TOK learning objectives Areas of Knowledge

Natural sciences (objectives) Explain how scientific method work Define ‘hypothesis’, ‘theory’, ‘model’, ‘experiment’, ‘falsification’, ‘paradigm’ and ‘fact’ mean Give one example of paradigm shift in natural sciences Explain how scientists use two ways of knowing Understand that observer may change the outcome of an experiment (quantum physics) Understand that scientific paradigms may be incommensurable (Feyerabend) Give one example of how science is applied (technology)

Human sciences (objectives) Name and describe two human sciences Explain two differences between human sciences and natural sciences Give one example of an experiment in human sciences Understand how statistics is applied in human sciences Explain the main differences between quantitative and qualitative methods Understand that the cultural background of the researcher, her presence, behaviour and use of language may affect data collection and interpretation Know the difference between ‘explaining’ and ‘understanding’

Arts (objectives) Describe two art forms and explain what makes them art Discuss the classification into ‘high’ and ‘low’ arts Give examples on how knowledge about the artist, piece of art, audience response and context affect aesthetic judgments Explain how new knowledge and education can change idea of beauty Give one example of ethical issues related to arts (censorship, offensive art) Show how areas of knowledge are linked to arts Explore how art could ‘tell the truth’

Ethics (objectives) Define ‘morality’, ‘ethics’ and ‘value judgements’ Give one real life example of ethical relativism Explain how moral judgments differ if one focuses on the person (virtue ethics), motivation (duty based theories), consequences (utilitarianism) or the situation Give example of one personal moral judgement Give examples of ethical issue related to \areas of knowledge Explain how two ways of knowing are relevant to moral judgements Give one example to show how knowledge may create moral responsibilities

History (objectives) Explain how historians use artifacts to find out what happened in the past Understand that cultural background of the historian may affect interpretations Give one example how historians’ research interests and interpretations are affected by contemporary ideas Understand how knowledge about history can shape personal and national identities Give two examples how historian use Ways of Knowing in their work Compare historical knowledge to knowledge produced in one other Area of Knowledge

Mathematics (objectives) Explain shortly ‘axiom’, ‘theorem’ and ‘proof’, rational and irrational numbers Give one example how culture affects mathematics Understand the difference between Euclidean and non- Euclidean geometry as example of the role of ‘logical space’ in mathematics Explain why people may regards mathematical theories beautiful Understand that mathematics may not be completely definable in mathematical (Gödel’s incompleteness theorem) or logical terms (Russell’s paradox) Understand the abstract nature of mathematical thinking