What Are the Changes in the New TOK Curriculum?

TL;DR

The new Theory of Knowledge curriculum eliminates the formal teaching of ways of knowing and the requirement for students to create their own knowledge questions. It introduces optional themes like politics and technology, and replaces the TOK presentation with an internal assessment where students will curate an exhibition of objects related to provided knowledge questions.

Transcript

hello my name is Mario Noah tang and this is an Oxford University Press sponsored session on the changes to the theory of knowledge curriculum the curriculum will be taught to students for the first time in 2020 so you must be curious to know what are the changes to the curriculum and how are things shifting from the way the--okay is being taught t... Read More

Key Insights

• 💨 The new Theory of Knowledge curriculum removes the requirement to formally teach the ways of knowing, but they can still be explored.
• ⁉️ Students no longer have to construct their own knowledge questions, instead focusing on exploring different perspectives on provided questions.
• 🪘 The theory of knowledge presentation is no longer required as an assessment but can still be used as a classroom activity.
• 👶 The distinction between personal and shared knowledge is approached differently in the new curriculum.
• 🔬 The areas of knowledge, such as history, mathematics, natural sciences, human sciences, and arts, remain unchanged in the new curriculum.
• 🕰️ The essay remains an external assessment piece where students choose a prescribed title for their extended piece of writing.
• ❓ Language is now offered as one of the optional themes under the banner of knowledge and language.
• ❓ Indigenous and religious knowledge systems are shifting to become optional themes as well.
• 👂 Ethics, although no longer listed as an area of knowledge, is explored throughout the course under the heading of ethics.
• 🔨 The knowledge framework has been replaced by a framework composed of four headings: scope, perspectives, methods and tools, and ethics.
• 💯 The new curriculum features a core theme called "knowledge and the knower" to center the student in the learning process.
• 👶 Two new optional themes, politics and technology, have been added based on student interest.
• ❓ The internal assessment, which replaces the theory of knowledge presentation, involves curating an exhibition of three objects that answer a chosen prompt.
• 💱 The changes in the 2020 curriculum include the mandatory teaching of specific areas of knowledge and the opportunity to weave optional themes throughout the exploration of these areas.
• 🧑‍🏫 Teachers may need additional support in teaching the specific mandatory areas of knowledge.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are the changes to the ways of knowing in the new Theory of Knowledge curriculum?

The ways of knowing are no longer required to be formally taught, but they may still be used in exploring knowledge in different areas.

Q: How has the approach to knowledge questions changed in the new curriculum?

Students no longer have to construct their own knowledge questions, instead they focus on exploring different perspectives on provided questions.

Q: Is the theory of knowledge presentation still required in the new curriculum?

No, the theory of knowledge presentation has been replaced by a new internal assessment task. However, it can still be used as a classroom activity.

Q: How is the distinction between personal and shared knowledge framed differently in the new curriculum?

In the new curriculum, the distinction between personal and shared knowledge is approached in a slightly different way, but still remains a part of the exploration of knowledge.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The new Theory of Knowledge curriculum removes the requirement to formally teach the ways of knowing, but they may still be explored organically.

• Students no longer have to construct their own knowledge questions, instead focusing on exploring provided questions.

• The theory of knowledge presentation is no longer required as an assessment, but can still be used as a classroom activity.

• The distinction between personal and shared knowledge is framed differently in the new curriculum.