MUMBAI STAR: Sharing with all Educators

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THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE ( TOK )

One of the 3 Core areas of the International Baccalaurete Diploma Program (IBDP). The other being Extended Essay (EE) and Creativity, Action and Service (CAS).

The interdisciplinary TOK course is designed to develop a coherent approach to learning which transcends and unifies the academic areas and encourages appreciation of other cultural perspectives.

It challebges 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 awaresof the complexity of knowledge, and to recognise the need to act responsibly in an increasingly interconnected world.

Classes are predominantly discussion based. TOK involves about 100 hours of class contact time.

Key topics in which are explored include:
- ways of learning such as emotion, reasoning, perception and language;
- areas of knowledge sucha as the natural sciences, histort, the arts, ethics and mathematics.

School-based assessment of the course is comprised of class discussion, oral presentations, journal work and essays.

Students are required to submit one essay of 1200-1600 words, in addition to an oral presentation which is internally assessed.

Major topics for teacher-led discussions are:
- knowledge, belief and reality
- the role of language and thought in knowledge
- the principles of sound learning
- area of knowledge: mathematics, natural sciences, human sciences, history
- values and judgements: moral, political, aesthetic
- knowledge and truth