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Nature of the Subject
Nature of the Subject
The Theory of Knowledge (TOK) programme is central to the educational philosophy of the International Baccalaureate. It challenges students to reflect critically on diverse ways of knowing and areas of knowledge, and to consider the role which knowledge plays in a global society.
It encourages students to become aware of themselves as thinkers, to become aware of the complexity of knowledge, and to recognise the need to act responsibly in an increasingly connected world.
The TOK Programme is composed almost entirely of questions. The most central of these is ‘How do I, or how do we, know that a given assertion is true, or a given judgement is well grounded?’ The programme entails the application of this central question to many different, yet interrelated topics.
The TOK Diagram
The TOK Diagram
The following is a useful representation of the TOK Programme.
For more information:
Speak to Ms. Madden
TOK Assessment Outline
TOK Assessment Outline
The assessment model in TOK is made up of two components.
The Essay : External Assessment
The Essay : External Assessment
(Worth 67% - Marked out of 10)
(Worth 67% - Marked out of 10)
Essay on a Prescribed Title (Maximum 1,600 words). The students pick from a list of six prescribed titles, which change every exam session.
Students meet with their TOK teacher to discuss their progress and complete three interaction meetings.
Teachers give detailed feedback on one completed TOK Essay draft. Students fill in a planning and progress form and submit this with their final essay.
The essay is marked using a rubric, and four characteristics of an excellent essay (insightful, convincing, accomplished, and lucid)
The context of the essay is based on two areas of knowledge. It asks students to reflect on the nature of knowledge, and on how we know what we claim to know.
The exhibition: Internal Assessment
The exhibition: Internal Assessment
(worth 33% - Marked out of 10)
(worth 33% - Marked out of 10)
The Exhibition (Maximum 950 words)
Linked to one of the optional themes (knowledge & politics, technology, religion, indigenous societies, language) or the core theme (knowledge & the knower), students choose a prompt from a choice of 35 and explore via three objects.
The commentary on the object should contain an identification of the object, an explanation of its specific real world context and an explanation of how the object links to the chosen IA prompt. The student must include a justification as to why they have chosen to include this specific object in the exhibition on the chosen prompt.
Student’s get the opportunity at the end of IB1 to showcase their exhibition and talk about their chosen objects with GIS students, teachers and parents.
Examples of TOK prompts:
What counts as knowledge?
Are some types of knowledge more useful than others?
What features of knowledge have an impact on its reliability?
How does the way that we organize or classify knowledge affect what we know?
Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?
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