TOK Knowledge Issue Development Chart
Knowledge issues are issues about knowledge. They can apply to any aspect of knowledge and may refer to the acquisition, production, shaping, classification, status, and acceptance or rejection of knowledge. Knowledge issues range from the extremely general (“Can a fact exist without a context?”, “What constitutes good evidence?”) to the specific (“How can we distinguish between valid and invalid deductive arguments?”, “What should the role of emotion be in the justification of ethical decisions?”). Both extremes are appropriate focuses for TOK discussions and both can and should be explored in our TOK course. However, not all knowledge issues are equally appropriate for assessment purposes.
Activity one: understanding knowledge claims.
Using the knowledge statements, arrange them in order on the chart
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hfy0d9v7iss6rup/Knowlege%20claim%20chart%20Student.pdf?dl=0
Activity 2: Developing Knowledge questions.
Video shown in class (Through the Wormhole)
TOK Real-life situation scavenger hunt https://goo.gl/G5ghwj
RLS – The Scottish referendum: the referendum on Scottish independence took place on 18 September 2014 and asked the question “should Scotland be an independent country?” The no vote won. The campaign on both sides was lively and heated (“Yes Sco tland” vs “Better Together”).
KQ – What is the role of reason and emotion in making choices?
RLS – in physics practical lessons I often collect data that contradicts well - established theories. I then look for errors in my experiment because I believe those theories have to be right.
KQ – To what extent is faith a reliable way of knowing?
RLS – The end of the Cold War (1989 - 1990) as illustrated in the song written and performed by Scorpions “Wind of Change”
KQ – In what ways do the arts influence peopl e’s perspectives of current events?
Examples of Knowledge questions
. At what point do the means of knowledge acquisition become unethical?
2. At what point do we decide ethically to l imit the application of knowledge?
3. At what point does assumed knowledge justify action?
4. Is sharing knowledge inherently beneficial?
5. How do we know where to assign responsibility for consequences?
6. In what ways do memory and sense perception impact one another to shape knowledge?
7. In what ways might emotion and reason interact to shape our behaviour?
8. In what manner do ways of knowing reinforce the permanence of ethnic stereotyping across generations?
9. In what way does shared knowledge contribute to individual understanding?
10. What role does the accumulation of evidence play in the shaping of behaviour?
11. What role does naming play in influencing our perception?
12. What role does language play in constructing cultural identity?
13. Is creativity learned or innat e?
14. How important is experience in the acquisition of knowledge?
15. How could we know the relation between artistic convention and artistic value?
16. What is the role of history in making judgments of artistic value?
17. What is the role of authority in shaping perso nal knowledge?
18. What are the implications of limitations to the access to knowledge?
19. Are the human sciences adequate to fully understand an individual?