TOK Camp 2013 – TOK Presentation Preparation Part 1

The presentation The presentation is the first of the two assessments for TOK. You can do your presentation as an individual, or in a group of 2. Either way, each speaker has to speak for 10 minutes. The presentation involves skills, knowledge and understandings that will be directly applicable to the second assessment: the essay. The presentation is internally assessed (assessed by your TOK teachers) whereas the essay will be externally assessed.

The basic structure of the presentation

Topic for the rest of this presentation: How to get from a real-life situation to a high quality knowledge issue.

What is a knowledge issue? A knowledge issue is essentially a question regarding knowledge. Here are some examples of knowledge issues, not all of which are of the same quality: Is belief in God really justifiable? What is it about a scientific explanation that makes it convincing or unconvincing? What reasons might we have for adopting capital punishment?

How to tell a high quality knowledge issue from a lower quality knowledge issue Here are some criteria to help you tell the difference: (1) Open-ended questions are better than closed questions. (2) Questions that are explicitly about knowledge are better than ones that are only implicitly about knowledge (or not about knowledge at all). (3) Questions that are expressed in terms of TOK vocabulary and concepts are better than questions that are not.

Criterion 1: open-ended versus closed questions Closed questions can be answered with a “yes”, a “no” or some other short phrase: Examples of closed questions: Do you know the time? Is scientific knowledge possible? Is there such a thing as progress in the arts?

Criterion 1: open-ended versus closed questions Open-ended questions are ones that cannot be given a brief answer. In order to answer an open-ended question it will be usually necessary to answer a set of sub-questions, some of which will be closed questions. Examples of open-ended questions: What are the differences and similarities between the methods of inquiry used in the physical and human sciences? How has the scientific method evolved over time? What methods of inquiry should be used to decide ethical questions?

Criterion 2: Is the question explicitly about knowledge? For TOK assessment purposes, it is better to have a question that is explicitly about knowledge itself than one that focuses on a subject-specific claim. Here are some examples of questions that focus on subject specific claims: What are the causes of mental illness? What are the fundamental principles of mathematics? Will stem-cell research really lead to significant medical breakthroughs?

Criterion 2: Is the question explicitly about knowledge? Here are some examples of questions that do explicitly focus on knowledge: What role does sense-perception play in justifying our beliefs about morality? What is the difference between a valid and an invalid inference? Can a scientist ever really know that one of theories is correct?

Criterion 3: Is the question expressed using TOK terminology? By expressing your question in terms of TOK terminology, you can make clear to your teachers, and ultimately to your external examiner, how your question relates to the content of the TOK course.

Criterion 3: Is the question expressed using TOK terminology? Non-TOK-vocab: What makes an argument good or bad? TOK-vocab: What is the difference between a valid and an invalid inference? Non-TOK-vocab: Can a scientist ever really know that one of their theories is correct? TOK-vocab: Is it possible to conclusively verify the truth of a scientific theory? Non-TOK-vocab: Is it OK for me to go on my gut-instinct when deciding whether to support capital punishment? TOK-vocab: What role should intuition play in justifying capital punishment?

Getting a feel for good knowledge issue The criteria laid out in this presentation should be treated as a guide rather than as a set of hard and fast rule. As you practice applying these criteria, you will start to get a feel for the difference between good and bad knowledge issues.

Extracting a knowledge issue from a real-life situation Example 1: The centre is home to the Cunningham Dax Collection, 15,000 works of art by people who have experienced mental health issues and/or trauma. It is one of the few heritage-listed art collections in Australia. Read more: ny4d.html#ixzz2Vm7kYgiFhttp:// ny4d.html#ixzz2Vm7kYgiF First attempt: Can art be used as therapy for the mentally ill? Second attempt: How can we know if art is a good form of therapy for the mentally ill? Third attempt: Are there aspects of our lives that can be expressed through art and not through other modes of communication? Fourth attempt: Can the study of art reveal truths about human psychology that cannot be uncovered through the human or physical sciences?

Extracting a knowledge issue from a real-life situation Example 2: Do you find people often ask you ‘what’s wrong?’ when there’s really nothing wrong. Do strangers seem to take an immediate dislike to you? Then perhaps you have the heavy brows, pouty mouth, or angular features that contribute to ‘b*tchy resting face’. Sure, people are designed to be able to read each other’s emotions. It’s what stops us from wanting to strangle each other. But sometimes, your face just naturally sits in a way that indicates mild displeasure nyuq.html#ixzz2Vm6ErQ8chttp:// nyuq.html#ixzz2Vm6ErQ8c First attempt: What kinds of facial features make a person look b*tchy? Second attempt: Is it possible to draw inaccurate conclusions about someone’s mental state based on their facial expressions? Third attempt: What role do sense-perception and reason play in our judgments regarding the emotional states of others?

Extracting a knowledge issue from a real-life situation Example 3: America's top intelligence official has angrily defended the government's secret monitoring of internet users, insisting the vast operation is legal and vital to national security. National intelligence director James Clapper said the activities were ''conducted under authorities widely known and discussed, and fully debated and authorised by Congress'’. over-esurveillance nxvo.html#ixzz2VmAsC37Q’ over-esurveillance nxvo.html#ixzz2VmAsC37Q First attempt: What methods do governments use to spy on their citizens? Second attempt: Under what circumstances is it ethical for governments to spy on their citizens? Third attempt: Should all knowledge be freely accessible to everyone at all times? Or, are their ethical reasons for restricting access to certain kinds of knowledge?