KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS An Introduction

WHAT IS A KNOWLEDGE QUESTION?  A knowledge question (KQ) is a question about the…  Search for,  Acquisition of,  Production of,  Verification of,  Use of  KNOWLEDGE

WHAT IS A KNOWLEDGE QUESTION? KQs are…  About knowledge  Open-ended and debatable with a number of plausible answers  Expressed in general TOK vocabulary  Free-floating from their real-life situations  NOT about specific content  NOT closed (yes/no questions, questions with correct known answers)  NOT inundated with subject-specific language  NOT specific to any one real-life situation

EXAMPLE KQS  What ethical responsibilities come with possessing knowledge?  How can memory impact scientific objectivity?  Is faith irrational?  Is all evidence equal?  How do emotions affect our perspectives?  Is there ever knowledge without evidence?  How can we judge whether one model is better than another?  How can it be that scientific knowledge changes over time?  Was mathematics invented or discovered?  Do moral truths exist?

EXAMPLE KQ Describe the real life situation (RLS): Plato’s allegory of the cave is a story of a group of prisoners who are chained up in a cave. The prisoners assume the shadows they see reflected in the light of their fire make up reality, but when one man escapes to the outside world he realizes that he alone has access to truth and knowledge. State one specific topic discussed within the RLS Plato believes the enlightened man has a responsibility to teach and govern the prisoners back in the cave. The educated should rule the ignorant. Write a closed question (one with a correct answer) about the topic What does Plato see as the ideal relationship between government and knowledge? Write an open question about knowledge based in the topic Should educated people have a responsibility to govern? Craft a knowledge question using TOK vocabulary What responsibilities come with knowledge?

EXAMPLE KQ Describe the real life situation (RLS): In his 2006 TED Talk, Sir Ken Robinson claims that schools are killing creativity by emphasizing certain types of intelligences at the expense of others. In particular, schools value students who can use logic, do math, and learn languages and steer students away from the arts. State one specific topic discussed within the RLS Schools emphasize mathematical intelligence, including the ability to use logic and reasoning to solve problems. Write a closed question (one with a correct answer) about the topic What is mathematical intelligence? Write an open question about knowledge based in the topic To what extent is mathematical intelligence inappropriate or insufficient in solving problems? Craft a knowledge question using TOK vocabulary What are the limits of reason as a way of knowing?

HOW DO I WRITE A KQ? Describe the real life situation (RLS): In the article “How Gay Marriage Won” from Time Magazine, journalist David Von Drehle cites research that the gay rights movement has progressed greatly, as shown by public opinion data and government policy changes. State one specific topic discussed within the RLS Public opinion data may be used to inform policy decisions on gay marriage Write a closed question (one with a correct answer) about the topic How has public opinion on gay marriage changed in the last 50 years? Write an open question about knowledge based in the topic How do we know that public opinions on gay marriage are changing? Craft a knowledge question using TOK vocabulary To what extent can we accurately measure knowledge that changes over time?

PRACTICE TIME!  In your small group, create a knowledge question using the article “The Coddling of the American Mind” as your real- life situation.  Begin by discussing the article as a group to review it. Then go through the “KQ Ladder” to craft a knowledge question together.  When you come up with your KQ, write it on the board.  If you finish early, go through the process again using another article we have read or TED talk we have watched as your real-life situation.