Theory of Knowledge proposed by IB schools seeks to break this redundant pattern, enabling them to understand the nature and genesis of knowledge. So, here are some tips which IB schools in Dubai and other major cities follow to incorporate TOK into their curricula.
For most of us, schools have been our first sources of knowledge. However, while students typically receive an ocean of knowledge on various subjects, most often becomes a shallow reservoir of stagnant information.
Theory of Knowledge proposed by IB schools seeks to break this redundant pattern, enabling them to understand the nature and genesis of knowledge. So, here are some tips which IB schools in Dubai and other major cities follow to incorporate TOK into their curricula:
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Breaking it Up: Earmarking and Defining Keywords
Having a concrete structure to abstract writing can help students to carry out more specific research. For example, suppose the topic of an essay assigned to students is "The Impact of Air Pollution on Health." In that case, teachers may pick up the elementary keywords "air pollution" and "health" and discuss each individually as well as relatively.
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Simple and Comprehensive Curricula
Reputed IB schools understand that the best curricula cover all the significant study areas while also following a simple structure. To strike the perfect balance, it is best to devise a coherent subject-wise curriculum that includes in-depth information on each topic while also integrating one topic to another.
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Questioning is the Key: Preparing Innovative Question Banks
IB schools often incorporate specific dynamic questions that help students introspect about the evolution of knowledge. Questions such as "What questions in your subject area have you not been able to find a definite answer to?" can help them to delve deeper into the origins of various key areas.
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When Merely Seeing is Not Believing: The TOK Exhibition
Unlike conventional exhibitions, TOK exhibitions provide students with specific prompts. The students then view three distinct objects and list aspects of the prompt related to the given items. This activity helps students to understand the practical implications of knowledge.
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Empowering Through Technology
Education is majorly revolutionized by technology, in terms of spreading knowledge and as a field of study in itself. It has led to more efficient learning and teaching processes. IB schools in Dubai and other megacities leverage the latest technology to help students understand knowledge from its roots.
- Knowledge From the Global and Local Perspectives
Today, knowledge is increasingly viewed as highly subjective and free-flowing. Providing students with access to knowledge systems prevalent in different communities helps them gain an objective perspective and become more empathetic.
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The Language-Knowledge Dynamics
While language typically acts as a means of communicating information, it is also a powerful knowledge system. Top IB schools encourage students to question the use of language as a means to colonize societies and fight against colonization.
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The 'Power of Knowledge'
Knowledge acquisition acts as a means to dominate as well as empower societies. For example, the Indian caste system concentrates knowledge at the hands of the "upper-caste" communities, acting as a means to crystallize these castes' power over the rest of the society. Understanding such comprehensive dynamics helps students broaden their horizons.
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Gender and Knowledge
Even today, many women do not have access to quality education to relegate them to domestic duties. The best IB schools encourage students to consider the deeply ingrained gender-knowledge dynamics and women's rebellions to shatter the same.
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Knowledge for a Better World
Finally, IB schools understand that knowledge is ultimately a means to sensitize individuals towards one another. Thus, they promote learning not to conquer the world but to make it a better place to inhabit.
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