Lets talk about TOK !

The Theory of knowledge is a compulsory subject for any student who is planning on undertaking the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. According to me it is in fundamental nature quite parallel to the principles of epistemology courses which are taken up by university students.

Ways of Knowing

While there are arguably many ways of knowing, the TOK course identifies eight specific ways of knowing(WOKs). They are language, sense perception, emotion, reason, imagination, faith, intuition, and memory. Students must explore a range of ways of knowing, and it is suggested that studying four of these eight in depth would be appropriate.

The WOKs have two roles in TOK:

• they underlie the methodology of the areas of knowledge

• they provide a basis for personal knowledge.

Discussion of WOKs will naturally occur in a TOK course when exploring how areas of knowledge operate. Since they rarely function in isolation, the TOK course should explore how WOKs work, and how they work together, both in the context of different areas of knowledge and in relation to the individual knower. This might be reflected in the way the TOK course is constructed. Teachers should consider the possibility of teaching WOKs in combination or as a natural result of considering the methods of areas of knowledge, rather than as separate units.

Areas of Knowledge

Areas of knowledge are specific branches of knowledge, each of which can be seen to have a distinct

nature and different methods of gaining knowledge. TOK distinguishes between eight areas of knowledge.

They are mathematics, the natural sciences, the human sciences, the arts, history, ethics, religious knowledge systems, and indigenous knowledge systems. 

Students must explore a range of areas of knowledge, and it is suggested that studying six of these eight would be appropriate.

Assessment

There are two assessment tasks in the TOK course: an essay and a presentation. 

1. 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.

2. The presentation can be done individually or in a group, with a maximum group size of three. Approximately 10 minutes per presenter should be allowed, up to a maximum of approximately 30 minutes per group. Before the presentation each student must complete and submit a presentation planning document (TK/ PPD) available in the Handbook of procedures for the Diploma Programme. The TK/PPD is internally assessed alongside the presentation itself, and the form is used for external moderation.

Looking forward to a journey full of insight and wit. 

xoxo

Citations

"Google Images." Google Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2016.

"Theory of Knowledge Guide." Theory of Knowledge Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2016.