IBDP Theory of Knowledge

“All men by nature desire to know” -Aristotle•TOK is an epistemology course that encourages students to think critically.

•TOK promotes tolerance and self-reflection.

•TOK shows cross-curricular links.

IBDP Program Goals

To educate the whole person.

Create lifelong learners.

Help our students become internationally – minded.

Promote independent and critical thought.

IBDP Hexagon

TOK Diagram

Knowledge Issues

The individual constantly struggles with the problems of knowing or “knowledge issues”.

Linguistic, cultural, emotional and ethical complexities can color perceptions and influence decisions.

Knowledge Issues

Knower

Beliefs

Culture

ValuesAuthority

Technology

Evidence

Ways of Knowing

The four TOK Ways of Knowing are:

1) Perception2) Emotion3) Reason4) LanguageThe Ways of Knowing influence how

students (“knowers”) learn about the Areas of Knowledge.

Perception

Do the senses deceive?

Perception varies across cultures, time and peoples. 

Does our faith in our five senses create misunderstandings and provide incorrect information?

How does this problem influence how students learn about the Areas of Knowledge?

    

Emotion

Emotion plays a powerful role in shaping thoughts and influencing behaviour.

Can emotion be an obstacle in attaining knowledge?

How does emotion influence what we learn in the Areas of Knowledge?

Reason

Is critical thinking important in today’s world?

“Skeptical habits of thought are essential for survival, because careless thinking, flimflam and wishes disguised as facts are not restricted to magic shows and ambiguous advice on matters of the heart.”

- Carl Sagan

LanguageWhat is the importance

of language in our global village?

If people speak more then one language, is what they know different in each language? Does each language provide a different framework for reality?

“Error flies from mouth to mouth, from pen to pen, and to destroy it takes ages.”

- Voltaire

Areas of Knowledge

The six TOK Areas of Knowledge are:

1. The Arts (includes Languages)2. Natural Sciences3. Human Sciences4. Mathematics5. History6. Ethics

The Arts – Linking Questions What roles do the arts play

in people’s lives? To what extent might the

arts be considered a representation of reality?

Is explanation a goal of the arts? How do the arts compare in this regard to other Areas of Knowledge?

How is “good art” recognized or decided on?

What knowledge of art can be gained by focusing attention on the artist?

Natural Sciences – Linking Questions What is meant by “the

scientific method”? What kind of explanations

do scientists offer and how do these explanations compare with those offered in other Areas of Knowledge?

How does the social context of scientific work affect the methods and findings of science?

Do technological advances drive changes in values and morality?

Human Sciences – Linking Questions What are the difficulties

human scientists confront when trying to provide explanations of human behaviour?

What kind of explanations do human sciences offer and how do the explanations compare with those in other Areas of Knowledge?

Are the conclusions of human scientists influenced by their beliefs and values?

Maths – Linking Questions What does calling

mathematics a language mean?

What is the foundation on which mathematical knowledge rests? Is it discovered or invented?

What impact have major mathematical discoveries had on conceptions of the world?

Is the formation of mathematical knowledge independent of cultural influence?

History – Linking Questions Is history the study of the

past of the study of records of the past?

What might be the influence on historical interpretation of the context within which historians write?

Can history provide a guide to understanding contemporary affairs?

To what extent is history about those who held power?

What is the role of the historian?

Ethics – Linking Questions What is the difference

between morality and ethics?

How does the method of ethics compare with the methods in other Areas of Knowledge?

In what ways might justifications for moral beliefs be influenced by views on human nature?

Do established values change in the face of new knowledge?

Are there universal moral codes?

TOK Essay Some TOK prescribed essay titles from

2007-2009. To understand something you need to rely on your

own experience and culture. Does this mean that it’s impossible to have objective knowledge?

Does language play roles of equal importance in different areas of knowledge?

Mathematicians have the concept of rigorous proof, which leads to knowing something with complete certainty. Consider the extent to which complete certainty might be achievable in mathematics and at least one other area of knowledge.

“Science is built of facts the way a house is built of bricks: but an accumulation of facts is no more science than a pile of bricks is a house.” (Henri Pincare) Discuss in relation to science and at least one other area of knowledge.

TOK and DP Unit Planning

AimsIntegrate TOK philosophies into

DP classes.Show how the Ways of Knowing

influence learning in the Areas of Knowledge.

Strengthen cross-curricular links and improve student understanding.

Unit Planning Handbook

Each subject area has a subject specific Unit Planning Handbook.

Follow the instructions in the Unit Planning Handbook to assist you with your DP Unit Planning.

Unit Planners can be found in the Unit Planning Handbooks.

Nature of the SubjectThe first unit plan in DP Grade 11

must be based on the Nature of the Subject.

Choose the unit that you think is best for starting G11 and use that as your Nature of the Subject unit.

The first unit for G11 should be completed by Monday March 15th.

DP Unit PlanningContact me if you need

explanations or assistance.Use the exemplars and your DP

Subject Guides.Dexter, Jill, John, Sue, Joanne, Glen

and Stephanie have completed DP units using the Unit Planning Handbooks.

TOK Across the Curriculum workshop will integrate the Unit Planning Handbook into the workshop.

T:Server

The Unit Planning Handbooks, Exemplars, Unit Planner Template and TOK Linking Questions can be found at:

T:Server/IB Diploma/IBDP Unit Plans

Put completed DP Unit Plans in the subject area specific folder that can be found at:

T:Server/IB Diploma/IBDP Unit Plans