Embedded Files
How to be Successful in TOK
How to be Successful in TOK
Introductory Words of Wisdom
Introductory Words of Wisdom
Theory of Knowledge is different from any class you have taken and will take at IB. The underlying notion is that you, along with everyone else (teacher and students), are responsible both as a learner and as a teacher. The emphasis is not on the course content that the teacher must disperse to you like a "fountain of truth", rather the content is simply the vehicle for which you are going to develop habits of mind. These habits of mind include:
1 Thinking critically about the topics that are put before you
2. Pondering open questions and evaluating the variety of possible responses through a systematic and refined internal dialogue
3. Writing coherently and cogently so that you can be clearly understood and you work to be a source of discussion for others
4. Discussing questions with your peers to collaboratively push each other to greater understanding for all
It is important that you approach each TOK lesson ready to engage with the material, your teacher and your peers. Only when we approach ideas and situations with an open mind, can we truly hope to grow as individuals and thinkers.
philipadamsknowledge.pdf
How do I Become Skilled in the Ways of TOK?
How do I Become Skilled in the Ways of TOK?
In order to achieve the above mentioned habits of mind for TOK, here are a few helpful approaches:
1. R_E_S_PECT
Disagreements happen almost every class in TOK so in order for is to function as a learning community, mutual respect is essential. While we will need to form judgments-to be human is to be judgmental-we must separate the person from the argument. There will be no gloating, no disparaging remarks, and definitely no name calling when interacting with classmates or the teacher. We can disagree with, but we can never discount, one another.
2. Openness and Tolerance
Our disagreements must be encouraged within an atmosphere of trust. This requires that we be open and honest without being hostile. When you hear a new idea, or a new way of looking at things, please attempt to keep any scorn out of your voice when you seek to clarify that newly heard perspective. No one is permitted to tell you what to think, while at the same time you are required to allow alternative interpretations to be voiced and explained. Without an open and tolerant mind set our classroom community will become stifled and negatively judgmental rather than a true learning environment.
3. Not Knowing and Understanding are OK
If another student or the teacher says something in class which you do not understand, it is your responsibility to ask that it be clarified. Expect, then, to be asked clarifying questions by both the teacher and other students as well. The goal is to grow together in our understanding and how help to push each other to think more clearly. If you already knew what you are going to learn, you would have already learned it.
4. Participation and Curiosity
There are times when all of us, including the teacher, find it more appropriate to sit and listen. This must be respected. When there are silences in class discussion (more of this in the next section), you need not feel discomfort or a need to fill the void. Silence allows us to ponder and consider our next comment before we make it. Your goal of participation is engagement; mentally and physically. You demonstrate this engagement by actively listening to your peers, writing thoughtfully during in-class writing, speaking during class discussions and completing all assignments in a complete and timely fashion. It is also important to be curious. Curiosity is to be respected in this class-especially yours but that of others as well. Behavior that indicates an honest curiosity is strongly encourage in TOK. Not only will your engagement play a role in your assessment for the term but it will also ensure that TOK class is exciting and fulfilling for all.
5. Discussion and Communication
A large part of the pedagogy (a fancy word for how we teach) of TOK is Socratic Seminar. The Socratic method will be used to introduce topics, as well as a form of formative and summative assessment. For more information on the Socratic Method, follow this link: Introduction to Socratic Discussions
Portions of the above were taken from IB TOK Subject Guide, 1989.
Student Activities:
identify by touch alone three TOK relevant Mystery objects hidden in pillow cases.
Activity:
In groups of 10 photocopy your hands (teacher prints your number on it- but nobody knows the identity except the teacher)
guess who is who
Conclusion? Do we really know anything?
Knowledge Questions:
There is a question you might have heard of before in ToK: ‘how do we know what we know?’. This is THE knowledge question. All knowledge questions ask about how we know things
Knowledge questions are so important to ToK that the syllabus says
‘an essay or presentation that does not identify and treat a knowledge question has missed the point’.
We certainly don’t want to miss the point so it’s essential that you can identify a knowledge question when you see one.
Knowledge questions – 3 characteristics
Knowledge questions – 3 characteristics
1. Knowledge questions are about knowledge
But they are not questions of what you know. ‘Which is the third planet from the sun?’ is not a knowledge question. It only asks for a piece of information. Instead a knowledge question asks how a piece of knowledge is produced – the ‘methods and mechanisms’ for producing knowledge. A good place to start when thinking about this is the Ways of Knowing – which we will discuss in the next blog post.
2. Knowledge questions are open.
They don’t have one right answer but rather there are multiple answers and different sides to the argument.
3. Knowledge questions are general.
They are not specific to a single example. You must use your judgement for this. There is a scale that goes from asking ‘what is the weight of my pen’ to ‘how do we know what reality is like’. The former question is very specific and therefore would not make a good knowledge question. The latter is too general and would not be good for you to try and tackle in your coursework. One guiding rule is that knowledge questions should not use vocabulary specific to any subject. Anyone should be able to understand all the words in a knowledge question!
Next time you want to identify a knowledge question, look at these three characteristics and check that it fulfills them all.
Examples of Knowledge questions:
Examples of Knowledge questions:
Example 1: Future population growth in Africa • Not a knowledge question:
“How can we predict future population growth in Africa?” This is not a knowledge question because it is a technical question within the discipline of population studies. •
Good knowledge question: “How can a mathematical model give us knowledge even if it does not yield accurate predictions?” This is now sufficiently general and explores the purpose and nature of mathematical modelling.
Example 2: The placebo effect and its impact on the medical profession • Not a knowledge question: “How does the placebo effect work?” An answer to this might involve a technical explanation in psychology. This therefore sits above the line in figure 4.
• A good knowledge question: “How could we establish that X is an ‘active ingredient’ in causing Y?” This question is actually a rather general one about how we can know about causal links. It is a classic knowledge question.
Knowledge claims
Knowledge claims
Basically these are claims or statements saying that we think we know something:
1. Some claims are made by individuals, or communities, about how the world and how it works these are called first order knowledge claims. ‘Mammals cannot fly’ is a first order knowledge claim. The claim does not have to be true (think bats), but it does have to say something about the world.
2. Some claims are made about knowledge itself, for example ‘mathematical knowledge is always certain’. This is what is called a second order claim as it examines knowledge itself. We are seeking knowledge about knowledge!
Hopefully you now feel a bit happier with what knowledge questions are. You should be able to use your new skills to identify and even come up with new knowledge questions. You should also have a good idea what a knowledge claim is, that there are two types of knowledge claims and what those are.
The TOK course identifies eight specific ways of knowing (WOKs). They are:
language
sense perception
emotion
reason
imagination
faith
intuition
memory.
Students must explore a range of WOKs. It is suggested that studying four of these eight in depth would be appropriate. The WOKs selected for detailed study should be carefully selected to ensure a coherent and balanced approach.
The theory of knowledge course distinguishes between eight AOKs:
mathematics
natural sciences
human sciences
history
the arts
ethics
religious knowledge systems
indigenous knowledge systems.
Students must explore a range of AOKs. It is suggested that six of these eight would be appropriate.
A useful strategy is to compare and contrast the various AOKs, to look for features they have in common but also to highlight their differences and pinpoint what gives each its own characteristic flavour.
Theory of knowledge video_ Understanding knowledge questions.mp4
TOKKQTemplate.pdfTOK Guide from IB.pdfTypes of Knowledge: Shared and Personal
Types of Knowledge: Shared and Personal
Shared knowledge
Shared knowledge
The best way to tell if knowledge is shared is to look at whether other people can check and correct it. Let’s take one of your IB subjects as an example. Ask your physics teacher what the fastest thing in the universe is and they will likely tell you that light moves faster than anything else. It moves at an impressive 1080 million kilometres every hour through a vacuum! But suppose a study showed something moving faster than light. What would happen?
Other scientists would try to replicate the study, and check it themselves. If they found that indeed, something could move faster than light, what would happen? Our scientific knowledge would have to be corrected. This example shows that science as an academic subject is a matter of shared knowledge. You can use to find out whether knowledge is shared or personal – shared knowledge can always be checked and corrected by the community.
Personal knowledge
Personal knowledge
Personal knowledge is different. Feelings are an example of personal knowledge. Emotional statements can’t be right or wrong, like scientific statements can. Personal knowledge can’t be checked for accuracy or corrected in the same way shared knowledge can. Skills and abilities also count as personal knowledge. Imagine trying to describe to someone what it is like to ride a bike. You peddle, of course, and the wind rushes past you as you go fast. But does this really describe what it is like to ride a bike?
Knowing such things is personal knowledge – you have to experience it yourself to know it at all. Personal knowledge can be really hard to communicate. The same is true for other skills, like sports, cooking and so on.
The interaction
The interaction
It is true that knowledge can be understood by breaking it into ‘shared’ and ‘personal’. However, the two types of categories do interact. Shared knowledge can have a strong impact on how we view the world. Somebody who studies economics might view their weekly shop quite differently because of their academic knowledge. Their personal knowledge had been affected by the shared knowledge they had picked up on in class. We can view this relationship as an intersection, where the two types of knowledge meet.
Hopefully you now feel comfortable with the ideas of personal and shared knowledge. You should feel satisfied that you can identify which kinds of knowledge are being described. Make sure you make use of this in essays and presentations to show that you really know your stuff!
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse