As TOK students, you will be able to look at the process of knowing, instead of merely acquiring new knowledge as you do in your other classes. TOK is supposed to give you the opportunity to reflect on the ‘bigger’ questions of knowing, such as “How do I know?” and “What counts as knowledge?” and “What is the value of knowledge?” It is interdisciplinary, meaning you should be able to make bridges between TOK and your other classes.

ToK Presentations should be about a knowledge issues present in real-life situations (such as whether it is ethical to conceive a child to be an organ donor for its sibling). These real life situations can be limited to your immediate surroundings (like school, home life, or community) or can be wider in scope (national, international, or global). Presenters should be able to exhibit a personal connection or some sort of personal involvement in the situation.

Mock Presentations should be about knowledge issues present in classic fairy tales. Examples: Is there legitimate evidence to support that Cinderella and Prince Charming lived happily ever after? To what extent was Belle exhibiting Stockholm Syndrome when she fell in love with the Beast? (No, you can’t use these anymore.)

Choice of working individually, in pairs, or in groups of three. The length of your presentation depends on the number of group members. Plan for roughly 7 minutes speaking time per group member. Everyone in the group must speak. Those working alone may take 10 minutes.

You will be given at least 4 class periods to work on the presentation. You will also be going down to watch the seniors deliver their presentations. You are encouraged to have visual aids such as a PowerPoint presentation or a video. A bibliography is EXPECTED.

The order of the presentations will be made randomly. The schedule of presentations will be posted on the blog once finalized.