts as good evidence for a claim?
Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?
How can we know that current knowledge is an improvement upon past knowledge?
Does all knowledge impose ethical obligations on those who know it?
The Exhibition is an internally assessed exercise. That means the TOK teacher will grade the students' work according to an IBO-provided rubric. The teacher will submit the grades to the IBO and then send in requested samples of the student work for moderation.
Page updated
Report abuse