A brief outline of the IB TOK course:
THIS IS AN OUTLINE OF THE COURSE ENDING WITH THE 2020/21 IB COHORT. AN OUTLINE OF THE NEW SYLLABUS WILL BE UPDATED SOON.
The TOK course consists of a review of 8 'areas of knowledge' (AOK) through the lens of 8 'ways of knowing' (WOK) as shown below. Chemistry falls into the 'Natural Sciences' AOK and is strongly dependent on 'sense perception' and 'reason' as WOKs. In chemistry, TOK we might examine specifics such as: the scientific method; repeatability and falsification; the importance of shared language; the role of emotion; pseudo science; and ethics.
The 8 Areas of knowledge:
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The 8 ways of knowing:
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How are students assessed?: In short, student are assessed on 1 presentation (33% weighting) can be individual or small group) and 1 essay (67% weighting). These are each based around a 'knowledge question' that focuses on an analysis of/comparison between areas of knowledge and ways of knowing. Link to IB TOK page.
An example of a knowledge question might be: To what extent does imagination enhance knowledge produced in the natural sciences?
An example of a knowledge question might be: To what extent does imagination enhance knowledge produced in the natural sciences?
How does TOK relate to NoC?
The IB Theory of Knowledge course aims to make students critically think about the epistemological structure (NoC) of an area of knowledge. For example, we might consider:
- The validity of using models in chemistry - Are some models better than others? Why?
- The reliability of the peer review process - Perhaps considering the role of bias and authority figures.
- Is knowledge in chemistry based purely upon reason? Is there room for creativity and emotion?
- How certain can we be in a given theory? What have previous paradigm shifts demonstrated?
Possible resources for TOK lessons in the natural sciences:
Outline
Lesson 1 - The scientific method
Lesson 2 - Key features in the natural sciences
Lesson 3 - Modelling and conceptual understandings
Outline
Lesson 1 - The scientific method
Lesson 2 - Key features in the natural sciences
Lesson 3 - Modelling and conceptual understandings