The TOK Assessments

1. The TOK Assessments Putting Knowledge into Practice

2. Overall TOK Assessment • Total marks out of 60 • IA, 20; EA, 40 • 48-60, A • 38-47, B • 29-37, C • 19-28, D • 0-18, E (Failing condition) • Combined with EE in diploma points matrix • Application of discussion, reading, thinking and reflection allows for success

3. What is TOK? Become a critical knower.

4. Be Prepared • Pay attention to the assessment criteria • Develop a clear understanding of knowledge issues (KIs) • Apply your own perspective and experiences, put yourself at the center • Judge knowledge claims and apply knowledge communities • Very open course

5. Knowledge • A contestable concept • As with other TOK terms, may not be captured by the dictionary • People disagree about how it relates to terms such as belief, opinion, information, etc. • “Only beliefs that are true count as knowledge” vs. “Knowledge is what fits in with my other knowledge”

6. Knowledge Issues • Term is central to the theory of knowledge (TOK) course and its assessment • Students who can effectively identify and address knowledge issues will be at a significant advantage • Knowledge issues are issues about knowledge • Apply to any aspect of knowledge and may refer to the acquisition, production, shaping, classification, status, and acceptance or rejection of knowledge • Knowledge issues range from the extremely general (“Can a fact exist without a context?”, “What constitutes good evidence?”) to the specific (“How can we distinguish between valid and invalid deductive arguments?”, “What should the role of emotion be in the justification of ethical decisions?”) • Both extremes are appropriate focuses for TOK discussions and both can and should be explored

7. Knowledge Issues • Required in both assessments • Knowledge issues that are most likely to support high levels of achievement are: • open-ended questions that admit more than one possible answer • explicitly about knowledge in itself and not subject-specific claims • couched in terms of TOK vocabulary and concepts: the areas of knowledge, the ways of knowing and the concepts in the linking questions—belief, certainty, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, justification, truth, values • precise in terms of the relationships between these concepts • Often starts with “How can we know…?”

8. Knowledge Issues

9. Knowledge Issues

10. The TOK Essay • Submitted to the teacher • It must be written on one of the six titles • Your essay will be marked according to the assessment criteria published in the Theory of Knowledge guide • The focus of your essays should be on knowledge issues • Always justify your statements and provide relevant examples to illustrate your arguments • Pay attention to the implications of your arguments, and remember to consider what can be said against them • Your essay must be between 1200 and 1600 words in length, double spaced and typed in size 12 font.

11. Steps to the TOK Essay • Unpack the titles • Look for familiar concepts, AOKs, WOKs, What is being considered? • Choose your title • Looking to match the demands of the title, the map of TOK you will develop and your interests as a knower • Brainstorm the elements to include • How will you use key terms and with what meanings? • What is the knowledge issue? How will you word it? • How will you make sure you achieve the tasks demanded? • What does the title mean to you? • What ambiguity might the title contain? • Will you agree or disagree with any assumptions in the title? • Plan out the essay • Write to the criteria • Write the essay • Always keep in mind the criteria • https://bthstok.pbworks.com/f/My+Scoring+Rubric.pdf • Check out some samples • https://bthstok.pbworks.com/w/page/12576136/TOK%20Essay#ExemplarswithCommentaryPDF

12. Role of the Teacher • In relation to the student’s essay on a prescribed title, the teacher has four principal responsibilities: • to encourage and support the student in the writing of the essay • to provide the student with advice on and guidance about the skills needed • to ensure that the essay is the student’s own work • to complete the coversheet. • If a preliminary draft is produced, the teacher may read and comment on it, but is not permitted to edit it for the student. Only one draft may be presented to the teacher before the final essay is submitted.

13. 2017 Topics

14. Timetable of TOK Essay • Will begin formal work in October • Can look at parts along the way • First draft due before or after Winter Break • Will workshop one another’s papers

15. The IA Presentation • Yours from the start • May take any form • Must not merely be read • Your classmates should learn from this experience • Choose your focus • Brainstorm the elements • Plan out the presentation • Give the presentation (Near Finals) • Will be modeled as the Midterm • Must reflect and self-assess

16. Choosing Your Focus • Find something interesting • Find something substantive • Want deep considerations • Real-life situations • Start with specific happenings or events • Throughout the next few months, always think “Is there TOK in that?” for a possible presentation

18. Scoring the IA • https://bthstok.pbworks.com/f/Presentationrubric.pdf • Use this checklist • https://bthstok.pbworks.com/f/Presentation_Checklist.pdf • A sample presentation (16/20) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsN_N6gAiJU&feature=related&noredirect=1