Today, our IB Diploma seniors enrolled in the IB Theory of Knowledge course started work on the final component of that will get them steps closer to their IB Diploma. Through tireless efforts that are to come, students will put into practice all they have learned to this point. Have you heard of Theory of Knowledge, a.k.a. ToK?
When students step into the IB Theory of Knowledge course, they usually have an idea about what they will experience, but they come out of the class changed by their time with their peers and their teachers. In this class, students are challenged to think about thinking and beliefs. Through this course which is an essential part of the IB Core, students start to explore the reasons behind what they believe and what they think. Biases are evaluated and tested along with perceptions of what is and is not.
The question of why is on that frequently makes an appearance in discussions as students explore the Ways of Knowing as well as the Areas of Knowing. The eight Ways of Knowing are Emotion, Faith, Imagination, Intuition, Language, Memory, Reason, and Sense Perception. The Areas of Knowing contain the Arts, Ethics, History, Human Sciences, Mathematics, and The Natural Sciences. Through this course, students develop higher levels of critical thinking and inquiring into the process of knowing while using these skills to help them link their other IB subjects together.
Through debates, discussions, papers, and presentations, students show their knowledge instead of simply having it. That is what makes the course so enjoyable for the students.