Theory
of Knowledge
Theory
of Knowledge is a course unique to the International Baccalaureate.
The course is required of all IB Diploma candidates and at J.E.B.
Stuart High School, each diploma candidate is exposed to TOK concepts
during their juniors year and sits in the course their senior year.
A description of TOK from the IB Guide follows:
The
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) programme is central to the educational
philosophy of the International Baccalaureate. It challenges students
and their teachers to reflect critically on diverse ways of knowing
and areas of knowledge, and to consider the role which knowledge
plays in a global society. It encourages students to become aware
of themselves as thinkers, to become aware of the complexity of
knowledge, and to recognize the need to act responsibly in an increasingly
interconnected world.
As
a thoughtful and purposeful enquiry into different ways of knowing,
and into different kinds of knowledge, the TOK programme is composed
almost entirely of questions. The most central of these questions
is ‘How do I, or how do we, know that a given assertion is
true, or a given judgement is well grounded?’ Assertions or
judgements of this sort are termed ‘knowledge claims’,
while the difficulties that arise in addressing these questions
are the broad areas known as ‘problems of knowledge’.
The programme entails the application of this central question to
many different, yet interrelated, topics.
Questions
are the very essence of TOK, both ageless questions on which thinkers
have been reflecting for centuries and new ones, often challenging
to accepted belief, which are posed by contemporary
life. Engaging with students in a critical examination of knowledge,
teachers will foster an appreciation of the quest for knowledge,
in particular its importance, its complexities, and its human
implications. A teacher may hope to bring alive the questions in
this guide for a new generation of knowers, and to encourage them
to gain and apply their own knowledge with greater awareness and
responsibility.
TOK is a valuable course for each diploma candidate by encouraging
thinking and reflection across the curriculum.
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