ToK Day Plan

8/2/2019 ToK Day Plan

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/tok-day-plan 1/4

Retreat - Lesson #1 - Introduction to Theory of Knowledge (SB)

(Have slideshow running – Even a Brick Wants to be Something)

1. Presentation: Introduction to TOK. (Intro to TOK ppt1) Presentation of what ToK

is and how it relates to the rest of the IB diploma programme. Focus on the Learner

Profile. Show how it is assessed (both externally and internally). Refer to official

documents in the booklet.

2. T-puzzle exercise: (this is a metaphor for the importance of communication

and appropriate behaviour in TOK).

Retreat - Lesson #2 - Introduction to Theory of Knowledge (MR)

3. Read "Top Hat" from Sophie's World with the class and discuss the accompanying

questions.

Retreat - Lesson #3 – What You Know and How You Know It (SB)

1. Exercise on what you know and how you know it: Slideshow presentation of

the Ways of Knowing with short explanation. (ToK – Introduction ppt2). All the parts

of this course radiate out from the central question: What is knowledge?

(Knowers and Knowing ppt3) Individual, small group and class. Write down 5 things

that you KNOW (3 minutes). In pairs, look at the two different lists. Are there any

common points? Which ones can you agree on? (5 minutes) Into small groups, look

at all the lists. Come up with a definitive list of five things that the group agrees that

they KNOW (10 minutes) Each group to present their list to the class, with an

explanation of HOW they know what they know.

2. List of options on PowerPoint – how would you KNOW any of these things? What

WOK would you need to use?

3. (If time) Read "The Mouse Who Ate the Cheese" and answer/discuss the

accompanying questions. (could be used for Plenary if necessary)



Retreat - Lesson #4 – What is Knowledge?

1. Justification – how do we justify claims to knowledge? (SB)

Is belief enough to claim knowledge?

Justification through the Ways of Knowing (Show Knowledge ppt4)

Perception v telepathy (example of psychic – asks you to think of an animal

and correctly says „zebra‟. Is this telepathy, or simply a lucky guess?

Levels of knowledge – to what extent do you KNOW something?

2. The Role of Judgement – (On ppt) Gullibility and scepticism p12-13 Lagemaat.

3. Reasonable Knowledge – What do we need in order to determine if a knowledgeclaim is reasonable? (Evidence and coherence p14-15.)

Evidence – Little green people living on Mars – challenge them to support this

belief – they say you can‟t prove there aren‟t – no positive evidence.

Not being able to prove something isn’t true does not show that it is true –

argument ad ignorantium . (which of the choices on ppt is an example of

this?)

Coherence – does it fit in with our current understanding of things? Brings us

on to BELIEF.

3. Belief: How might certain beliefs affect your behaviour? Slideshow and

discussion. Sheet on the Two Knowers. Changing Your Mind exercise. (MR)

Retreat - Lesson #5 – Introduction to Perception (MR)

1. Walking tour.

2. Sensory Perception Worksheet (p21 Dombrowski)

3. Discussion on senses – 1) If you had to sacrifice one of your senses, which

would it be and why? (Humans are visually oriented creatures – vision often

identified with knowledge: “I see what you mean.” Having insight .) 2) If you had to

make the decision between touch, sight and hearing, which of these senses wouldyou choose to do without? What is your rationale for your choice? How would your



choice limit you in life? Do this individually first, then groups of four to discuss the

results. Do straw poll on which senses were chosen. (Smell is often the one

sacrificed. Least vocabulary – smells good/smells bad/smells like – yet we can

identify over ten thousand odours and it is the sense with a more direct route to our

brain than any other. Most evocative for memory and perfume industry is worth

millions of pounds a year.

4. Discussion – is perception a more important source of knowledge is some

subjects than in others? Are there any areas of knowledge in which it plays no role?

Retreat - Lesson #6 – Limits of Perception (SB)

1. “Is Seeing Really Believing? - Optical Illusions (workbook p56). Working in

pairs, using the optical illusion worksheets. Can one of you see what the other

cannot? (ppt 5) Watch the video on the spinning dancer to see who can see it

left/right. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA1X87FsUJ0&feature=related test.

Right brain thinkers (clockwise) are supposedly more creative and see „the bigger

picture‟. Left brain thinkers (anti-clockwise) are supposedly more scientific and

analytical. BUT can you make her go BOTH ways?

2. The Memory Tray – Twenty items on a covered tray. Two minutes to memorise,

then two minutes to write as many down as you can remember.

3. Eyewitness testimony and its limitations.

3. Faces Without Meaning: Read the article (p 64 workbook) and discuss questions

in groups of four. Report back to the class for full class discussion.

Retreat - Lesson #7 – Sense Perception (MB)

1. Sense Perception Games.

2. Articles on Perception: Group work on articles on the five senses – seeing,

hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. Each group will be responsible for sharing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA1X87FsUJ0&feature=related





their information with the rest of the class in a skit (or skits). Presentations should be

lively, dramatic and informative.

Retreat - Lesson 8 – PLENARY

The students are divided into their two groups and taken off to classrooms.

Discussion on what they have learned today and how this might be useful for the IB

course as a whole.

Documents

ToK Day Plan