The IB Theory of Knowledge
is a core subject of the International Baccalaureate program. All the
students of the program are required to take this course and are
encouraged to do well in the exams after such course.
The TOK course has an epistemological nature and it encourages students
to engage in critical thinking. Students must look and think beyond
their textbooks and classroom discussions and must explore the
different sides of the six major study groups they are supposed to
tackle in the course of their IB program.
The IB TOK is beneficial for students who want to hone their analytical
skills. Its basic objective is to promote an environment where students
do not just accept the facts that are introduced to them and the
lessons that are being presented by the teachers. They are to question
the credibility of the sources and the reliability of the materials
being utilized in the subjects. They are to be trained on how to
determine whether a certain resource material is trustworthy or whether
it is tainted with bias, misinterpretations or fallacies.
The curriculum theory under this course, is based on the idea that the
classroom learning experience of the students must be a two-way street.
The students must be taught and they must themselves evaluate the
lessons and eventually express their own personal views. The TOK point
of view works on the theory that students do not only absorb
information, but that they contribute to it as well. Students are going
to be responsible for the improvement and upgrading of the information
that goes around the classroom.
While the IB Theory of Knowledge course is very flexible and is very
open to frequent changes, teachers must still work within a
well-defined academic structure. They must choose a teaching
methodology which is apt for the particular area of learning that they
wish to tackle for a given period. They have to base their lessons on
basic concepts from reliable textbooks and must work within their
chosen framework. They have to be
guided
by a constant and stable
curriculum that also has sufficient adaptability to changes.
A TOK course is structured similarly with MYP, PYP and IBO curricula.
It includes three major divisions. The first division involves the
different ways of knowing such as reason, emotion, language and
perception. The second division discusses the basic areas of knowledge
such as mathematics, history, natural and human sciences and the arts.
The final division focuses on the factors that go beyond the first two
divisions, such as the background of the subject and the community
which one moves in.
Students of the IB Theory of Knowledge course are required to submit
essays at the end of the program. They have to defend their assertions
in the essay by stating their grounds and providing supporting
arguments. The students are expected to identify the issues concerning
their chosen titles and to formulate and write the conclusions they
have reached in the course of their study. The course culminates with a
presentation by the students of each of their outputs to the entire
class.
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