Using TOK to explore the key events and issues of last month
Welcome to the June TOK newsletter!
New links to the exhibition prompts
We've added a very important feature to the TOK newsletter this month that we think will really help you and your students take ownership of the TOK exhibition. For each story, we've identified a related IA prompt (IAP), enabling students to draw on these media sources in their commentaries, and use them as 'appropriate evidence' to demonstrate how 'TOK concepts manifest in the real world'.
We're also busy linking all of our other resources to the exhibition, so students can pair the newsletter with, for example, Knowledge Heroes, and discuss how the ideas of key thinkers also relate to the different prompts, and construct sophisticated and accomplished commentaries. You'll also have access to the Investigating Issues resource very soon, which will allow an even deeper exploration of the stories that appear.
Four great TOK webinars coming up...
Every TOK lesson should include life-changing ideas, thinkers, and activities. In this first 'TOK masterclass', on 22nd June, we share our thoughts on how to create fantastic, memorable TOK lessons.
On 13th July, we'll discuss embedding the 35 IA prompts in your course to ensure that students understand each one, and can support their ideas with ‘appropriate evidence’ to show how ‘TOK concepts manifest in the real world’.
This webinar on 19th August is designed specifically to help students start the course with confidence rather than confusion, and ultimately TOK to their advantage – both within the DP, and beyond.
On 22nd June, we'll be teaming up with DREAM (ex-students of ours!) to run a webinar on how TOK can strengthen your university application profile. The presentation will be followed by Q&As - great for anyone applying to university.
Our pioneering 'Thinking for Yourself' pre-TOK course is now fully ready to use in the classroom. It comprises 12 lessons, plus introductory and concluding sessions. It is the only course of its kind available, offering a fantastic intellectual journey for students, via some of the most engaging and influential thinkers past and present, and genuinely life-altering ideas.
It can be run as a self-contained course, or it can help prepare students for the kind of thinking they'll be doing when they start the TOK course, and the Diploma Programme. Access the whole course on this page of the site - we hope you enjoy using it!
Faculty email
One of the key differences between theoryofknowledge.net and other TOK resource centres is that our aim is to produce TOK resources not just for the TOK department, but for your entire DP faculty.
So, we provide full members of the site with a simple faculty email for every month's newsletter, to help them get all your teachers onboard. This makes it easy for them to draw on the latest real-life situations, and link their subjects to TOK.
Become a full access member of the site
Gain access to the full version of the TOK newsletter by becoming a member of theoryofknowledge.net
theoryofknowledge.net offers the widest range of TOK resources in the world, enabling you to deliver the course in any way you want. Our resources are linked to the very latest real-life situations, packed full of ideas by the world's most influential thinkers, and beautifully designed.
The cost of membership is $199.99 per institution, allowing an unlimited number of users. This means as many members of your learning community as you want can draw on the site and its pioneering resources for this great price.
Integration History, politics, language acquisition
Exhibition prompt IAP-24 (context)
Ask your students... Biden's determination to refer to Tulsa as a 'massacre' rather than a 'riot' powerfully demonstrates the importance of language in shaping the way we view history. How does reframing the event by using different terminology shift our understanding of the past? Why might some individuals and groups be reluctant to do that? What does this reveal about the relationship between words and history? Students can also check out this Atlantic article, which considers how the word ‘equal’ currently has particular resonance in the Palestinian conflict. Do words have a similar relationship with politics?
Going further Check out the primary Exploration Points document here, and investigate this issue (Historical revisionism) here.
Outline A Vox article, examining the reports that the US and other Western governments are treating accusations that Covid began in a lab increasingly seriously.
Outline A History Today article, asserting that dressing in historical clothing can give us a greater insight into reality than more ‘intellectual’ methods of accessing the past.
Outline An AP article, looking at the split in the Catholic Church over whether President Biden should be denied the Eucharist because of his government’s support for abortion.
Outline An FT article, featuring the ideas of Julia Galef, which assesses the problems with assuming that people make rational decisions. We're proud to work in partnership with the FT, to promote their free FT for Schools programme. Follow this link to sign up your school, and access this and other articles.
Terms Rational, Feeling, Experience, Irrational vs. unpredictable
Integration Economics, Business, other Group 3 subjects
Ask your students… This article focuses on the approach of the Star Trek character Mr Spock, looking at how his ability to apply flawless logic is actually anything but flawless. Why does Galef argue that his methods fall far short of rational inquiry - and what does this have to do with experience and feelings? Why is it important to distinguish between ‘irrational’ and ‘unpredictable’? Overall, what does this reveal about the difficulties of economics and the human sciences?
Going further Check out the primary Exploration Points document here, and investigate this issue (Behavioural economics) here.
What else did we explore in the full newsletter this month?
In the premium TOK newsletter, we explored 7 further stories, considering the following questions:
How has our approach to history changed, such as the perspective we try to see it from?
why is it important to go beyond ‘utilitarian arguments’ when we advocate for the protection of indigenous languages?
is our understanding and awareness of world religions based on image or reality?
Are there obligations on us to develop more knowledge of the technology that surrounds us?
what are the responsibilities of filmmakers, artists, and historians when it comes to ‘accurate’ retellings of the past?
What purpose do statues serve?
Does the advent of VR mean that truth is losing its importance?
And we looked at 5 'quick stories', asking:
How do we discern between experts and non-experts when it comes to scientific knowledge claims?
How does the form of expressing ideas change the way we understand the world?
How does the sound of a word influence the way we perceive what it represents?
How important is an understanding of statistics in helping us to make sense of the world?
How does reframing the way we perceive an issue change our understanding of it?
To access these stories, and gain all the other benefits of the world's best online resource for TOK, become a member of the site by hitting the button below.
Our video explainers have now been viewed over 20,000 times since we uploaded them, proving a huge hit with people looking for a quick and user-friendly introduction to key aspects of the course.
Check out our video to the course as a whole below, and view the rest of the playlist here. We'll be adding more very soon...
This huge new resource curates a range of global issues, providing students with engaging and authentic ways to link and explore them via the course, and see clearly how TOK concepts manifest in the real world. Investigating Issues offers a completely new way of delivering the TOK course - and will be ready for use in July. Download a sample version here.
Michael Dunn has helped schools all over the world to create great TOK departments, integrate the course with the rest of the DP, and offer an awesome educational experience.
Michael is based in Cambridge, UK, and visits schools all over the world. Get in touch with him to help you instill both passion and purpose for TOK amongst your students and staff.
