TOK Lesson Plans
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Syllabus
Course Description: Theory of Knowledge is a course about critical thinking and inquiring into the process of knowing, rather than about learning a specific body of knowledge. It is a core element which all Diploma Program students undertake. The Theory of Knowledge course examines how we know what we claim to know. It does this by encouraging students to analyze knowledge claims and explore knowledge questions. A knowledge claim is the assertion that “I/we know X” or “I/we know how to Y”, or a statement about knowledge; a knowledge question is an open question about knowledge, asking questions such as, “how do we know what we know?” and “with how much certainty can we know anything?” Students will explore these and other claims and questions about knowledge and how they apply to a variety of subjects and situations (Modified from the Theory of Knowledge Guide (2013)).
Course Goals: As set forth by the International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge Guide (2013), the course is aimed to encourage the attributes of the IB learner profile as follows:
Attribute
Link to TOK
Inquirers
TOK students seek to find out how knowledge is constructed using various ways of knowing and by considering what constitutes knowledge in various areas of knowledge. It is a fundamental premise of TOK that personal knowledge should not result from simple acceptance of knowledge claims without sufficient inquiry and evidence.
Knowledgeable
TOK students strive to be knowledgeable about the nature of knowledge. This means becoming knowledgeable about the methods of inquiry of a variety of subject areas, from a number of perspectives. Students are encouraged to explore the processes by which individuals arrive at their own knowledge and understanding of the world and the presuppositions that underpin this understanding.
Thinkers
TOK students examine thinking in order to understand what constitutes good thinking and also to recognize potential flaws in thought processes. Students also think about what thinking is required in a variety of situations, as well as how thinking relates to emotional processing and intuition.
Communicators
TOK students are required by the TOK assessment tasks to communicate their understanding and perspective in both oral and written form. Students also study the language that is used to develop a body of knowledge, so they learn what gives language its power as well as what causes failures of communication.
Principled
TOK students scrutinize knowledge in a critical manner, leading to what could be called principled knowledge. Students are required to examine the relationship between possessing knowledge and the moral obligations that this carries. Learning to see the world from a TOK perspective challenges students to think about acting in principled ways.
Open-minded
TOK students need to be open-minded about knowledge claims they encounter. They will learn not to simply accept claims at face value, but to consider the factual accuracy of any proposition and the potential emotional, social or cognitive bias of any person making a proposition. At the same time, they must learn to balance skepticism with belief, and recognize that in many situations there is a need to make decisions without possessing absolute certainty.
Caring
TOK students are asked to care about how they use their knowledge. This necessarily means thinking about how knowledge can be used in sympathetic, empathetic and compassionate ways.
Risk-takers
TOK students must be willing to risk questioning what they hold to be true. This means that they must be willing to risk being wrong. When we are willing to accept being wrong then we make progress towards correcting existing misconceptions and increasing our knowledge and understanding of the world. The word “judgment” is central in TOK, and students should be prepared to take the risks involved in making judgments in matters where the evidence does not definitively favour one view or another, while at the same time acknowledging the provisional nature of these judgments.
Balanced
TOK students are committed to viewing knowledge claims from different perspectives. They are also required to consider a range of areas of knowledge. TOK requires a balance of ability in speaking and writing, and a balance of ability in drawing general conclusions from specific examples and in drawing on specific examples to demonstrate general claims.
Reflective
TOK students learn to reflect on the degree to which their own and other people’s motivations, beliefs, thought processes and emotional reactions influence what they know and what they are capable of knowing.
IB Assessments for TOK According to the Theory of Knowledge Guide
There are two assessment tasks in the TOK course: an essay and an exhibition. The essay is externally assessed by the IB, and must be on any one of the six prescribed titles issued by the IB for each examination session. The maximum word limit for the essay is 1,600 words.
The TOK exhibition explores how TOK manifests in the world around us. For this reason it is strongly recommended that students base their exhibition on one of the TOK themes (either the core theme or one of the optional themes).
The TOK exhibition is an internal assessment component—it is marked by the teacher and is externally moderated by the IB. Internal assessment is an integral part of all DP courses. It enables students to demonstrate the application of their skills and knowledge, and to pursue their personal interests.
For this task, students are required to create an exhibition of three objects that connect to one of the 35 “IA prompts” provided in the “IA prompts” section of this guide. Students must select just one IA prompt on which to base their exhibition, and all three objects must be linked to the same IA prompt.
Students are required to create an exhibition comprising three objects, or images of objects, and an accompanying written commentary on each object.
The units of study will each focus on a different area of knowledge listed below and two of the ways of knowing listed below.
· The core theme—Knowledge and the knower: This theme encourages students to reflect on 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. We will 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.
Grading and Class Policies:
· Summative Assessments--60% (3 essays and 3 projects)
· Formative Assessments--40% (10 journals and 5 quizzes)
Materials
You are required to bring your charged school computer or comparable device to class on a daily basis. You are also expected to bring your charger on a daily basis. We will not distribute textbooks for this class.
Classroom Rules
1. You are expected to treat everyone in the room with RESPECT. Do not speak when someone else is speaking. Unless otherwise instructed, always raise your hand to gain the floor for a question or comment. You are also expected to be tolerant of other people’s opinions. You can disagree with a person’s opinion without belittling the person.
2. You are expected to bring all necessary materials to class on a daily basis.
3. You should never have your head on your desk. Also, the only materials that should ever be on your desk are writing materials and textbooks. You should never have your book bags or purses on your desk during the class period.
4. NO HEADPHONES ARE TO BE WORN IN THE CLASSROOM UNLESS SPECIFIED AS NECESSARY FOR A LESSON
Plagiarism (see AHS Common Syllabus for full statement)
5. The plagiarism statement will be enforced vigorously. This includes papers, test essays, review sheets, homework, and copying work for this or other classes. You are NEVER allowed to work together on an assignment unless explicitly told by the teacher that you may.
Please see the Common Syllabus for additional school wide policies.