Studienvorbereitung durch Theory of Knowledge   

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INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC THINKING THROUGH TOK

Another essential component of the IB Diploma Program is the participation in a Theory of Knowlege course that introduces students to scientific issues and and bridges different disciplines. The focus is on different areas of research, their content, developments, methods, and the importance of the language of each discipline. In addition, students will learn to appreciate the achievements of other cultures and to critically question traditional views of their own society.

As a thoughtful and purposeful inquiry into different ways of knowing, and into different kinds of knowledge, TOK is composed almost entirely of questions. The most central of these is “How do we know?”, while other questions may include:

● What role does language play in the accumulation of knowledge?
● Is mathematics objective?
● How can it be that scientific knowledge changes over time?
● To what extent are the methods of the human sciences scientific?
● How does a historian assess the reliability of a source?
● Is the aesthetic quality of an artwork purely a subjective matter?
● Does moral truth exist?

OBJECTIVES

Theory of Knowlege is designed to familiarize students with scientific issues and ways of working that are relevant in future studies. The course is taught in English and deals with different ways in which we acquire knowledge and different areas of knowledge that we encounter at university. These include, for example, the natural and human sciences, ethics, the arts, mathematics, and history.

The focus is on the scope and application of each discipline, concepts, specialized language, methods, and interdisciplinary opportunities. Students will also learn to appreciate the achievements of other cultures and to critically examine traditional views of their own society.

ASSESSMENT

The TOK course is assessed through an exhibition and a 1,600 word essay.

The exhibition requires the students to create an exhibition of three objects that explores how TOK manifests in the world around us.

The essay focuses on a conceptual issue in TOK. For example, it may ask students to discuss the claim that the methodologies used to produce knowledge depend on the use to which that knowledge will be used.

Click here to read the subject brief.

Contact

Karmen Heup. Email: karmen.heup@goetheschule-essen.de

Maria Spree. Email: maria.spree@goetheschule-essen.de