IB Diploma Core: Theory of Knowledge at a glance

The theory of knowledge (TOK) programme is central to the educational philosophy of the International
Baccalaureate. It challenges students to reflect critically on the role that knowledge plays in a global
society and encourages students to become aware of the complexity of knowledge and of themselves
as critical thinkers. Most importantly, it encourages students to recognize the need to act responsibly in
an increasingly interconnected world.

TOK as a course essentially examines how do we

know what we claim to know is actually reliable?
What constitutes good grounds for claiming
something to be knowledge? It does this by
encouraging students to analyse knowledge claims
and explore knowledge questions in a variety of
knowledge contexts.

A knowledge claim is the assertion that “I/we know X”

or “I/we know how to Y”, or a statement about
knowledge; a knowledge question is an open
question about knowledge. A distinction between
shared knowledge and personal knowledge is made
throughout the entire TOK course.

Engaging students in a critical examination of knowledge, TOK fosters an appreciation of the quest for
knowledge, in particular its importance, its complexities, and its human implications. Full IB Diploma
Programme candidates are required to take this course. Course candidates may opt for a certificate in
TOK if they so desire.

The TOK curriculum is made up of three deeply interconnected parts:

 One Core Theme - Knowledge and the knower: This theme encourages students to reflect on
themselves as knowers and thinkers, and to consider the different communities of knowers to
which we belong.

 Five Areas of Knowledge: The areas of knowledge (AOK) are specific branches of knowledge,
each of which can be seen to have a distinct nature and sometimes use different methods of
gaining knowledge. In TOK, students explore five compulsory areas of knowledge: the Natural
sciences; the Human sciences; history; the Arts; and Mathematics.

 Two Optional Themes: This element provides an opportunity to take a more in-depth look at
two themes of particular interest to teachers and students. The given themes all have a
significant impact on the world today and play a key role in shaping people’s perspectives and
identities. The TOK Team at ISA have selected one of the optional themes to be Knowledge and
Language. Students can then choose one of the following options to further investigate:
knowledge and politics; knowledge and religion; and knowledge and indigenous societies.
Options will only be offered if there are sufficient students in the class.

TOK Curriculum Structure at ISA:

Core theme:  Who am I as a knower?
Knowledge and  What shapes my perspective? My knowing?
the Knower  Where do my values come from?
 How do/can/should I/we navigate the world(s) I/we live in?
 What are my responsibilities as a critical/creative knower?
Areas of Knowledge:  The Human Sciences
Knowledge contexts  The Natural Sciences
 History
 The Arts
 Mathematics
 Optional Themes:  Knowledge and Language (Set by TOK Team)
(two choices)  Knowledge and Politics (Chosen by TOK students)
 Knowledge and Technology (Chosen by TOK students)
 Knowledge and Religion (Chosen by TOK students)
 Knowledge and Indigenous Societies (Chosen by TOK students)

Knowledge Framework:

The knowledge framework is a device

for exploring the areas of knowledge. It
identifies the key characteristics of each
area of knowledge by depicting each
area as a complex system of five
interacting components. This enables
students to effectively compare and
contrast different areas of knowledge
and allows the possibility of a deeper
exploration of the relationship between
areas of knowledge and ways of
knowing.

Key Concepts to Consider:

The following 12 concepts have particular prominence within, and thread throughout, the TOK course:

1. Evidence
2. Certainty
3. Truth
4. Interpretation
5. Power
6. Justification
7. Explanation
8. Objectivity
9. perspective
10. culture
11. Values
12. Responsibility

Exploration of the relationship between knowledge and these concepts can help students to deepen
their understanding,

TOK: The art of questioning what we consider to be knowledge…

The raw material of TOK is knowledge itself. Students think about how knowledge is arrived at in the
various disciplines, what the disciplines have in common and the differences between them. The
fundamental question of TOK is “how do we know that?” The answer might depend on the discipline
and the purpose to which the knowledge is put. TOK explores methods of inquiry and tries to establish
what it is about these methods that makes them effective as knowledge tools. In this sense TOK is
concerned with knowing about knowing.

According to the IB, there are various ways of thinking about knowledge, but one useful way to help
students think about knowledge in TOK can be through the metaphor of knowledge as a map. Since a
map is a simplified representation of the world, items that are not relevant to the purpose of the map are
left out. For example, we would not expect to find detailed street names on a map of a city metro
system. This metaphor can help students to see the importance of considering context in which
knowledge has been sought and constructed. (TOK Guide 2022 p.6)
The individual knower can use this metaphor to try to make sense of the world and understand his or
her relationship to it. It can support rich discussions about knowledge and accuracy, about how
knowledge grows and changes, and about the difference between producing and using knowledge.
They have at their disposal the resources of the areas of knowledge to help navigate their way through
the complexity of the world(s) they live in. For example:

Group 1 and 2: Language and Language Acquisition

In a literature class students set about understanding and interpreting a text. No observation of the
outside world is necessary, but there is a hope that the text can shed some light upon deep questions
about what it is to be human in a variety of world situations or can act as a critique of the way in which
we organize our societies.

Group 3: Individuals and Societies

In history there is no experimentation. Instead, documentary evidence provides the historian with the
raw material for interpreting and understanding the recorded past of humanity. By studying these
sources carefully a picture of a past event can be built up along with ideas about what factors might
have caused it.

Economics, by contrast, considers the question of how human societies allocate scarce resources. This
is done by building elaborate mathematical models based upon a mixture of reasoning and empirical
observation of relevant economic factors.

Group 4: Experimental Sciences

In the Sciences, experiment and observation seem to be the basis for knowledge. The scientist might
want to construct a hypothesis to explain observations that do not fit current thinking and devises and
performs experiments to test this hypothesis. Results are then collected and analysed and, if
necessary, the hypothesis modified to accommodate them.

Group 5: Mathematics
Mathematics is founded on a set of more or less universally accepted definitions and basic
assumptions. It proceeds from a system of axioms using deductive reasoning to prove theorems or
mathematical truths. These have a degree of certainty unmatched by any other area of knowledge,
making it excellent raw material for study in TOK. Despite, or rather because of, the strict confines of
mathematical logic, mathematics is an enormously creative subject, asking of its practitioners’ great
leaps of the imagination.

Group 6: The Arts

The arts explore the experience and reality of being human and are an essential element of culture. The
arts could be thought of as creating a bridge between personal knowledge and shared knowledge.
Many of them are collaborative. They use emotion as a currency to generate significance at a personal
level but reason provides a restrictive framework necessary for the creation of meaning: artworks have
their own inner logic.

In each case above there is clearly knowledge at work, although the collection as a whole illustrates a
wide variety of different types of knowledge. The task of TOK is to examine these different areas of
knowledge and find out what makes them different and what they have in common. To do so we use the
Knowledge Framework as a benchmark in a comparing and contrasting AoKs. At the center however of
all TOK classes are knowledge questions. Questions such as:

 What counts as evidence for X?

 What makes a good explanation in subject Y?
 How do we judge which is the best model of Z?
 How can we be sure of W?
 What does theory T mean in the real world?
 How do we know whether it is right to do S?

While these questions can seem intimidating in the abstract, they become more accessible when dealt
with in specific practical contexts of the TOK course. They arise naturally in the subject areas, the
extended essay and CAS. The intention is that these contexts provide concrete examples of knowledge
questions that should promote student discussion.

Discussion forms the backbone of the TOK course at ISA. Students are invited to consider knowledge
questions against the backdrop of their experiences of knowledge and knowing in their other Diploma
Programme subjects but also in relation to the practical experiences offered by CAS and the formal
research that takes place for the extended essay. The experiences of the student outside school also
have a role to play in these discussions, although TOK seeks to strike a balance between the shared
and personal aspects of knowledge.

In conclusion, TOK is a course in critical thinking that is specifically geared to an approach to

knowledge that is mindful of the interconnectedness of knowledge and knowing in the modern world.
“Critical” in this context implies an analytical approach to knowing that is prepared at all times to test the
support for knowledge claims, is aware of its own weaknesses, conscious of its perspectives, and open
to alternative ways of exploring knowledge questions. TOK is an interactive introductory course on
knowledge and knowing that is both an essential component of the Diploma Programme but of lifelong
learning.

TOK Assessment Outline:

The assessment model in theory of knowledge (TOK) comprises two components:
 External Assessment (2/3): TOK
Essay on a Prescribed Title (1200-1600
words)
 Internal Assessment (1/3): TOK
Exhibition of Critical Thinking based on a
TOK Knowledge prompt (Three knowledge
artifacts and 950-word commentary)

At ISA, TOK is a pass/fail class. In the IB DP it is graded A to E, E being a filing condition. Combined
with EE Marks, TOK can provide up to 3 extra CORE points in total to a full diploma.
 TOK Units of Work at ISA:
Core theme: Knowledge and the Knower
Knowledge: What does it mean to know something? Is there a difference between: “I believe”
and “I know”? If so, what are the main differences? Do we need to justify our beliefs in the same
we do our knowledge? When we “claim” something to be knowledge, what do type of evidence
do we need? Does this depend on the type of “knowledge”? How can we trust these
justifications? Does the type of knowledge claim influence the nature of evidence and method of
justifications?

The Knower: Does who we are as knowers influence the process of knowledge and knowing?
What are my perspectives, assumptions, biases, and core values? Where do they come from?
How do they influence4e what I ‘can’ know and/or at least claim to know? What factors may
influence the reliability of my How can we tell if we are being manipulated/spun/or prejudiced?

Area of Knowledge: Natural Sciences

What does it mean for a discipline to be a science? Is there just one scientific method? Should
there be ethical constraints on the pursuit of scientific knowledge? What role does the image-
nation play in scientific research?

Area of Knowledge: Human Sciences

To what extent are the human sciences scientific? Reliable? Can human behaviour be subject to
laws in the same way as the empirical world? What constitutes good evidence in the human
sciences? What methods can use to explore the social world(s)?

Optional Theme: Knowledge and Language

Does Language influence our perception of reality? How does language shape knowledge?
Does language play roles of equal importance in the different AOK? Is knowledge influenced by
the languages in which it is expressed?

Optional Theme: Student choice

Student can choose one optional theme from the following three: Knowledge and Technology,
Knowledge and Religion, and Knowledge and Indigenous Societies. The TOK Team will briefly
present what these options entail and student can chose to attend one of the workshops. Options
will only run if there is a minimum of 13 students in a workshop.

Area of Knowledge: History

How is history a narrative? How does language influence our history? Is history a collective
memory or a collective story? What is unique about the methodology of history? Is eyewitness
testimony a reliable source of evidence? How do we decide which events are historically
significant?

Area of Knowledge: The Arts

The human narrative- what can we learn from Literature and the Arts? How can the subjective
viewpoint of an individual contribute to the shared knowledge of the group in the arts? What is
the nature of knowledge in the arts?

Area of Knowledge: Mathematics

Is math invented or discovered? What is the power of deductive reasoning in our search for
knowledge? To what extent is Mathematics a language, a way of knowing, as well as an AOK?