T.O.K.



The **Theory of Knowledge** programme is central to the educational philosophy of the International Baccalaureate. It challenges students and their teachers to reflect critically on diverse ways of knowing and areas of knowledge, and to consider the role which knowledge plays in a global society. It encourages students to become aware of themselves as thinkers, to become aware of the complexity of knowledge, and to recognize the need to act responsibly in an increasingly interconnected world. Questions are the very essence of **Theory of Knowledge**, both ageless questions on which thinkers have been reflecting for centuries and new ones, often challenging to accepted belief, which are posed by contemporary life. Engaging with students in a critical examination of knowledge, teachers will foster an appreciation of the quest for knowledge, in particular its importance, its complexities, and its human implications. This course encourages students to gain and apply their own knowledge with greater awareness and responsibility.

The Theory of Knowledge (TOK) diagram has been included to indicate the manner in which this course has been constructed. The course is centered on student reflection and questioning, and the diagram places the knowers, as individuals and as groups, at the centre. The Four Ways of Knowing surround the knowers: emotion, reason, perception and language. Six subject areas from the IB Diploma programme are included: mathematics, natural sciences, human sciences, history, the arts, and ethics. These three elements of the diagram correspond to the three major divisions of the course profile that follows: Knowers and Knowing, Ways of Knowing, and Areas of Knowledge.







A page about Knowledge Issues.