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This is our agenda for the workshop

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AGENDA-BKK Cat 3 TOK for subject teachers

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I'm Blanka, in my 11th year of teaching biology (IB at all times, and various other curricula depending on schools). I like "forcing" my students into identifying patterns, making connections, inducing/deducing, "mythbusting"; but because I call biology "the science of exceptions" to also being skeptical even of the patterns I had led them onto. I find TOK a valuable tool in this process as it enforces additional and often very different perspectives, sometimes even paradigm-shifting "mental gymastics" that develop highly critical thinking. This is extremely important nowadays with science being held hostage to its own intrinsic ever-changing self-correcting nature, resulting in disinformation masked as heatlhy skepticism where opinions are equated to facts under the guise of freedom of speech without accountability.

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Perception Vs Perspective when Taking Action 

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Perception Vs Perspective when Taking Action 

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Hello everyone. This is the TED talk I referenced during the day 3 reflective session.

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Ernesto Sirolli: Want to help someone? Shut up and listen!

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This is Shameek. I like to engage in discussions related to pedagogy and leadership. I hope that I can create a community of learners that are accountable and empathetic.

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Hello

My name is Izaak MacMullin, ive been teaching at the Canadian International School of Hefei (CISH) in Anhui China for 3 years. My subject load is Glo Pol, MYP I & S grade 10 and TOK. Looking for info on how to to support other subject teachers with TOK and to learn more about how the IB wants TOK to be integrated with other subjects. Also looking forward to making connections with other teachers and exploring the city as this is my first time outside China in Asia :)

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Hi all--my name is Megan and I currently work at American International School - Riyadh, where I teach English 10 and DP Language & Literature. I have been at AISR for four years, and this is my fourth year teaching Lang&Lit. I am hoping to learn more about the TOK class and how to incorporate it throughout my course. I am also looking forward to meeting new people. See you soon!

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I'm Nikki. I'm a first-year TOK teacher at Shanghai High School International Division (SHSID). I have a background in Anthropology, and I'm also teaching the Sociology course at SHSID.

I'm hoping to gather practical strategies for how I can better integrate the specific knowledge frameworks and real-world examples from other DP subjects into my TOK classes, making the course more concrete and interconnected for our students. And also, to learn how to help my fellow DP subject teachers see the vital relevance of TOK from their unique disciplinary perspectives.

Looking forward to connecting with all of you during this workshop!

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Hello, my name is Hugil Park. I have been teaching DP Korean Language and Literature at XLIS (Xian Liangtan International School) in Xi’an, China. I look forward to gaining a deeper understanding of TOK and exploring how it can be effectively integrated into my subject.

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TOK for subject teachers - Session 1 Activity 2

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"A work of art is a product of its specific historical and cultural context."

"The artistic value of a work is determined by its popularity and the number of people who appreciate it."

"A scientific theory is just an unproven guess or a hunch."

"Scientific knowledge is inherently provisional and subject to revision in the face of new evidence."

"Mathematics is a purely objective discipline, completely free from the influence of human culture, creativity, or bias."

"A mathematical proof, once logically verified, provides a level of certainty that is unattainable in the empirical sciences."

"Language is not merely a passive tool for describing the world, but actively shapes and structures our perception of it."

"If a concept or experience cannot be expressed in language, it cannot be known or shared."

"The main goal of history is to learn from the past to avoid repeating the same mistakes."

"Historical knowledge is based on the interpretation of evidence that is fragmentary and incomplete."

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TOK for subject teachers - Session 3 Activity 2

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Imagine a scenario such as this one: NASA is sending a mission

to Mars with a goal of populating it with interstellar emigrants from earth. A group of astronauts,

engineers, food specialists, and others who can provide the infrastructure has been selected, but

there is one seat left on the spacecraft. The seat is going to go to a representative of one of the IB

subjects in order to preserve knowledge which is deemed essential to the well-being of society. As aLast updated: 20 April 2020 15

small group, your job is to prepare an argument as to why your subject is the most valuable one and

must be preserved. Write a statement of no more than four minutes in length. Choose a spokesperson

to make the argument to the whole group.

Allow 20 minutes (more if necessary) for the preparation of the statement, then have each group

share the argument with all the others. As speakers give the arguments, jot down the main points on

poster paper. Hang the posters when the activity is done, so that they are visible throughout the rest

of the workshop.

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Institutions are integral for a functional society. For the settlement to be successful, it will need a effective system of governance with clear and reasonable legal guidelines. Therefore an understanding of law and sociology is critical in order to develop systems and legal structures than create positive incentives and prevent fractious social relations and internal conflict within the settlement. When conflict does occur, there must be effective systems of dispute resolution as we have limited personnel and can't really afford to be sending people back and forth to earth if they get annoyed with the system.

A strong understanding of economics and the efficient management of scarce resources will also be necessary to ensure that the limited resources of the settlement are being allocated where they are most needed. Once production of resources is up and running in the settlement this will also need to be arranged and distributed using organizational skills and logistical skills (business studies).

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Anthropology safeguards cultural diversity and heritage. It is the study of humanity in all its variety across societies and cultures, past and present. By documenting languages, traditions, and ways of life, anthropology prevents the erasure of cultural knowledge that would otherwise disappear. Losing this knowledge would mean losing the collective memory and wisdom of humankind, which diminishes our ability to understand ourselves. Anthropology is about what it means to be human. It's not just about preserving data, but also about how to ask questions about what is a good life, how do people adapt, create, change, and make decisions.

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·        Survival on Mars depends on evaluating terraformation and successfully established ecosystems, and how humans adapt to new environments.

·        Monitoring changes in physiology and evaluating their effects & possible mitigation

·        Establishing and implementing sustainability principles so we don’t destroy another planet

·        Biology interprets chemistry, and drives applications in technology to increase fitness and survival

·        Bioethics will become extra important in the light of likely genetic engineering, human enhancement

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A teacher of Language and Literature is an essential participant in this journey.

Look around you now—everything you see once began in someone’s imagination. Language and Literature is a key subject that enables people to dream of the future. Think back to your childhood, when you were surrounded by stories told by your parents and friends. Those stories nurtured your imagination and shaped your vision of who you wanted to become and what you hoped to do.

The modern technologies we enjoy today once seemed impossible. They existed only in novels and films, born from the imagination of writers and storytellers. Those epic plots and visions were first written or spoken by others, and from them came the seeds of innovation.

So if we really want to develop a new and better world, we need a Language and literature teacher who enhances such imagination.

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Is knowledge the only thing that should be preserved? No, both knowledge and the ability to sustain humanity–empathy, compassion, and understanding– is important as we move from Earth to a new life on Mars. Therefore, I should be chosen as the IB representative because our subject preserves and transmits the narratives, values, and critical thinking that define us as human beings.

My knowledge of language and its power can help us capture the beauty of this transformative mission by helping us achieve our cultural memory. Much like the philosophical greats of ancient Greece, we can maintain and preserve our knowledge through conversation and dialect, discussing and debating what our new utopia may look like. Additionally, through the use of literature and oral storytelling, we can teach empathy, a skill imperative to a new culture as our collaboration will be necessary to problem solve and maintain peace and order. Without a conscious effort to carry forward our language, myths, and stories, humanity risks becoming a society of mechanics with no memory of why we exist.

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Good to confirm that approaching TOK through the lense of the 4 elements is a good way to help them understand how they can integrate some TOK into their classes

Very cool idea to break down the TOK Essay questions with other DP subject teachers

Wondering

Is it a good idea to encourage students to contrast the perspective of different thinkers within their chosen AOK's (for the essay)

How to develop the ability of students to be more specific in their writing?

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I am coming into this knowing very little about TOK. As the English department head, I also recently finished our Group 1 course guide. One of the key takeaways I have come away with today is that I did not fully understand TOK and how it is incorporated into my units and lessons. I thought of it more as a curricular piece I had to check a box on, and upon reviewing my Group 1 course guide, it shows that I thought of it as curriculum first and TOK second. Because Language does intersect with TOK’s concepts, I need to consider how best to incorporate TOK into my units and will make edits to my course guide to better reflect how TOK is integrated.

Part 2 of this is that I want to see the TOK teachers more as a tool (similar to the librarian) that I can use to improve our curriculum and make connections between TOK and English.

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It was a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the TOK concepts, considering not only what they mean but also how accessible they are—not just within TOK teaching, but also in relation to other subjects.

Another valuable aspect was gaining a clearer understanding of scope as one of the four key elements in framing knowledge questions.

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When Shameek mentioned how students are usually not even aware they're producing knowledge e.g. even when solving math problems, I started thinking about how to make the key language more obvious to the students... Still thinking. Might end up being a framework/concept poster with something to indicate where we stand in TOK with whatever we're doing in Bio at a given point.

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Today's workshop has offered me some strategies to make TOK more accessible both for students and other subject teachers.

1) The complexity of TOK languages is a big barrier for students, so by introducing/guiding the subject teachers into using these terms, students can be more familiar with using them in context for each AOK

2) I've always wanted to find a way to simplify TOK for both students and teachers without losing its richness and depth. I think the "reliability" and "validity" can be a key focus/start point for tackling this issue.

3) Some of the practical strategies I think can be really useful. E.g. helping students unpack the essay titles with the help of subject teachers, holding regular TOK meetings with the subject teachers, etc.

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TOK for subject teachers - Session 5 Activity 1

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TOK for subject teachers - Session 5 Activity 1

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TOK for subject teachers - Session 5 Activity 1

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TOK for subject teachers - Session 5 Activity 1 (1)

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Will upload document once more has been completed.

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TOK for subject teachers - Session 5 Activity 1.docx

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form groups of up to

five and consider how to answer the question in the scenario from politics. The question is: should

our (hypothetical) nation send troops to Nation X to help provide for that country’s national security?

The perspectives are:

• An immigrant from Nation X who fled a tyrannical dictator

• A wealthy investor who has invested large sums in mines in Nation X

• The mother of a soldier who has already served three tours abroad

• A general who is concerned with the ultimate security of his nation

• A health care worker worried about people who need medical insurance and other

domestic healthcare issues

Each person in the group takes on one of the roles and the group discusses what each person might

feel is the right answer to the question. As part of the discussion, participants should explain how

that character came to hold his or her opinion on the question. They must identify, in other words, the source of their belief. They should consider where our perspectives come from, including such

influencing forces as culture, family, religion, education, and so on.

Following the group activity, the whole group should reflect on what the activity reveals about how

different perspectives influence the development of knowledge (or beliefs).

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Example: https://www.imiaweb.org/code/

use the handout for session 6 to reflect on what constitutes ethical practice in your subject areas and how that practice is related to knowledge. This requires you to locate a formal professional code of ethics pertaining to your subject area. work with ethical issues which are integral to the knowledge in the subject, rather than simply matters of plagiarism, which are certainly ethical problems, but which apply everywhere and so are not particularly

revealing about any individual subject area.

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TOK for subject teachers - Session 7-Ethics

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"fossilized brain" as a source of unconscious bias

loved the "related" subjects collaboration! as much as it cross-collaboraiton across different subject groups helps with lateral thinking, talking this through with other science (and math) teachers helps talk things out, troubleshoot, narrow down and clarify the points I need to be able to model for my students - even though I'm only still figuring it out myself.

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Today’s sessions made a lot of TOK ideas feel more concrete for me. Understanding how to frame and use knowledge questions helped me see how TOK thinking can naturally grow out of subject lessons. The ethics discussion was especially engaging—it reminded me how every discipline faces its own moral dilemmas and how our role as teachers is to help students recognise those moments of responsibility. I also appreciated seeing how TOK connects directly to IB subject assessments—it made the integration feel much more doable and compelling.

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TOK for subject teachers - Session 9 Activity 1

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I really enjoyed the conversations and activity at the of the day. While I knew that L&L links well with TOK and elements are inherently discussed, I have realized that I can also start incorporating activities that revolve around the TOK concepts and questions.

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I found the collaboration with the Cat 1 TOK teachers very useful. It seems like it would be particularly easy to do TOK integration across the group 3 subjects since I already have frequent department meetings with those teachers so I would not need to carve out separate time

The point about examples being as specific as possible (the finches) is something I can take back to my students as an illustration of what i am talking about when I call their commentary "too general"

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TOK & IM

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TOK vs IM

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It was a valuable opportunity to reflect on why and how we should integrate TOK into our subjects.
Although we teach our students the importance of viewing the world from different perspectives, we as teachers also need to continually look at the world through a variety of lenses — because we may serve as patterns and models for them.

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(lots of links included across the pages, often even images)