In December of 2024(Journal #12), I described what is was like to learn about and teach my course for the first time. You can find my thoughts and feelings below.
Learning about my subject matter was and still kind of awful. IB is like learning a whole new language and the structure is so confusing. I also had very little support from my administration, it felt like I was just turned loose and expected to become an expert in the first couple weeks. I have worked on advocating for myself and my students when it comes to finding resources, but it’s been a lot of hunting around for ideas and trying desperately to make it all make sense. Learning my subject also involves relearning so much of the fundamentals of things. How to do citations, academic writing, research, finding credible sources; all of these things that are second nature to me at this point in my life are extremely difficult to try and wrap my head around all of a sudden.
Honestly learning about my subject feels like that paradox where the more you know the less smart you feel. The more I feel like I maybe have a handle on this whole thing, something comes along and makes me question what I know.
Honestly, teaching my subject is so much easier than learning my subject. When I’m working with students and I can bounce ideas off of them or I can listen to their past experience with the class, I really feel like that’s when I shine when they’re in the classroom working with students breaking down concepts, that’s when I feel like both of us are really learning. Because a lot of the times I don’t need to be a complete expert on everything, but I do need to understand the content well enough to be able to ask students questions and help them better my understanding and it’s led to some really interesting conversations. For example, one of my students is working on a research project, and I was trying to explain to her how we narrow down research topics and we narrowed down a research topic so much that was able to like throw out a random idea like the Dutch stock market in tulips from the 1600s and how that could do with her research. I feel like teaching is not what you know, but how you help other people know what you need them to. I feel like teaching is kind of like a puzzle, once you have, the edges completed the center fills Itself
What is Theory of Knowledge?
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is a core class in the International Baccalaureate(IB) Diploma Programme (DP). All IB DP candidates are required to take this course in order to receive their Diploma. In October of 2025, I was able to attend a TOK curriculum training in Washington D.C. where I was able to better understand the IB testing expectations and grading. Some of the resources can be found below:
I can say that this class is like no other and it has really pushed me out of my comfort zone as a teacher since I am required to cover such varied materials and content area.
The required Areas of Knowledge, or AOKs, are listed from the guide below:
"Students are required to study all five of the following areas of knowledge.
• History
• The human sciences
• The natural sciences
• The arts
• Mathematics
Within their discussions, students should be encouraged to think about, and draw examples from, specific individual academic disciplines that are included within the different areas of knowledge."
The above are considered the "Core Components", I am also required to teach two optional themes:
"Teachers must select two optional themes from the following five options.
• Knowledge and technology
• Knowledge and language
• Knowledge and politics
• Knowledge and religion
• Knowledge and indigenous societies"
Overall I really enjoy teaching this class, but it has definitely helped me to get comfortable teaching a wide variety of topics.