How I assess the ToK Exhibition Commentary

Introduction

May Session schools are currently deep into Theory of Knowledge (ToK) Exhibition time. Students are busy writing their commentaries, whilst teachers are occupied with assessing these commentaries. Some teachers have sought support and advice on evaluating the ToK exhibition, so I decided to share my approach to assessing the ToK Exhibition.

This blog post can also be watched as a video at this link, and below

Understanding Global Impression Marking

According to the International Baccalaureate (IB), Global Impression Marking should be used to assess the ToK Exhibition and Essay. But what exactly is Global Impression Marking? The ToK Subject Guide from the IB describes it as “a process of holistic or global judgement rather than an analytical process of totalling the assessment of separate criteria. The assessment instruments present five described levels of performance. These levels are to be seen as global and holistic descriptors rather than as a checklist of necessary characteristics. When marking, the aim is to find the descriptor that conveys most accurately the level attained by the student. It is not necessary for every single aspect of a level descriptor to be met for a mark in that level to be awarded.”

For more detailed information, you can refer to the ToK Subject Guide from the IB.

The Four-Part Structure for ToK Exhibition Commentary

The May 2023 ToK Subject Report outlines a four-part structure for the Exhibition commentary, which I find very useful. These sections are:

1. Identification of the object and its real-world context

2. Explanation of the link between the object and the prompt

3. Justification for the contribution of the object to the exhibition

4. Supporting evidence and references to the prompt

When assessing each object, I consider these four criteria, although I do not give them equal weighting. Generally, I believe that Criteria A-C are more important than D. If a student has adequately addressed A-C, they have likely covered D as well. Criterion C is particularly crucial because justification is necessary for awarding 5-10 marks. As a rough rule of thumb, I allocate approximately 25% of the marks to Criteria A and B, 40% to Criterion C, and 10% to Criterion D. However, I do not write down this weighting; I keep it as a nominal guide in my mind.

Assessing the Commentary

As I read through each commentary, I look for content that can be awarded marks under each of the four criteria. I might keep a rough scorecard for each object, though I do not average these scores. Instead, I use them as a guide to find the descriptor that best fits the commentary according to the marking bands. After applying the four-part structure, I place each object on the assessment rubric and try to find the midpoint between the descriptors to determine an overall marking band.

According to the IB’s instructions for placement within the band:

• Upper mark: Awarded if the student’s work demonstrates the qualities described in that level to a great extent, and may be close to achieving marks in the level above.

• Lower mark: Awarded if the student’s work demonstrates the qualities described to a lesser extent, and may be close to achieving marks in the level below.

Tips to Avoid Moderation Reductions

1. Consistency is Key: Consistency in assessment is almost as important as accuracy. Internal moderation of the commentaries is crucial. This process should involve all ToK teachers who taught the exhibition and, if possible, other ToK teachers who did not teach the exhibition to provide impartial assessments.

2. Teacher’s Comments: Every ToK Subject Report emphasises the importance of the teacher’s comments. They should not be mere cut-and-paste extracts from the assessment instrument but should use the language from it. I use the four-part structure for comments and combine these categories with the qualitative descriptors from the assessment instrument. Crafting detailed comments takes time (around 30-45 minutes per student), but it is worth it to avoid moderation of marks.

Conclusion

Assessing the ToK Exhibition is not rocket science; it is a meticulous process that requires attention to detail and consistency. I hope this guide has been useful for those less experienced in assessing the exhibition. If you have any more requests for content from ToKToday, please get in touch with me at Daniel@TokToday.com.

Stay toktastic, my friends!

Perspective, Power & Responsibility

This is a lesson designed to teach students the ToK Concepts of Perspective, Power and Responsibility. You can watch the video of this blog at this link, or below.

The lesson materials are linked here, reading the blog below will help ToK Teachers to tailor the materials so that they work for your students, and context.

We can think of these 3 concepts (perspective, power and responsibility) as being mutually inclusive, a change in any one of the concepts leads to changes in the other 2.

These three concepts are central to many areas of the course. They provide a good framework for knowledge & the knower, they underpin all five optional themes, and are super useful concepts for linking the systemic & structured nature of AoKs with the more individual and contextual characteristics of knowledge producers and knowers.

Polysemous Concepts

These 3 concepts not only provide a bridge between the knower & Areas of Knowledge, but they are also polysemous - they have more than one meaning:

Power can be both individual and systemic, or structural at the same time. Power can be explored in the production, acquisition or pursuit of knowledge. It could also be looked at in terms of access to, and application of, knowledge.

Responsibility often comes up in ToK Essay Prescribed Titles. Responsibility can apply to both the knowledge producer and the knower in different ways. It obviously provides us with an excellent route to the ethical section of the knowledge framework.

And last, but certainly not least, perspective could arguably be the most important concept in the ToK course. The challenge for ToK teachers is to help students to develop an appreciation of perspective without them sinking into the morass of relativism. 

"This lesson's too basic !"

I know that some ToK teachers are concerned that the materials shared here are "too basic". My aim is to produce resources that are accessible and effective for all ToK learners. Therefore, the lesson has to be accessible to the student that finds ToK highly challenging. The tasks are purposefully very open ended, therefore the complexity and challenge can be increased by the teacher depending upon the needs of the students.

The aims of the lesson:

• Students have the opportunity to explore the interconnectedness of the 3 concepts, and begin to understand that change in one of the concepts is likely to change in the other 2. 

• Students have the opportunity to see that not only are the concepts polysemous, but they can also have different meanings in different contexts at the same time.

The structure of the lesson:

The lesson presents 6 case studies, and students are asked 2 questions about each case study. The questions are firstly To whom, or to what, does this knowledge have power ?, and secondly to whom, or what, is the knowledge producer responsible?

By asking the questions in this way the students will have to form their own definitions of “power” and “responsibility”, just as they have to in the ToK Exhibition and Essay. The differing definitions that students develop, and the different consequences that flow from these various definitions, are the opportunity for the teacher to develop the concept of ‘perspective’ in the subsequent discussions.

As a teacher you know how best to structure the lesson for your students and classroom. Personally I would put students in groups, have each group look at 2 of the case studies, have each group lead feedback on 1 case study, and then ask students to write a reflection piece after the lesson.

The lesson comes out of the work that I have been doing on developing a skills framework for ToK, if you want to know more, or are interested in contributing to the ToK Skills Framework - click here.

Stay ToKtastic my friends.
Daniel, Lisbon May 2024

3 easy ways to teach critical thinking in ToK

In Theory of Knowledge (ToK) critical thinking is not just a buzzword but a foundational skill that can significantly impact students' understanding and their ability to score well in ToK. But what exactly does it mean to "teach critical thinking"? Many of the teachers that I work with have asked for more help with this.

Understanding Critical Thinking in ToK

Critical thinking in ToK can be distilled into two primary elements:

1. Evaluation of Arguments: This involves identifying the strengths and weaknesses of an argument. It's about scrutinising the evidence, reasoning, and conclusions presented.

2. Development of Alternative Explanations: Beyond just critiquing, critical thinking also encompasses the ability to propose different explanations or viewpoints.

While there are numerous facets to critical thinking, focusing on these two skills can significantly aid students in excelling in ToK.

Teaching Critical Thinking Through Knowledge Issues

One of the most effective ways to cultivate these critical thinking skills is by engaging with knowledge issues. A knowledge issue refers to any factor that might influence knowledge - be it in its acquisition, development, production, or evaluation. Key knowledge issues relevant to ToK include reliability, validity, selectivity, predictability, hierarchy, inference, misrepresentation, and various biases.

These issues are intrinsically linked to the 12 core ToK concepts, with each concept potentially serving as a category under which specific knowledge issues can be grouped. For instance, the concept of culture could encompass knowledge issues like misrepresentation, inference, and confirmation bias.

Practical Approaches to Teaching Knowledge Issues

Here are three effective strategies for teaching knowledge issues in the ToK classroom:

1. Grouping Knowledge Issues Under ToK Concepts: Start by having students categorize knowledge issues under the 12 core ToK concepts. Provide them with a list to get started, and encourage them to add their own. This activity boosts familiarity with ToK concepts and deepens understanding of knowledge issues as students discuss and justify their categorizations. For lesson materials that could be used for this activity click here.

2. Applying Knowledge Issues to Real-World Examples: Introduce students to a selection of knowledge issues, then present a real-world case study. Ask students to identify relevant knowledge issues and explain their relevance. This approach helps develop key ToK skills necessary for both the Exhibition and the Essay. For lesson materials that could be used for this activity click here.

3. Using Edward DeBono’s Six Thinking Hats: Adapt this cognitive framework to encourage alternative thinking. Assign each student or group a "hat" that represents a specific way of thinking (e.g., "Facts" for the White hat, "New Ideas" for the Green hat). Present a real-world problem for analysis through the lens of their assigned thinking direction. This activity fosters an understanding of perspective, context, and the intentions of knowledge producers and knowers.

For more in depth thoughts, and further learning materials, on teaching critical thinking in ToK click here

Conclusion

Teaching critical thinking in ToK doesn't require endless watching of TED videos, nor extensive texts. By focusing on ToK skills and creating engaging, activity-based learning experiences, teachers can effectively impart critical thinking skills. For more ideas and resources, feel free to explore further or reach out with suggestions and inquiries.

If you have any content suggestions or questions, don't hesitate to contact us at Daniel@ToKToday.com.

Daniel, Lisbon, Feb 2024

Stages for Teaching the ToK Essay

Teaching the Theory of Knowledge (ToK) essay is a challenging yet rewarding endeavour that requires careful planning and thoughtful instruction. The ToK essay is a critical component of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, demanding students to reflect on the nature of knowledge and how we know what we claim to know. Drawing on my experience of guiding students through the ToK essay in 22 exam sessions, I've distilled my approach into five key stages that have proven effective. These stages are designed to optimise the teaching process for the ToK essay, ensuring both teachers and students are well-prepared for this intellectual undertaking.

1. Planning Not Writing

The most crucial insight I've gained is the importance of prioritising planning over writing. Students should devote a significant portion of their time to unpacking the essay titles, exploring the concepts, and crafting knowledge arguments. This preparatory stage is vital for a successful essay, making the writing process smoother and more productive. I advocate for a planning-to-writing time ratio of roughly 80:20, encouraging students to engage deeply with their ideas before committing them to paper. This approach ensures that students are thoroughly thinking through their arguments and structuring their essays coherently before they begin the actual writing.

2. Delay Choosing Titles

A common mistake students make is rushing to select their essay title. Delaying this choice until later in the planning phase allows students to broaden their understanding of ToK concepts and apply these insights to various prescribed titles (PTs). This strategy enhances their conceptual flexibility, enabling them to craft more nuanced and comprehensive essays. By postponing the selection of essay titles, students can explore a wider range of ideas and approaches, ultimately choosing a title that resonates with their insights and understanding of ToK.

3. Problematizing Concepts, Knowledge Issues & Knowledge Arguments

To achieve high marks in the ToK essay, students must adopt an analytical, evaluative, and critical stance towards ToK concepts and the knowledge framework. Many students begin with a settled view of ToK, which can limit their ability to critically engage with the essay's demands. By problematising ToK concepts and encouraging critical examination of knowledge issues—such as reliability, validity, and falsifiability—students can develop a more sophisticated and questioning approach to knowledge. This critical engagement is essential for constructing compelling arguments and achieving excellence in the ToK essay.

4. Groupwork Teamwork

Given the typical class size for ToK, individualised teacher support for each student's essay can be challenging to provide. Leveraging the power of group work can offer peer support, advice, and guidance. Establishing writing groups for students tackling the same prescribed titles can foster a collaborative learning environment while adhering to academic integrity rules. Promoting the essay as a collaborative process can alleviate individual anxiety and ensure a supportive learning community where all students progress together.

5. The Draft Deadline Is the Big Deadline

Emphasising the draft deadline as the primary milestone can significantly impact the quality of the final essays. By treating the draft deadline with greater importance than the final submission deadline, most of the "heavy lifting" can be completed early on. Some schools celebrate this stage with a Draft Deadline party, highlighting its significance. A well-developed draft sets the stage for refining essays from middle to higher mark bands, focusing on enhancement rather than basic completion.

These five stages offer a comprehensive approach to teaching the ToK essay, providing a framework for students to develop their ideas thoughtfully and critically. For teachers embarking on this educational journey, these strategies can facilitate a more engaging and effective learning experience, helping students to navigate the complexities of the ToK essay with confidence.

Teachers can get a free teaching schedule overview at this link.

If you are a teacher who would like help with delivering the ToK Essay, or you're a student who would like help writing your ToK essay, please contact me: Daniel@TokToday.com

Stay ToKTastic,
Daniel, Lisbon, Feb 2024

Teaching Schedule for the ToK Essay

This is an overview schedule of foci and activities for teaching the ToK Essay, showing the monthly timing for both May and November Exam Sessions.

A few items of note:

• The schedule sets aside 5 months for the completion of the essay. I know that some teachers may dedicta eless time to the essay, but as a critical pass/fail component of the Diploma I dedicate substantial time to the essay.

• Students spend most of the time unpacking & exploring the prescribed titles. This is essential ToK learning, counting towards the 100 hours of time scheduled for ToK.

• The Draft Deadline is the effective end point of the process. If undertaken carefully there should be very little for students to do after the Draft submission.

For more information see this blogpost.

You can download a PDF version of the teaching schedule at this link.

ToK Games as Lesson Activities

I love using ToK games and drama when teaching ToK. In this blog I give you 5 ToK game suggestions, and a bit of the thinking ("pedagogical justification") behind the use of games.

ToK learning should be:

• active rather than passive.

• fun and engaging.

• low stakes and low risk.

• often done standing up.

• short frequent changing activities.

Generally it should avoid:

• reading lengthy passages of text.

• watching long videos (10 mins+)

• intellectual snobbery & exclusion.

Photo by kat wilcox on Pexels.com

To try to make the above happen in my ToK classroom I love using games and drama to teach ToK. I have some simple guidelines for my ToK classroom:

1. Every ToK lesson starts with students standing up doing an activity, usually in a circle.

2. No whole class activity should last more than 15 minutes.

3. Groupwork* increases the learning capacity of the group.

4. No ToK homework is required other than writing Exhibition / Essay.

*balance/combine with individual & pairwork.

2 simple ToK learning activities to use in your classroom tomorrow.

Activity 1: What am I (concepts) ?

This is a ToK version of the classic "Who am I ?" game.

Objective:
(i) To increase familiarity with ToK Concepts.

(ii) To increase understanding of ToK Concepts.

Resources: Post it notes, pens/pencils, ToK Concepts.

Process:

a) students work in pairs.

b) Each student writes a ToK concept on a Post-it note without their partner seeing what they've written.

c) Each student sticks the Post-it on their partner's forehead.

d) Each student asks their partner 5 questions to guess which concept is written on the Post-it on their forehead. (They are not allowed to use the concepts in their questions at this stage).

After 5 questions the student can have 2 guesses at which concept they are.

Eg:
Q1: "am I a concept about predicting?",

Q2: "am I a concept about variability?",

Q3: "without me would you be unsure about the future?"

etc , etc.

Guess: " Am I CERTAINTY ?"

Activity 2: ToK Knowledge Production Circle Game.

This is a ToK version of the "My mother went to market" memory circle time game. It's a sequence memory game.

Objectives:
(i) To learn the AoK.
(ii) To learn the methods of production used in an AoK, and the products of those methods of production.

Resources: none.

Process.

a) Students are in a standing, or sitting, circle.

b) The first student in the circle has to name an Area of Knowledge.

c) The next student has to remember bothe the AoK named by the first student, and they have to add to it either a method of production of that AoK, or the outcome of knowledge production of that Area of Knowledge.

d) The third student has remember the AoK of the first student, the method of production of that AoK named by the second student, and they have to add a new AoK.

e) And so the cycle continues. The first student who does not remember / misremembers an earlier step will be out.

e.g:

Student 1: "AoK Human Sciences"

Student 2: "AoK Human Sciences uses a Survey".

Student 3: "AoK Human Sciences uses a Survey, adding AoK History".

Student 4:"AoK Human Sciences uses a Survey, AoK History uses historical statistical data".

etc etc.

Obviously this game depends upon the number of students that you have in the circle etc etc.

A few closing thoughts:

1. The more I taught ToK the more effective I found games & drama to be as the central teaching process (far more effective than reading, writing and watching videos). More on this approach at this link.

2. The effectiveness of the game depends upon the ToK teacher's ability to spot the learning opportunities, and to draw out the learning from those opportunities.

3. The more your students play the ToK games the better they will become at them, meaning they'll learn more.

4. The more your students associate ToK with low risk, high fun, games the more they'll enjoy ToK...,

5. These games / starter activities can easily take up a lot more time than expected.

For more games:

Robot vs Human Starter Game.

Thunks

Macro-photo game

If you're a ToK teacher, and you find these useful please feel free to let me know in the comments, and to pass them on to other ToK teachers.

Stay Toktastic my friends,
Daniel, Lisbon, Nov 2023

AoK Natural Sciences: A whole Unit of ToK (Free)!

I'm currently writing a new set of lessons for teaching AoK Natural Sciences, and I came across this set of lessons from my old teaching website that I used when I was teaching in Bangkok. There are a lot of resources linked into these lessons, and it's beautifully presented - so I thought I'd offer it out there to the TokToday community (for free).

The focus of the unit is on the organisation of knowledge in AoK Natural Sciences

I think I was having fun with the presentation when I put this together!

My teaching pace and focus with my current ToK students is a bit different to the classes that I put this module together for, so I prefer to rewrite the unit than just use this old unit. However, there's a lot in here - so it may be of use to ToK Teachers reading this blog. If you're pushed for time, and need something ASAP it may be something that you can just pick up and use.

I will publish my new lessons on AoK Natural Sciences in the next week or so, I am focussing on a more active and accessible set of activities.

Other resources which may be of use are:

Jahn & scientific anomalies (a useful RLS).

A presentation about Natural sciences.

If you found these lessons useful, or have suggestions for upcoming content that you would find useful, I would love to read your comments below.

Have a great day!
Daniel,
Lisbon, Jan 2023

5 (essential) tips for marking the ToK Essay Draft

Marking, and feeding back, on the ToK Essay Draft is the key process in improving ToK scores. This post is designed to save ToK Teachers time, toil and possible trauma - it’s focussed for teachers who are new to teaching the ToK Essay, it’s in the “if only I’d known this” category.

1. Keep a copy of both the marked and unmarked Draft. 

A copy of the unmarked Draft can come in useful if the student does not submit a final essay, and you have to send off the Draft. A copy of the marked draft is useful in case the student ‘loses’ your marked draft (it does happen - honestly). The easiest thing to do is to mark the essay in an cloud based platform such as Google Docs, but if you’re marking hard copies by hand take a photocopy before handing them back - it could save you a lot of time later on !

2. Check that the PT is written at the top of the essay exactly as published by IB.

This is a lot more important than it sounds, If the student has written the PT at the beginning they’re much more likely to have directly answered the PT, you will find that as you mark the essay you are constantly referring students back to the wording of the PT, this is all made a lot easier if the PT is there at the beginning.

3. Share a proforma checklist with students beforehand.

A proforma checklist is going to clear up a lot of the problems before you get to marking the essay. It will also save you a lot of time not having to repeat the same points over and over again. You can also use the checklist in peer review before submission.

Don’t rush writing the written feedback, nor explaining it verbally face to face. Time invested in these processes now will save you time, & stress, later on.

Free ToK Feedback Proforma (Google Doc)

Free ToK Feedback Proforma (PDF)

Feedback Presentation (Google Slides)

4. Format & Style matter.

Format is easy - standard font (Arial / Times New Roman) double spaced, the double spacing is important, as is the style of the essay. The essay is best written in a formal academic style, not overly formal, but certainly not informal, colloquial nor familiar. The student certainly can refer to themselves in the first person, and include their personal reflections, but this should all be done in an academic style.

5. Feedback as 2nd / 3rd Interaction

Use the handing back of written feedback as the 2nd or 3rd recorded interaction with the student. You have spent a lot of time writing the feedback, so it’s worth using a little more time holding individual feedback meetings with the students-  checking that they have read the feedback, understand the feedback, and have plans to act on the feedback. After this feedback meeting I ask students to record the meeting as their second or third interaction with me.

Written feedback on the draft is a crucial moment in the ToK Essay writing process which can have great influence on the grades that the students get in the essay.

Well - that’s how I do it, if you have any tips, things that you do differently, please let me know either in the comments section, or email me at Daniel@ToKToday.com

Have a wonderful time marking the ToK drafts,
Daniel,
Lisbon, Jan 2023

ToK Subject Report "at glance".

My aim was to distill the May 22 ToK subject report down to only one page. I wanted to create the "Subject Report at a glance". I then realised that it made more sense to have one page for The Essay, and one page for The Exhibition.

In the May 22 ToK Subject Report the section on the Essay is rather succinct. Earlier Subject Reports contain most of what needs to be said about the ToK Essay. The analysis of the Prescribed Titles gives us an interesting insight into how the examiners interpret the questions, but it is fairly question specific.

The section on The Exhibition is the really interesting part of the May 22 ToK Subject Report. Obviously, this is the first report with details about The Exhibition. It helps us to start to firm up many of the questions that we had earlier.

We get much clearer guidance on issues such as the appropriateness of objects, what constitutes justification, and what is evidence. The point that I made earlier about students having 3 different arguments (1 per object) seems to have been agreed in the report.

To be honest, it's very difficult to distill into one page.

I would strongly recommend that every ToK Teacher read the section on The Exhibition in the original form.

However, I completed my 'at a glance' versions as aide memoir. They could be useful to share with your students.

Get your ToK Subject Report infogram (PDF Version) at this link (it's free).

If you have any questions, or thoughts, about the May 22 ToK Subject Report please leave them in the comments below, or email me at Daniel@TokToday.com.

Check out the pre-subject report video that I made on The ToK Exhibition here, a post-subject report video will be coming out soon.

Have a great day!
Daniel,
Lisbon, October 22

May 23 ToK Essay Titles: Poll !

Good afternoon from sunny Lisbon, Portugal! Perfect to think about May 23 ToK Essay Titles.

I've spent the last two weeks writing notes for the May 23 ToK Essay Titles (you can see the titles on the page linked here), I will have these available on the site in the next week. (I'm just doing the finishing touches - proof reading, sprucing them up etc).

I will have Mind Maps for each essay title available for free to all site subscribers / members / followers - so please sign up (it's free) to the Wordpress site if you want these - I'll mail them out to all members next week. A subscription box is at the end of this post.

I will also be filming videos on each title, available for free, on the YouTube site (details will follow in the next few weeks).

In the mean-time I'd love to know your thoughts on the May 23 ToK Essays - so I have a little poll

Thank you for answering the poll - I will use the results to help guide where I focus my content. Of course I will publish the final results next week.

There are already some posts up on the site about writing the ToK Essay.

There are a couple of videos already on the YouTube Channel about the ToK Essay (many more to follow).

If you have any thoughts, or questions, about the May 2023 Essay Titles then please email me at Daniel@toktoday.com.

Don't forget to subscribe !

How do we avoid the use of Essay Mills?

Essay Mills are private companies that offer essay writing services to students. There has been a proliferation of these companies in recent years (see this Guardian article for example). Their main focus has been the higher education sector, however it can be assumed that their services are also available to IB Diploma students. The question for ToK Teachers is how can we deter our students from using Essay Mills ?

During, and after, the 'act' processes - do they beat essay mills ?

The use of the following processes to retain academic integrity is fairly widespread in ToK:

Using Construction monitoring tools such as Google Docs: The teacher can monitor the essay as it is being written by the student.

Plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin.Com: This software is best used by the student during the writing of the essay. Giving the student the power and freedom to use the software helps them to avoid any potential plagiarism issues. It also helps them to find papers that have been written using the same terms that they are using.

There are a couple of concerns with plagiarism detection software:

1. Using it after the essay has been submitted.

2. If it is only used after the student has submitted their essay it is being used as a cure rather than a prevention. The 'after-submission' method doesn't teach the student best practises for avoiding academic integrity problems in the future.

3. "What % is acceptable ?".

4. I often hear teachers (& students) asking what the "acceptable percentage" of similarity is when looking at a Similarity Report. This question demonstrates a misunderstanding of what the software is doing. A report can have a high similarity rating just because it repeatedly uses a phrase from the prescribed title which is often used in other papers. This doesn't necessarily mean that the student has plagiarised the essay, they are merely repeatedly referring to the Prescribed Title (which is good practice). Conversely, a report can have a very low similarity percentage yet the essay contains a whole paragraph which has been copied word for word from another source - this is a serious breach of academic integrity despite the report having a low similarity rating.

Writing in controlled circumstances: When a teacher suspects that an essay may not be the student's own work there is the option of asking the student to write a new essay under monitored & controlled circumstances. Obviously this is opens up a whole range of problems - the student is not developing the essay under the same conditions as other students, the student doesn't have a long period of time to develop the essay, and it is very demanding on school resources.

None of the "during & after the act' processes above avoid the problem of students using essay mills.

The essay monitoring system (sometimes called "Check Check out") is open to the student adding the milled essay piece by piece. Plagiarism detection software will only pick up an essay if it (or parts of it) has been copied from elsewhere. If the essay mill writes an original essay then this will not be picked up by the software (however, there is evidence that essay mills are recycling essays - which is obvious a great potential threat for our students). Finally, asking students to write under controlled conditions opens the school up to all sorts of allegations of unfair treatment etc.

There is only one viable educational method to counter the scourge of essay mills - the development of Self Regulated Learning Skills.

Self Regulated Learning definition: Self-regulated learning is a cyclical process, wherein the student plans for a task, monitors their performance, and then reflects on the outcome. The cycle then repeats as the student uses the reflection to adjust and prepare for the next task. The process is not one-size-fits-all; it should be tailored for individual students and for specific learning tasks (Zimmerman, 2002).

It's a fair assumption that we all know those students in our classroom who have self regulated learning skills and qualities. I don't need to describe how those students take charge of their learning in ToK. I think we can all agree that those students are not going to use Essay Mills. However, if you need more details see the end of this blog.

How do we teach Self Regulated Learning Skills in ToK ?

Most research shows that the basis of self regulated learning is critical reflection, and in turn the basis for critical reflection is self reflection. In order to integrate self, and critical, reflection into the ToK classroom we can use the basic teaching structure of David Kolb's Learning Cycle:

Kolb's Learning Cycle provides us with a framework for developing self regulated learning in the ToK classroom.

1. Time
   We can't start to deal with academic integrity of the ToK Essay when the students start to write the essay (or even worse, after they submit the essay). We need to address it from the first day in ToK through the use of self reflection. Self Regulation does not appear over night, but over a long period of time.

2. Domain Specific
   Self Regulated Learning Skills are domain specific - therefore just because a student is a self regulated learner in another DP subject doesn't necessarily mean they will be so in ToK. We need to show them how to be a reflective and self regulated learner in ToK.

3. Self Confidence.
   Students turn to Essay Mills because they have low confidence in their own abilities to write The ToK essay. Therefore we need to ensure that our students have the self-confidence and capacity to write the essay. We do this by slowly scaffolding ToK Skills, and the use of self reflection throughout the course.

For more on ToK Skills see this blog (& video)

For more on using Kolb's Learning Cycle see this blog (& video).

In the coming months I will have more content showing the use of Kolb's learning cycle as the lesson framework for ToK lessons. In the meantime you may want to look at this lesson.

If you have any specific requests for resources please let me know at Daniel@ToKToday.com.

Daniel,
Lisbon, September 2022

References

• Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 64-70.

Characteristics of Self Regulated Learners:

What we know

Research (see reference list below) shows that teaching self-regulated learning skills enhances student learning. Self-regulated learning is:

• a goal driven process

• encompasses skills that can be learned through observations or modelling.

Self-regulation skills include:

• goal setting

• reflection

• self-management of on/off task behaviour.

Self-regulated learners are aware of:

• their strengths and weaknesses as a learner

• the learning strategies that they can manage and use

• strategies they can use to motivate their learning and stay on task.

• (From Victoria State Education Dept) Like & Reference: at this website

ToK Essay Activator Questions

The ToK Essay Activators are questions that students can use at the beginning of their ToK Essay Planning Process. They are a way to start to understand the essay title. They’re the foundation of thinking.

The video explanation of this resource is linked here, and below.

The beginning of the process

The firstl stage of thinking about the ToK Prescribed Titles is foundational for success later in the process. Unfortunately, this initial stage is often an overlooked activity. Giving students individual thinking time to form their own understanding of the ToK Essay is crucial. Forming a solid personal understanding of the essay early helps when they hear other people's interpretations of the essay in the later stages of essay writing. If students who don't have a solid personal understanding of the essay they may be tempted to use other people's interpretations. Accordingly they will then, probably, find it harder to develop in terms of analysis, evaluation and implications. The higher order analysis of knowledge arguments is easier for the student to develop if the original knowledge argument has been developed by the student themselves. This is why spending individual time at the beginning of the essay process is foundational for future success.

ToK Essay Activators are a set of questions that students can use to improve their understanding of the ToK Essay.

The ToK Essay Activators are questions that students can use to guide their thinking. They are useful at the beginning of the process. The questions help to develop personal knowledge arguments relating to the prescribed title.

The ToK Essay Activators are available (for free) at:

PDF Version link

Google Slides Version link

Google Slides as PDF

Students who are looking for more help to write the ToK Essay check out our Student Support Page, and the Ebook "How to write the ToK Essay in 6 easy steps".

Notes on May 23 ToK Essay Titles are coming soon (Mid September), and will be available from this link.

There are also some great tips at this blog.

If there are further resources that you would like me to develop do not hesitate to get in touch. I can also help with curriculum planning: Daniel@TokToday.com.

Daniel, Lisbon,
Aug 2022

What makes some ToK Essay Questions more difficult ?

and conversely, what makes some ToK Essay Questions easier than others ?

The May 2023 ToK Essay titles are out, students are choosing their preferred title, and teachers are giving their advice. We often implicitly know that some titles will be more difficult than others, I decided to try to articulate some of that 'implicit knowledge'.

The video about this post is linked here, and below.

The relativism bit.

I feel obligated to get the "relativist" bit out of the way at the beginning of this post:

• how difficult a student finds a question will vary by student.

• how difficult it is to support a student writing a particular question will vary by teacher & student.

• more popular questions may be marked more stringently by some examiners

• Terms such as 'easy', 'difficult', 'challenging' are relative.

OK, with the relativist bit out of the way, we're going to pretend that our world view is a close representation of other people's world view - just for the sake of simplifying(ish)the world.

NB - IB own the copyright to all PTs, and don't allow them to be reproduced without written permission. Therefore I have attenuated, or changed the PTs presented here. The points made about the original PTs remain the same despite this, but if you want the actual full PT you will need to see the TRM on the PRC.

6 Factors which influence the difficulty of a ToK Prescribed Title:

1. "Closed Ended" vs Open Ended.

We know that all the questions are open ended questions (the command term is usually "Discuss"), but the Knowledge Question, or Claim, upon which they are founded is not always open ended. For example May 2022 #3 "Is there solid justification for regarding knowledge in Natural Sciences more highly than knowledge in [another] AoK?". In this case the student can start thinking about the essay in terms of answering "yes there is...," or "no there isn't...,". This makes writing claims and counterclaims far more straightforward, especially for those students who struggle with ToK.

The most 'closed ended' PT's contain absolute statements (eg #3 Nov 21:  “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact” (Arthur Conan Doyle)). This absolute statement gives the student a fairly stable base on which to start developing their essay. For example with #3 Nov 21 students can start to think what Doyle meant by an "obvious fact", and therefore think about why it might be the most deceptive thing. It's a fairly solid base from which to develop the essay.

2. Assumptions.

Some of the PTs contain assumptions, sometimes these assumptions are explicit, sometimes they're implicit. Further some PTs contain both explicit and implicit assumptions. For example:

• Explicit assumption: #3 May 2020: Does it matter that your personal circumstances influence how seriously your knowledge is taken?

• Implicit assumption: #5 Nov 2021: “If all knowledge is provisional, when can we have confidence in what we claim to know?” (implicit assumption that we ever have confidence in what we know).

• Both explicit & Implicit assumptions: #1 Nov 2021: "Why is it so difficult to identify a clear line between accepted and disputed knowledge within a discipline?"

OK, these dividing lines between explicit & implicit assumptions may not be as stark as shown here, but I assume that you get the idea.

The potential problem of assumptions is whether students should tackle them in the answer, and whether they NEED to tackle them to form their answer. The guidance is that students need to focus on the PT as given, and not change it. Therefore to spend too much time tackling the assumptions would be a diversion from the PT (as given), it's a loss of the required focus on the PT.

However, the higher marking bands of the assessment rubric also requires students to develop arguments pertaining to the KQ inherent in the PT. It is in this area that, with some PTs, students have the latitude to challenge the assumption(s) in the PT. The greater challenge comes when there are multiple assumptions in the PT. For example:

#3 May 2021: “Labels are needed* in the organization of knowledge, but they also constrain our understanding.”

Assumptions:

1. Labels are used in the organisation of knowledge.

2. Understanding can be constrained .

3. That there is organisation of knowledge.

In such circumstances I have advised my students to state which assumptions they are accepting as given, and which assumptions they will be critically interrogating. Further, if they have sufficient words they could give a rationale for their approach. This strategy has seemed to have worked well over the years.

Posing rhetorical questions within responses.

One of the particular holes that weaker students can fall into when dealing with a PT containing multiple assumptions is to write the assumption as a question in their response, and then to leave that question unanswered. For example, a student answering #3 May 21 (above) may pose the question "how do we even know that knowledge is organised, or is knowledge construction the organisation of disorganised data ?". In this instance we have a number of problems. The first being that PT isn't primarily about the organisation of knowledge (nor data), but about labels. As such the student is moving their focus off the PT. The student needs to directly link that question to the PT (about labels) for it to 'add' to the response. Secondly, by leaving a question hanging the essay reads like an incomplete, or incoherent, piece.

3. Quotes

Some of the questions contain a quote, often from a renowned writer. Eg #2 May 2022 "there’s a world of difference between truth and facts" May Angelou. Whilst this does not automatically make the question more difficult I have often found that it can introduce extra (confusing) variables into the process, particularly for students who find ToK difficult.

Obviously the student is required to interpret the quote in terms of ToK, and then to look at arguments pertaining to their ToK-interpretation of that quote. However, I have found that some students can get hung up on the author of the quote, and spend time trying to find a contextual meaning for the quote by investigating the life and works of the author. I assume that such students are bringing well learned skills and expectations from Grp 3 subjects such as History, or Global Politics, to their ToK. Of course, in some cases the quote can be a good platform for the student, but more often than not I have found it an added obstacle for students who are challenged by ToK.

4. Definitions.

Invariably the PTs require the student to develop definitions of concepts and key terms. Let's look at ToK Concepts first. ToK concepts should be easier for the student to define well (having studied the ToK course) than non-ToK concepts. Further some of the ToK Concepts will be easier to define than other ToK Concepts when they are readily apparent / clear in the corresponding AoK Knowledge Framework. For example in May 2022 #5 the concept of Interpretation in the Arts and one other AoK should have been relatively easy to draw from the Knowledge Framework. However, some ToK Concepts may not have been readily apparent to students even with interrogation of the corresponding knowledge framework eg #1 May 2022 the concept of Culture within AoK Maths will have required some further thought by many students.

However, this can become far more challenging when considering the need to define concepts/terms which are not included in the 12 ToK Concepts (which is not to say that they're not ToK concepts, it's just that they're not on the list on 12 defined by IB). A few examples: # 4 May 2022 - Stories. #6 May 2022 - Acceptable. #4 Nov 22- Indisputable. In these cases I often find that students will initially reach for a dictionary definition of the term, which usually takes them away from a ToK interpretation of the concept, and restricts the depth of their response. Further, weaker students find it difficult to apply the non-ToK concept to Knowledge Framework of the chosen AoK. The classic resent example was the concept of Story in #4 May 22. Many students found it difficult to interpret the idea of a story in Human Sciences, and to develop the notion of story in AoK History.

5. Clear claim or unclear claim?

All of the PTs include at least one 'claim', some PTs have multiple claims. Some PTs contain a single, clear, directional claim eg #5 Nov 2020: "Reliable Knowledge can lack certainty". In this case the student only has to deal with a single proposition, and the direction indicated by that proposition is clear. However, some PTs contain multiple claims Eg . #6 Nov 22: “If artists have freedom to interpret the past in ways that denied to historians, is this a benefit or barrier to our understanding of the past?" Discuss with reference to the arts and history (slightly changed to avoid copyright problems). With this PT the claim is a question in itself, that needs to be dealt with alongside the main thrust of the PT, namely the asset or obstacles to understanding the past. On top of this is the implicit assumption that an (the ?) aim of artistic knowledge is an understanding of the past.

Prescribed titles with a single, straightforward, claim tend to be easier for students to answer than those with multiple claims.

6. Freedom of Area of Knowledge.

Until May 2022 most Prescribed Titles give students a free choice as to which AoKs they want to write about, ostensibly this 'freedom' would seem to make it easier to answer these PTs than those that specify one (or sometimes both) PTs to be considered. However, in my opinion, the PTs which specify a PT are usually easier than those that give a free choice.

The Prescribed Essay Titles are actually asking students to engage in a discussion about The Knowledge Framework of the Areas of Knowledge. They are asking students to draw upon the knowledge issues arising from the Scope, Perspectives, Methodology and Ethics sections of the Knowledge Framework. Arguably, some knowledge issues are more 'obviously' relevant to certain AoKs than they are to others. When the Examiners are directing students towards a specific AoK they are , in effect, telling us that this knowledge issue is most pertinent in this specific AoK. It's directed guidance which makes it easier for the student to focus on the title, and make relevant links to the essay title. As such it makes it easier for students to access the higher marking bands, especially those students who struggle with ToK. Let's look at a couple of examples:

#5 May 2022: 5. In what ways* can we distinguish between good and bad interpretations? Discuss with reference to the arts and one other area of knowledge. (slightly altered for copyright reasons).

Obviously all AoKs involve interpretation of knowledge, however arguably interpretation is a more salient issue in AoK The Arts than in some other AoKs. In The Arts Interpretation of both the artist (the knowledge producer) and the audience (the knower) is it at the heart of the knowledge production process and knowing (the audience). By asking students to contrast AoK The Arts with one other AoK the examiners are giving students a big hint that they could write an essay contrasting an individualised approach to knowledge (The Arts) with a more standardised approach to knowledge (eg Mathematics, or Natural Sciences). The students could look at the function of the Area of Knowledge, or the acceptability of individualised interpretation within each AoK. They could look at standardised protocols of interpretation in an AoK such as Maths vs less standardised protocols in The Arts etc.

Prescribed Titles that direct students to at least one AoK for consideration give students a greater chance of focussing on salient issues. Therefore such PTs tend to be 'safer' (& maybe 'easier'), particularly for students who struggle with ToK.

A few side swinging Googlys (as in the cricketing sense of the word):

No explicit directive link to ToK:

In the past we used to see the occasional question that had no explicit directive link to ToK. These are becoming more rare in recent sessions, but I thought I'd include this warning here, just in case they reappear in future sessions. An explicit directive link to ToK is a phrase telling the students what to do with the stimulus, eg "Discuss this with reference to two Areas of Knowledge". Here are two examples of PTs that do not have an explicit directive link to ToK:

#2 Nov 2021

“Knowledge gained through direct experience is powerful but can be* problematic.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

#2 Nov 2020

“Too much of our knowledge revolves around ourselves, as if we are the most important thing in the universe” (adapted from Carlo Rovelli). Why could* this be problematic?

Neither of the PTs above explicitly tell the students that they need to refer to the ToK framework, specifically the Knowledge Frameworks of the AoK. I know that teachers will make this clear to the students, but it's still very possible that students may write a more descriptive and anecdotal essay, particularly those students who find ToK more challenging.

Truth.

I used to have a general rule that students should avoid using the word "truth" in my ToK classroom, and in their ToK Essays / Presentations (as they then were). The concept of truth introduced so much complication, and would often be used interchangeably with objectivity or validity. Now that Truth is one of the twelve core concepts in the current guide the truth can no longer "be avoided".

In May 2022 PT #2 put the concept of truth at the heart of the essay title, and many of my students chose to write this title. I had to do some significant extra teaching to help them to develop a range of definitions for the word "truth", and to develop a set of critical approaches to truth. My caution about the concept of truth is that many students treat is an external fixed reality. May 2022 PT #2 was getting to the heart of that mistake, and asking them to interrogate the idea of a separation between external 'truths' ("facts") and internal knowledge ("truth"). Those that chose this essay title did fairly well.., but I remain cautious when it comes to the "truth" !

Existential-type questions

Some PTs refer to the Knower, as such these questions could be interpreted as asking the student to comment upon the Knower as well as the construction of knowledge within an AoK. Commenting upon The Knower is, of course, a laudable aim (The Knower is after all the Core Theme in the current guide). However, for some students who struggle with ToK discussions about The Knower can easily become self referential and anecdotal. They can also fall into being a commentary on relativism - which rarely helps students to achieve a good grade in ToK. In the most concerning incidents discussions about The Knower can lead to 'existential type' responses which question the nature of being, and our function in the universe.

Examples of PTs which invite discussion of the knower:

May 2016

3. “The knower’s perspective is essential in the pursuit of knowledge.” To what extent do you agree with this statement* ?

May 2020

3. Is it of concern* that your personal circumstances influence how seriously your knowledge is taken?

If you want to watch a video on questions which will help students to understand the ToK Essay title click here.

Students who are looking for more help on how to write the ToK Essay can check out this Ebook.

Summary.

These general observations about factors which make PTs more, or less, challenging for ToK students have been gathered over many years of teaching & supervising the Essay, and marking it for IB. They are very broad generalisations, and of course there are going to be PTs, and students, that don't conform to the observations above. However, I hope that these observations help ToK students and teachers a little more when making the judgment about which ToK PT to write.

Do you agree, or disagree, with my observations? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

Daniel, Lisbon, Portugal.
August 2022.

• this is not the original word in the PT, it has been changed to ensure that we don't break IB copyright, however the substituted word has broadly the same meaning, arguably.

Critical Thinking - how to teach it.

Before we get into how to teach critical thinking it may be useful to tell you that this is the third blog in this series. The first looked at Knowledge Issues in ToK, the second is a starter lesson activity connecting knowledge issues and ToK Concepts. The third post proposes The ToK Mindset. You may want to jump back & read those posts to contextualise this one.

Critical Thinking - a jumping off point.

OK, I'm not going to be able to cover the whole of how to teach critical thinking in one blog post, but it's an essential topic to start to cover on these pages. Firstly, critical thinking is one of the Aims of ToK (3rd bullet point on Pg 7 in the current ToK Guide). Secondly, all of the aims implicitly rely on the student's ability to think critically. Thirdly, it's at the heart of The ToK Mindset - which is the foundation to improving grades in ToK.

The ToK Mindset is 4 domains of understanding which underpin success in ToK. These 4 domains are a good starting point for defining the type of critical thinking required by ToK students.

Reflection is not distraction.

When IB brought in the current version of the Extended Essay they gave 17% of the total marks available to Reflection. Concerned about the subjectivity of this criteria I asked the workshop leader how he recommend we teach 'Reflection', he skirted around the issue. I asked him the same question a few more times (yes, I'm THAT workshop participant), he told me that teaching reflection wasn't part of the workshop, and gave me a few other fob offs. IB hadn't defined how Reflection was to be taught in the DP, therefore I decided that I needed to define the process for my team of DP teachers.

Much of the literature places self reflection as the first stage of developing critical thinking skills. There are many different strategies for developing Self reflection, just a few are:

• Journalling (keeping a ToK journal is a popular activity in many ToK classrooms).

• Think - Pair- Share.

• Two Stars and wish.

• Reflection Breaks during the lesson.

• Visible Thinking. Routines.

It's not my place to tell you which method of reflection you should use, whatever methods work best for you and your students is the way you should go. The function of this blog is to look at the role of reflection in developing critical thinking skills.

Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle.

David Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle (aka "Kolb's Learning Cycle") is based on gestalt psychology. The Learning Cycle has been demonstrated to be significantly effective under empirical testing. It has been widely used for over 30 years in inquiry and constructivist models. MY EE workshop leader (mentioned earlier) should have directed me towards Kolb's Learning Cycle. This is the basic model that I use to plan ToK Lessons. It is an effective structure for developing critical thinking skills because it builds self reflection. (You can find out more about the cycle from David's own website: Learningfromexperience.com)

Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle can be used as an effective framework for planning ToK lessons which improve personal self reflection, and therefore improve critical thinking skills.

Kolb's Learning Cycle in ToK Lessons.

We can place the 4 stages of the learning cycle into a 'typical' ToK Lesson:

Concrete Learning.

This is the challenge that we start the lesson with. It could be a Knowledge Question drawn from the syllabus, or related question we've drawn up ourselves. We give the students a concrete experience to use to start to explore this question eg: a drama activity, a card sort, analysing text, building a model from newspaper etc.

Reflective Observation

During this period we ask the students to reflect upon the processes used to solve the challenge set at the beginning of the lesson. This reflection can be both individual and group reflection. It is usually very effective when it is integral to the original challenge. For example if the original challenge is holding a round table debate the adjudicators of the debate can lead on the reflective observation. The last stage of this observation is to identify some learning principles which we will take into the next stage of learning.

Abstract Conceptualisation

This is the 'teacher inventiveness' stage. We need to find a way to show the students how the learning from the first two stages applies in the abstract and conceptual ToK World. This could take the form of modelling an application of findings from the first stage in the ToK World. Alternatively it could be done by providing the students with a heavily scaffolded task.

Active Experimentation

This is the stage when the students take the real world experience (of stage 1), and apply it in the ToK World. This is the stage when we set the "ToK World task", which is more likely to be a knowledge question from the ToK Guide. The students take the principles arising from the reflection in stage 2 and apply them in this stage.

We have to teach students to translate real world experience into the ToK World.

Kolb's Learning Cycle helps students to move from "the Real World" to "the ToK World". This is a key step on the way to developing The ToK Mindset. If Kolb's Learning Cycle is used repeatedly as the underlying model for ToK lessons more students will be able to successfully transition their knowledge from the real world to the ToK World.

In the coming months I will post lessons that follow the structure of Kolb's Learning Theory. At this stage you can see the lesson linked here on Art & History which uses the learning cycle as its framework. A video on teaching skills in ToK (a wider perspective) can be found here.

If you would like me to develop specific materials for a particular topic/AoK/theme/purpose please don't hesitate to contact me at Daniel@TokToday.com.

Daniel,
Lisbon, August 2022

What is the ToK Mindset? and how do we create it?

It's a warm Thursday afternoon, the last period of the day, and you have DP1 ToK in a warm and stuffy classroom. Attention is wandering, some students are drifting between drowsiness and distraction. You're trying your best, they're trying their best. However, three students, sitting near the front have steel like attention fixed on the task at hand. They're engrossed in lively conversation about the difference between perceived knowledge and evidential knowledge, they keep calling you over for clarification. They want you to explain some of the finer points of Kantian Transcendental Realism even though they know it's far beyond the demands of this course. These students have developed the ToK Mindset (and some!).

The challenge for the ToK Teacher is to help all students to develop the ToK Mindset. OK, we don't need all of our students to go as far as the 3 Neo-Kantians ! Our challenge is to get our students to a point where they can apply a rather abstract framework and set of principles to the lived world.

This is the third Blog post in this series, the first concerned Knowledge Issues, and the second is a lesson starter activity that you can use to link ToK Concepts with Knowledge Issues. Both previous posts will help to build background understanding for this post.

What is the ToK Mindset?

The ToK Mindset is the ability to apply the ToK Framework, and principles of ToK, to the world that we experience.

an experienced ToK Teacher.

How do we create the ToK Mindset?

4 areas of understanding need to create the ToK Mindset.

We can try to identify what it is that those students who understand ToK have that the other students have less of. I think that there are 4 areas of understanding:

1. Making the familiar unfamiliar means questioning taken for granted assumptions. Simon Sinek coined the phrase "asking why not what", and we can repurpose that for ToK. This is why I teach my students that the first rule of ToK is to "Question the question".

2. Three key concepts: Perspective, Context and Extrapolation, allow the students to understand their their lived reality is not a standardised and universal experience. These concepts allow them to build conceptual and abstract models. These are the thinking skills which enable students to understand that "other's with their differences may also be right".

3. The BLURS mnemonic helps students to develop arguments that are nuanced, and have the combination of complexity, depth and analysis required in ToK.

4. An understanding that knowledge is constructed. This seems self evident, but it is more complicated than it seems. Students can often say that knowledge is constructed without necessarily appreciating what that means. I come across this most frequently when we're looking at AoK History or Maths. In both AoKs students will refer to "the truth", or "what actually happened". When I remind them that "knowledge is constructed" they often don't see the inherent contradiction.

Conclusion.

If we can build understanding in the 4 areas for the ToK Mindset we will improve understanding, and grades, in ToK. The challenge is how we build that understanding. In the next blog post in this series I will look at the underlying framework for teaching which helps to build that understanding. It may also be useful to look at the ToK Skills Map (I welcome any feedback / suggestions on the Skills Map).

Daniel,
Lisbon, August 2022.

Connecting ToK Concepts & Knowledge Issues- ToK lesson starter activity.

This blog post is a development of the earlier post What no Knowledge Issues?, you may wish to read that for more context. This post describes a ToK lesson starter activity that improves student understanding of ToK concepts.

I find that my students often arrive in my ToK class with the modus operandi of other subjects, namely that they're eager to find 'right answers' and arrive at solutions. As such, I try to use starter activities which tune them into ToK ways of thinking (complexity and incongruence are allowed). My starter activities tend to be content-light rather than reading complex tracts of text.

Today's starter activity is designed to:

• Help the students to learn the ToK Concepts.

• Help the students to develop their own definitions of the ToK Concepts.

• Link Hexagon Subjects with ToK.

Knowledge Issues.

As explained in the earlier blogpost Knowledge Issues have been replaced in the current ToK Study Guide (first exams 2022) by ToK Concepts. However, students will still be learning about problems of knowledge construction (aka "Knowledge Issues") in their Hexagon subjects. The types, and names, of these knowledge issues will vary by subject (eg in Psychology they may learn about Ecological Validity, in Language A Intertextuality, in Visual Arts Expression as Truth etc etc). The challenge for the ToK teacher is to help students to place those subject based knowledge issues under the ToK Concepts.

If we are able to place the subject based knowledge issues under the ToK Concepts we will be increasing the integration of ToK into the Hexagon Subjects, and vice versa.

Student Activity.

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This graphic organiser places the ToK Concepts on the left & right borders of the page, and puts Knowledge Issues in the centre of the page.

The instructions to students are to draw lines linking the Knowledge Issues to the ToK Concepts. You could make this more specific, for example requiring each KI to be joined to at least 2 ToK Concepts etc. Or you could limit the number of connections that they can make.

Obviously, you can swap out the knowledge issues for whichever ones are most suitable for your context. You could make it specific to a particular AoK, for example if you're studying The Natural Sciences just use Knowledge Issues which are relevant to The Natural Sciences etc.

You can get a PDF copy of this graphic organiser at this link.

The learning.

The students will have to come up with working definitions of both the ToK Concepts and the Knowledge Issues as they try to link the Knowledge Issues with each concept.

Of course, the real learning comes when they explain the links they made to the rest of the class, and compare their links with other groups in the class.

Of course (2), an argument can be made to link any of the Knowledge Issues with any of the ToK Concepts - the learning is in the arguments made for the link. As students become more au fait with ToK you can ask them to bring their own knowledge issues from one (or more) of their Hexagon Subjects.

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Here's an example of a 'linked up' set of ToK Concepts & Knowledge Issues. Your students should come up with something which looks like this, or is even messier than this !

You can get a PDF of this filled version here, but remember it's not 'the right answer', it's just one of many answers.

As with so many of these "Starter Activities" they can quickly expand to take up the whole lesson. I'm usually happy to let them take up the whole lesson if learning is taking place. Especially, if the students are enjoying them.

If you use this (or any other of my activities) I'd be really interested to hear how they go, and how they may be improved. You can contact me at Daniel@TokToday.com.

If you have any requests for further activities or ideas please do get in touch.

Daniel,
Lisbon, Aug 2022.

What, no Knowledge Issues? (link to ToK Concepts?)

Should Knowledge Issues have a specific role in the current ToK Course. In this short blog I argue that Knowledge Issues still serve a specific and crucial role in ToK.

The latest version of the ToK Study Guide (first exams 2022) replaced the idea of "Knowledge Issues" with 12 ToK Concepts. The concepts are fused throughout the course, and can be applied in all Areas of Knowing and Themes. The Concepts help students to develop a deeper, and more critical, understanding of knowledge construction and the issues associated with it.

However, underlying the 12 ToK Concepts there are further issues of knowledge construction. In former iterations of the ToK Guide we called these "Knowledge Issues". I think it's still useful to teach the students about some of these knowledge issues, and ideally for them to bring those knowledge issues across from their Hexagon Subjects. These knowledge issues are useful because they help students to further understand how the concepts influence the construction of knowledge, how the concepts are limitations and constraints on that construction, and to understand why we develop different types of knowledge.

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On the left are a few examples of Knowledge Issues, this is by no means an exhaustive list - there are many many others. I only include this list so that you get some idea of what I'm referring to when I use the term "Knowledge Issues".

It is well note that the IB does not use the term 'Knowledge Issues' in the current Study Guide, and that there is no expectation that we teach students either the term, nor the processes indicated here referring to that term. However, the 'Knowledge Issues' can be fairly domain specific, and students will be learning about these in their Hexagon Subjects. Therefore, if we want to help students to identify the ToK aspects of their Hexagon subjects it is useful to unpack the ToK Concepts in terms of the knowledge issues inherent to those hexagon subjects.

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Knowledge issues connect knowledge construction issues in the Hexagon Subjects with the 12 ToK Concepts.

Ideally, we would encourage (equip) students to identify the knowledge issues that are apparent in their Hexagon Subjects and bring those across to their ToK studies. We can help them to do this by working alongside their hexagon teachers because often students don't realise that the knowledge issues that they are learning in the hexagon are also relevant in ToK. Those hexagon based knowledge issues can then be grouped under the ToK Concepts, thus integrating ToK and the Hexagon (which is both the aim of ToK, and something that we have to find evidence for when it comes to IB / CIS Evaluation).

You may be wondering why I'm not just posting content. If so here's a quick video explaining my views on content.

In the next blogpost I will show you a simple lesson activity to connect the Hexagon Knowledge Issues with the ToK Concepts.

Daniel,
Lisbon, August 2022

Photos to Concepts - Lesson Starter Activities

I like lesson starter activities to be fairly low cost for both students and teachers alike, low cost in planning time, stress and brainpower. If I try to start a lesson with an article from an esteemed publication (like Nat Geo or The Atlantic) I find student energy can dip down pretty quickly.

My students sometimes need to be 'eased' into the ToK Mindset at the beginning of the lesson.

So, the two lesson starter activities that I present today meet the criteria of super-low cost in terms of planning, stress and brain power. Simple they may be, but they can also be very powerful in helping students to learn ToK. Their power comes in the ensuing discussion rather than in the complexity of the planning. - Take a rest ToK Teacher !

Picture - Concept Lesson Starter Activity.

This starter activity is super straightforward. You simply show the students a random photo of anything (you can use a random picture generator such as this), and ask them the question

"Which ToK Concepts are represented by this photo?"

Of course any ToK Concepts can be linked to any photo if you are able to construct a good argument, and that is the essential value of this activity. This very simple, no planning, activity has led to some of my best ToK lessons over the years.

"Which ToK Concepts are represented by this photo?"

Obviously the learning comes from how you develop the discussion about why the students chose certain concepts rather than others..

Develop discussion.

Learning:

• Students become familiar with ToK Concepts.

• Students learn how to link concepts to objects (exhibition)

• Students learn how to use ToK Concepts in arguments

The close up Macro lesson starter.

Like the starter above, this starter activity is pretty self explanatory. You start the lesson by showing students a close up macro photograph, you ask them to guess what the object is. As you slowly reveal more and more of the photo the students write their guesses down, as the object is slowly revealed. It’s useful for them to look back, once the object has been revealed, to see how many different things they thought that object could be.

Example of super macro image on the right, and 'revealed' object on the left.

There are some great examples of the type of objects that can be used on this website.

This simple activity can be used to teach perspective, of course every student knows that if you look at things from different angles your experience of them changes, (your knowledge of them changes). This activity could be used to ask why, if we know about perspective, do so many of us cling to absolutes in many circumstances ? Perspective is a much more complex concept than it first appears. Perspective changes knowledge. This activity is just rooting the word perspective in ToK, it’s making  it domain specific (a big thing in the Self Regulated Learner literature). 

Perspectives are the basis for arguments - which are one of the key ways to access the higher marks on ToK Essay & Exhibition.

So, here are 2 apparently simple activities,  but they have the potential to take students a long way in ToK knowledge & ToK thinking. In my experience these starters can often extend across the whole lesson. They are simple activities which have the potential to be very complex.

There's another ToK lesson starter activity for you here.

If you try either of these starter activities I'd love to know how they worked out, and how they could be improved for the future. If you have any requests for other learning resources please let me know (Daniel@TokToday.com).

Daniel,
Lisbon, August 2022.

ToK Words Graphic

Just a simple little post today. Whilst scrolling through my Drive today I came across this little ToK words graphic that I made last year. I used to paste this onto learning materials that I used with my class, and put it into presentations etc. It's a graphic of keywords that are used in ToK. These words go 'beyond' the 12 ToK Concepts. We also used it as a "bingo card" a few times (students had to mark each word when they heard someone use that word during a lesson, or presentation).

I thought it would be a nice little resource to share with you, you may use as you wish (link to JPEG is here).

For an activity to help students become familiar with key words try this link.

As always, if you have a request for resources, or help developing lessons / units please don't hesitate to get in touch (Daniel@TokToday.com).

Daniel.

Women in STEM: Core Theme Knowledge & The Knower

This could be used as Starter or as a whole lesson. This activity is written for students in the first few weeks of the ToK Course. It is based in the Core Theme Knowledge & The Knower, and it starts to explore the difference between that which is known to the knower in comparison with that which is known to the knowledge community (previously 'the difference between personal & shared knowledge'). It could also be used to introduce the idea that knowledge is created for a purpose.

Knowledge Questions:

• Can other people know us better than we know ourselves?

• Is the truth what the majority of people accept?

• Are there types of knowledge that are specifically linked to particular  communities of knowers?

ToK Skills:

• Identifying Knowledge Issues

• Interpretation & Analysis

• Evaluation

The Scenario:

You are a reporter for a news outlet. You have been given a 30 second time slot to report on the under-recruitment of women to STEM subjects in university. In your research you have interviewed 4 different groups, however you only have time to show 1 interview in your news report.

What to do:

Read the Interview summaries below and then discuss the questions as a group, and jot down your group answers.

Interview Summaries (NB - these are all fictional !).

1. DP Students who are applying to university.
   This group (both male and female) felt that women were encouraged to apply for STEM subjects. The young women felt empowered in their choices, and supported if they wanted to apply for STEM.
   

2. Vice Chancellor at an 'elite' STEM university.
   The Vice Chancellor said that she wanted to make more offers of places to women applying to study STEM, but her university did not receive enough applications from women. In response they are spending money on encouraging more female school leavers to apply, and running a girls only summer school with STEM admissions tutors for G10 and G11 students.
   

3. CEO of Pharmaceutical Company
   The CEO doesn't care whether his company recruited male or female graduates, he just wants the best graduates. However, he felt that the elite STEM university should not be spending money on trying to get women to apply, they should be using that money to improve research at their university.
   

4. Government Statistician.
   The statistician has analysed a lot of data, and has found that women are less likely to apply to study STEM than men. However, they have found that women who do apply for STEM are more likely to be offered places at more competitive universities than men with the same grades.

ToK Questions for your group to consider:

a). Which interview provides you with the most valid knowledge relating to female applications to study STEM at university ?

b). Which interview provides you with the most reliable knowledge relating to female applications to study STEM at university ?

c). Comparing interviews 1 and 4, they are contradictory, is one wrong ?

d) What are the wider knowledge implications raised by your answer to c) ?

e) Which interviews are more representative of the views of the knower, and which are more representative of the knowledge community ? (place them on a continuum)