1. TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
#1 Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Key Words and Phrases:
Knowledge, generated, interaction, critical thinking, creative thinking, evaluate

2. TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Knowledge:
What definition of “knowledge” will I use?
What definition best fits my argument?
Knowledge is generated:
What is the process by which knowledge is “generated”?
What does “generated” mean? Is that the same as “new knowledge is created”?

3. TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Critical thinking
What is critical thinking?
How will I define “critical” and distinguish critical from other types of thinking?
Does “critical” mean the same as “analytical”? “rational”? “scientific”?
Where/when/how is critical thinking used?

4. TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Creative thinking
What is creative thinking?
How will I define “creative” and distinguish critical from other types of thinking?
Does “creative” mean the same as “intuitive”? “artistic”? “non-analytical”?
Where/when/how is creative thinking used?

5. TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Interaction
What does “interaction” mean?
What does “interaction” mean in the context of two ways of thinking?
Does the interaction happen within the mind of one person? In the interaction of two or more people? Different time periods? Different disciplines?
How/when/where do these two types of thinking come into contact and interact?

6. TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Action term: Evaluate
What exactly does it mean to “evaluate”?
Am I to examine if this statement is true or not?
Do I examine the extent to which it is true or not?
What is the relationship between “evaluate” and “analyze”? “Evaluate” and “prove”?
How will I know when my “evaluation” is complete?

7. TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Assumptions in the title:
That knowledge IS generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking.
That knowledge can’t be generated WITHOUT interaction, without the “presence” of both critical and creative thinking.
That the way knowledge is generated is different among the various areas of knowledge.

8. TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Knowledge Issues:
To what extent does the generation of knowledge require both critical and creative thinking?
How does the relative roles of creative and critical thinking and their interaction vary among the areas of knowledge?
How can we make a clear distinction between types of thinking, particularly between critical and creative thinking?

9. TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Areas of Knowledge:
Natural sciences, human sciences, history, mathematics, arts, ethics
Which two areas of knowledge should I use?
Should I choose two AoK that will give me opportunity to compare and contrast the different ways and levels of interaction between critical thinking and creative thinking?

10. TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Return to the checklist:
What are the knowledge issues?
What stance will you take?
What AoK and WoK will you address?
What are the examples?
Deal with any counterclaims.
Note any implications.