Theory of Knowledge

1. Theory of Knowledge 2015 Guide

2. DIPLOMA PROGRAMME

3. CORE

4. NATURE OF TOK • KNOWING ABOUT KNOWING • TOK is a course about critical thinking and inquiring into the process of knowing, rather than learning a specific body of knowledge. • AnalyseKNOWLEDGE CLAIMS • Ask KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS • PERSONAL versus SHARED knowledge

5. WAYS OF KNOWING HOW DO WE ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE? • LANGUAGE • SENSE PERCEPTION • EMOTION • REASON • IMAGINATION • FAITH • INTUITION • MEMORY

6. AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE ‘SPECIFIC BRANCHES OF KNOWLEDGE [WITH] A DISTINCT NATURE & DIFFERENT METHODS OF GAINING KNOWLEDGE’ • MATHEMATICS • NATURAL SCIENCES • HUMAN SCIENCES • THE ARTS • HISTORY • ETHICS • RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS • INDIGENOUS KNOWEDGE SYSTEMS

7. ASSESSMENT • PRESENTATION • GROUP (OF 2) TASK DONE ON CAMP • 10 MINS PER PERSON • MARKED ON YOUR PRESENTATION BY AIS • MODERATED ON YOUR FORM BY IBO • ESSAY • 1600 WORDS MAX. • CHOOSE 1/6 TITLES RELEASED BY IBO 1/3/15 • MARKED BY IBO

8. CAMP • COMPULSORY • AWESOME • TUES-FRI TERM 3, WEEK 3 (Monday is Hari Raya) • PRESENTATIONS • STUDY OF KUCHING • EXCELLENT MATERIAL FOR YOUR ESSAY • BEST THING FOR COHORT COHESION

9. PERSONAL v SHARED KNOWLEDGE

10. SHARED KNOWLEDGE Shared knowledge is highly structured, is systematic in its nature and the product of more than one individual. Aspects of shared knowledge can often be easily classifiable into an ‘area of knowledge’ – such as your subjects, or ‘how to’, or even ‘pop culture’. Shared knowledge does not rely on one person’s contribution, but of different individuals – and thus it changes over time.

11. Shared knowledge As members of groups, we have shared knowledge specific to that group which is not available or fully understood by those outside the group: • Nationality • Age • Class (social or school) • Family Write down 3 groups you are a member of and a piece of knowledge specific to that group.

12. PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE Comes from the local experience of the individual. Is shaped by culture, interest, experience. Consists of: • Skills & procedural knowledge • Formal education • ‘School of life’ i.e. skills, practical abilities, individual talents: HOW to do something. Can be more difficult to communicate (eg wine taster) • Personal memory, perception, emotion etc.

13. ‘The zone of exchange’ Look at p. 34 of your textbook (Dombrowski, 2013) What do the authors call the area between personal and shared knowledge? With help from your table group, how do you understand this zone of exchange to work?

14. 3 kinds of knowledge 1. Experiential • We learn from our experiences (e.g. a candle is hot) • We use these experiences to shape future actions/decisions • Being told vs experiencing for ourselves! • Critical reflection (or not – keep getting burnt!) • In all subjects, but especially CAS Dombrowski, pp35-38

15. 3 kinds of knowledge 2. Knowing how: skills of thinking and acting • Knowing how to do something could be accessing the information to follow the steps until it is done, but what about without YouTube or WikiHow? • Certainly once you can do it without instructions you are proficient … but can you cook like Dad or build a computer like your older sister? • Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences: linguistic, logical/mathematical, musical, kinesthetic, spatial, intrapersonal, interpersonal, naturalistic. Dombrowski, pp. 38-42

16. 3 kinds of knowledge 3. Knowing that: Knowledge Claims • Facts • Opinion • Values / beliefs • ‘I know that …’ • Statement, as true, not proven fact despite being expressed as such. Dombrowski, pp. 42-43

17. Homework • What is the difference between a knowledge claim and a knowledge question? (This should be a couple of hundred, rather than a couple, of words) • Dombrowski, pp. 43-50