5
TH
EXPERIENTIAL
LEARNING
CONFERENCE
TBILISI 2026
ENGAGE | EXPLORE | EMPOWER
Linking MYP Planning to TOK thinking
�How do we know what we know?
Presenters:
Elvina Nazifova,
MYP Coordinator at the International Talent Academy, Tashkent
Vladimir Rybkin, �History and TOK teacher, TOK Coordinator at the International Talent Academy, Tashkent
How do we know what we know?
Firstly, let’s get to know each other
What is Theory of Knowledge about?
From TOK to ATL: a historic glance
Theory of Knowledge is more than a subject — it is a space for reflection on how we think and learn. Early IB architects, especially Alec Peterson, envisioned TOK as a place where students examine their own knowledge across disciplines and build transferable thinking habits.
TOK Encourages Students To
TOK as the Foundation for ATL
These reflective practices were later formalised as Approaches to Learning (ATL) — a framework of explicit skills: thinking, research, communication, and self-management. TOK supplied the philosophical core; ATL gave it structure.
Therefore: TOK moved beyond content knowledge and helped shape a broader IB goal — developing independent, reflective learners who can transfer their thinking across disciplines and real-life contexts. In this way, TOK was not just a course; it was a philosophical foundation for the entire learner profile.
How Many Questions Do You Really Ask?
You → Your Students
How many questions do you craft when planning your MYP unit?
What kinds of questions are they?��Let’s practice how we can enhance our questions.
How do we know what we know?
Activity №1: Creating TOK Questions
Objective: Collaboratively identify and articulate the core knowledge claims habitually made within your subject area.
1
Form Small Groups
Organize by subject area — Sciences, Individuals & Societies, Arts, Languages, etc.
2
Generate Knowledge Claims
3 minutes: Brainstorm claims habitually made in your discipline.
e.g. "Historical sources are reliable"
3
Craft Knowledge Questions
3 minutes: Transform your claims into TOK-style questions using the structure below.
4
Apply TOK Concepts
Consider TOK concepts — when crafting your questions.
Knowledge Question Formula:
TO WHAT EXTENT / HOW FAR / CAN WE / IS IT POSSIBLE TO…+ KNOWLEDGE VERB (know / be sure of / measure / determine / be certain of…) + (Modified, abstracted) KNOWLEDGE CLAIM
Activity №1: Creating TOK Questions
Knowledge Question Formula:
TO WHAT EXTENT / HOW FAR / CAN WE / IS IT POSSIBLE TO…+ KNOWLEDGE VERB (know / be sure of / measure / determine / be certain of…) + (Modified, abstracted) KNOWLEDGE CLAIM
Knowledge Claim: Historical sources are reliable�
Knowledge Question: To what extent can we be certain that historical sources provide reliable knowledge about the past?
Take It Back to Your Classroom
The goal is not to add TOK on top of MYP — it is to let TOK thinking shape the questions at the heart of your unit planning.
Audit Your Current Questions
Small shifts in the questions we ask can fundamentally change the quality of thinking in our classrooms.
Activity №2: Connecting TOK Concepts to MYP Global Contexts
The real power of linking TOK to MYP planning emerges
when we see how the twelve TOK concepts map naturally onto the six MYP Global Contexts.
This connection transforms abstract philosophical ideas into purposeful, contextualised inquiry. Work through both parts below.
PART 1 — 5 MINUTES
Group Mapping
1
Receive your MYP Global Context
Each group is assigned one of the six MYP Global Contexts to work with.
2
Map TOK Concepts
As a group, map 3-4 out of the twelve TOK concepts to your assigned Global Context as possible.
3
Write Your Reasoning
For each connection, briefly note why you made that mapping — what is the link?
PART 2 — GALLERY WALK — 10 MINUTES
Explore & Respond
1
Visit Each Station
Circulate around the room to read what your colleagues have shared at each display.
2
Leave Sticky Note Comments
Add your observations, questions, or connections on sticky notes at each station.
Timing: 1 minute 30 seconds per station — listen for the signal to rotate.
Connecting TOK Concepts to MYP Global Contexts
How TOK Thinking Elevates MYP Planning
Key takeaways from the workshop — bridging Theory of Knowledge with MYP unit design to deepen inquiry and conceptual understanding.
Aligned Statements of Inquiry
In MYP, a series of SOIs work together to provide a coherent overview of the unit. A well-formulated SOI embeds both knowledge issues (problems of knowledge) and key concepts, giving the unit intellectual depth from the outset.
Three Levels of Inquiry Questions
Students are encouraged to raise inquiry questions across three tiers: (i) factual — what is known; (ii) conceptual — what it means; and (iii) debatable — what is contested. The embedded knowledge issues in a strong SOI are both conceptual and debatable by nature.
Turning Inquiry into Knowledge Questions
Why not take the next step and reframe inquiry questions as knowledge questions? This TOK-inspired move sharpens student thinking and opens up richer epistemological exploration within the MYP unit structure.
Connecting to Global Contexts
Knowledge questions naturally align with the 6 MYP global contexts. Once inquiry questions are reframed in this way, teachers can make meaningful, explicit connections to orientation in space and time, fairness, sustainability, and beyond.
💡 Big Idea: When SOIs carry real knowledge issues and inquiry questions are elevated to knowledge questions, MYP units become genuinely TOK-rich — fostering the kind of deep, transferable thinking the MYP framework is designed to inspire.
What are the shared
foundations between the
TOK Exhibition & Personal Project?
Think:
What do both projects expect students to do?
How do these two projects develop the same kind of thinking in students?
What They Share at the Core
Reflection: Enhancing Your MYP Planning through TOK thinking
💡
What is one way you will enhance your MYP planning after this workshop?
Take a moment to reflect. Think about a concrete next step you can bring back to your classroom or unit design.
📲 Scan for Feedback
We'd love to hear your thoughts on today's workshop!