EXITING

OUR ECHO CHAMBERS

AN OUTLINE OF OUR TOK & ACT WORKSHOPS

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theoryofknowledge.net

ABOUT OUR WORKSHOPS

We have visited dozens of cities around the world to help schools offer a life-changing educational experience to learners, enfranchise all the members of their teaching community, and invite knowers to exit their echo chambers.

Whether it’s a workshop for your TOK department, DP faculty, your wider teaching team, or your students, we base our approach on promoting authentic critical thinking, which makes our sessions accessible, relevant, and impactful, regardless of subject, programme, or age-group.

Both our online and in-school workshops are designed on a bespoke basis, so all the exemplar sessions you see here can be adapted to suit the needs of your school.

Here’s a quick video we made on route to a school in Shanghai, outlining a typical workshop programme, and you can also find out more from this page of the site.

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MASTERING THE TOK ESSAY

DESIGNED FOR

DP2 students beginning their essays

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

I understand and can apply 10 tips to write the essay, and know how to avoid the key mistakes made every year

• MASTERING THE TOK ESSAY begins with a discussion of students’ perceptions of both the TOK course, and the TOK essay as a means of assessing it.
• We then move on to consider ten different tips related to the planning and writing of the essay, from ‘nailing the practicals’ (the aspects of the essay that everyone can get right), to the how to structure a great essay.
• We consider aspects such as using the right kind of language, how do evaluate different perspectives, and the best way to understand and include a consideration of implications.
• Students can then ask questions in a Q&A session, and are provided with access to a range of follow-up resources, such as our premium webinars on unpacking the prescribed titles, and writing the TOK essay.

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH THE TOK EXHIBITION

DESIGNED FOR

DP1 students at the beginning of the course

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

I have a clear idea of how to plan, write, and present my TOK exhibition

• GETTING TO GRIPS WITH THE TOK EXHIBITION begins with a reflection of students’ impressions of TOK, and a discussion of what the TOK exhibition is.
• We then move on to consider the exhibition task. Students typically work in groups to create an outline of the exhibition, consulting a Padlet with information on several key aspects of how it’s assessed, how to choose effective objects, select an IA prompt, and write the commentary.
• Students then present their work, summarizing each aspect of the exhibition, and how to carry them out successfully, based on our interactions as they have carried out their work.
• We have a final Q&A session, in which students can ask questions about the exhibition, or other aspects of the course.

MAKING THE KNOWLEDGE JOURNEY

DESIGNED FOR

DP and non-DP senior students

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

I understand how to use TOK/ACT to give me a deep understanding of real-world events and issues

• MAKING THE KNOWLEDGE JOURNEY begins with a consideration of the nature of TOK and/or ACT, and its relationship with real-world issues, and how we can use this approach to understand and make sense what’s going on.
• We then offer a model ‘TOK/ACT journey’, showing how we can move from a real-world situation, via a set of questions, to the areas of knowledge, themes, key concepts, and knowledge heroes, and how this helps us to become effective thinkers.
• Students then make their own journey, from their choice of recent real-world events, taking care to go step-by-step through the different elements of the course. Students then discuss their findings, applying their journey to wider world context, and how they can help them become knowers of more humility.
• We then apply this knowledge to the assessment tasks (depending on which group are taking part), before carrying out a Q&A session.
• Note that for DP students we think about ‘TOK’; for non-DP students, ‘ACT’

TAKING OWNERSHIP OF THE KEY CONCEPTS

DESIGNED FOR

DP1 students a few months into the course

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

I understand what the 12 key concepts are, how they manifest in the real-world, and how to draw on them in the TOK assessments

• TAKING OWNERSHIP OF THE KEY CONCEPTS begins by asking the students how many of the concepts they can name, and what they already understand about their role in the TOK course.
• Students then focus on one of the key concepts, via a exploration working in different groups to find out about one of the concepts, via a basic description, a real-world situation, a key thinker, and a basic definition.
• They game this information out in groups, exchanging details on the way, so that although their focus is one of the concepts, they are also discussing the other concepts during the activity.
• When students are finished, we revisit original thoughts on the role of the key concepts, and pay particular attention on how they can help us to articulate ideas within the context of the essay and the exhibition - and even think how they can be used in a wider DP context.
• We finish with a Q&A session, in which students can ask questions about any aspect of the course and the assessment tasks.
• If you want to run a workshop like this for non-DP students, we can substitute the ‘key’ concepts for the ‘comparative’ concepts - see more here.

INTELLECTUAL VERSATILITY: THINKING ACROSS SUBJECT DISCIPLINES

DESIGNED FOR

TOK & non-TOK teachers

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

I understand that ‘authentic critical thinking’ is the key to helping students become versatile, nuanced knowers about the world

• INTELLECTUAL VERSATILITY begins with a discussion of what we mean by ‘versatility’, why it’s a desirable quality in our students, and how it relates both to the DP, and to the TOK course.
• We then offer our thoughts on how the key aim of TOK - which we assert is ‘authentic critical thinking’ - provides us with a more convenient entry point for non-TOK teachers, again linking it to the idea of versatility.
• We run over some of the benefits brought to learners by authentic critical thinking, and how it can be applied to any DP (or non-DP) subject. We focus particularly on how this promotes learning within the context of real-world situations.
• We then consider how to scaffold versatile thinking via the 12 key concepts, and the ideas of key TOK thinkers. Finally, we wrap up with a Q&A session - which gives us a little scope to mentioning AI-tools and learning.

CREATING AUTHENTIC CRITICAL THINKERS

DESIGNED FOR

Any teacher in your school

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

I understand how to help my students leave their echo chambers, and become discerning knowers about the world

• CREATING AUTHENTIC CRITICAL THINKERS begins with a discussion of our aims as educators, trying to narrow these down as much as we can to a single objective.
• We then move onto consider why ‘authentic critical thinking’ is a more useful term than ‘critical thinking’, and the benefits it brings both students and teachers. We consider what a lesson driven by authentic critical thinking looks like, with specific examples provided of real-world examples that would form the basis of effective experiences.
• We then think about other aspects of the TOK and/or ACT course - key thinkers, the key and comparative concepts, real-world situations - and how these help us scaffold thinking, and further our aims as educators.
• Finally, we have a Q&A session, which can focus on issues such as integrating TOK with the rest of the DP, how to apply critical thinking lower down the school, or other questions related to your curriculum

GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS

DESIGNED FOR

TOK teachers and coordinators

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

I can manage the demands of the essay & exhibition, whilst recognizing TOK is about more than two assessment tasks

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• GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS begins by considering the ‘big picture’ of TOK, and how the essay and the exhibition help us to achieve its mission.
• We move on to discuss the exhibition, with teachers offering their impressions of its key aspects - assessment targets, IA prompts, objects, commentary - and our thoughts on all these elements, and the experiences we’ve had at schools over the world in overcoming difficulties and challenges.
• We then look at the essay, again breaking it down into its constituent parts - rubric, planning, interactions, ensuring students include elements such as perspectives and implications, and approaching it via an interactive dialogue.
• The Q&A at the end of the session offers teachers a chance to ask any question about delivering an effective TOK course, with a particular focus on the assessment tasks.

THE LIFE-CHANGING COURSE

DESIGNED FOR

TOK teachers and coordinators

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

I can create a course structure, and design lessons, that will make TOK a life-changing experience for students and teachers

• THE LIFE-CHANGING COURSE is a longer workshop (duration, at least 120 minutes), offering an in-depth look at TOK for teams looking to overhaul the way they deliver the course. It’s divided into two parts: first, a consideration of how to design a great course; second, how to place TOK at the heart of the DP.
• First, we consider what a great TOK lesson looks like, and think about how to set up a course structure that will support that, as well as giving students a comprehensive understanding of the two assessment tasks.
• Then, we look at strategies to integrate TOK with the broader Diploma Programme, thinking about topics such as marketing TOK, and getting everyone in your learning community on board.
• Finally, we discuss these and other issues in a final Q&A, leaving the TOK team with clear practical takeaways that they’ll be able successfully.

SUPERCHARGING YOUNG MINDS

DESIGNED FOR

Parents of your DP students

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

I understand what the TOK course is, why it’s a mandatory element of the IB Diploma, and how the advantages it will bring my child

• SUPERCHARGING YOUNG MINDS is an example of a workshop designed for parents of DP students. It begins with an outline of the nature of the TOK course, and why it’s a mandatory part of the Diploma Programme.
• We then offer parents a TOK lesson experience, giving them an insight into what an ordinary TOK class looks and feels like.
• We discuss all the advantages that the TOK course gives students, both in terms of navigating the online and real world, and in terms of improving their university application profile.
• Finally, there’s a chance for parents to ask questions in a final Q&A session.

HOW TO SET UP A WORKSHOP

First step Get in touch with us! Contact us at support@theoryofknowledge.net, and let us know what you want to cover, based on the exemplar sessions you see in this presentation.

Prices (in-school workshops) The basic price for a full day workshop is £1500, involving three 90-minute sessions. In addition, we charge an additional £150 per session for preparation, although this is dependent on the topics we’re exploring. We also charge £300 per day for travelling (which means a half-day for schools in the UK, one day for schools in Europe, and two days for schools in the Americas or Asia).

Prices (online workshops): Online sessions typically cost £1000 for a 90-minute session, and £1800 for two 90-minute sessions, including preparation time. Online sessions do not involve any extra costs, such as travelling and accommodation.

Discounts We are very happy to offer a 10% discount for state-funded schools.

Attendee numbers The smaller your sessions, the better, particularly in terms of student workshops. Ideally, we like to work with normal class sizes, but we understand that for outside speaker events, you will tend to gather whole year groups together. However, unless there is an exceptional circumstance, we do not run sessions for more than 50 students in one space.

In-school workshop venues Our sessions are highly interactive, and we like both teachers and students to have access to writing materials, and be arranged on tables in small groups, enabling them to take notes, create displays, and offer written responses.