This web page is meant for TOK teachers.
It offers advice about course design, available textbooks, the implementation of assessments,
how to integrate TOK across the curriculum and what can be found on My IB.
The top tips will presented through FAQs in the order outlined above.
1. Getting started: how to design your course?
As such, there is no set way to design the TOK course. However, it is important to keep a few things in mind.
Firstly, schools should respect the minimum recommended TOK teaching hours in total, and for each course aspect in particular.
Secondly, the order in which you teach the course content should facilitate (rather than contradict) your assessment schedule.
Finally, schools should be mindful of the pedagogical principles that underpin the IBDP when implementing the TOK programme.
Firstly, schools should respect the minimum recommended TOK teaching hours in total, and for each course aspect in particular.
Secondly, the order in which you teach the course content should facilitate (rather than contradict) your assessment schedule.
Finally, schools should be mindful of the pedagogical principles that underpin the IBDP when implementing the TOK programme.
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1.1 So what has to be covered, and how much time should we spend on this?
In a nutshell: the 2022 specification is composed of one central core theme, 2 optional themes (choice out of 5) and 5 compulsory areas of knowledge. The total minimum teaching time for TOK is 100 hours. Of these 100 hours, approximately 18 hours will go to the preparation for and completion of assessments, 32 hours to the themes (the core theme and the 2 optional themes combined) and 50 hours to the areas of knowledge combined.
The knowledge framework with the 4 elements (scope, methods and tools, perspectives and ethics) is central to the course. These elements should be embedded in the entire programme. Units can be organised through this framework, or references to these elements can be made throughout. They are not separate entities that require "additional" time allowance, in this respect.
The knowledge framework with the 4 elements (scope, methods and tools, perspectives and ethics) is central to the course. These elements should be embedded in the entire programme. Units can be organised through this framework, or references to these elements can be made throughout. They are not separate entities that require "additional" time allowance, in this respect.
Minumum 32 hours |
Minimum 50 hours |
Assessment: minimum 18 hours
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1.2 Which approach to course design is for me?
When you design your course outline, as well as the unit plans, it is important to remember the educational philosophy that underpins the IB. In that respect, teachers should consider the learner profile, ATL, international mindedness etc. In addition, it is important to remember the place TOK has at the centre of the IBDP. Therefore, links with other subject lessons should be made continually.
As is the case for all IBDP course outlines (and unit plans), assessment plays a crucial role. Although there is some freedom regarding when the official assessments take place, you should remember the following: the TOK exhibition should really happen in the first year of teaching, and it is primarily based on the themes. The essay titles appear 6 months before their final submission deadline, and the essay is primarily based on the areas of knowledge. The essay is submitted in the second year of teaching. The core theme is connected to both the essay and the exhibition, which is why you should teach this core theme early on in the course. In addition to the formal (official) assessments, teachers can also include a range of other assessment tasks. Although these won't influence the students' final grades, they may inform teachers about student progress, and guide future teaching. Such assessments can take many forms, ranging from practice essays, to Socratic dialogues, presentations, forum entries etc.
Given the timeline of the official assessments, it would be unwise to leave the teaching of the optional themes to the second year of teaching. Likewise, it would be unwise to start the TOK course with an in-depth discussion of all the areas of knowledge, before the core theme has been discussed. So, no matter which approach to course design you prefer, it is important that the taught content is in sync with your assessment timeline. When you design the TOK course, you can take a range of different approaches. I have called these the "linear approach", the "blended approach" and the "conceptual approach" respectively. For more information about these approaches, check out the boxes below.
The knowledge framework with the 4 elements (scope, methods and tools, perspectives and ethics) is central to the course. These elements should be embedded in the entire programme. Units can be organised through this framework, or references to these elements can be made throughout.
Linear approachThis approach to course design is probably the most straightforward in terms of planning. After the unpacking of some key concepts, as well as the 4 elements, you start teaching the core theme, followed by the two chosen optional themes. You then move onto the 5 areas of knowledge. Most coursebooks will follow this order as well. Note that you should continually link the optional themes and the areas of knowledge to the core theme, as well as the 4 elements. The TOK exhibition is prepared in the first year of teaching (at some point after all the themes have been covered). The essay preparation then takes place in the second year, whilst the teaching of the areas of knowledge continues. A refresher of the core theme also takes place in the second year. It would be fairly easy to allocate teaching hours to each part of this course design. This approach may work best if you are new to teaching TOK. If you use this "linear" approach, don't forget to include the elements throughout and make connections between themes, AOKs, elements, concepts etc. |
Blended approachIn this approach, you still teach all the themes and areas of knowledge as such. You also start with the four elements and the core theme. After the core theme, you teach one of the optional themes. However, as opposed to the "linear approach", you may then introduce a particular area of knowledge fairly early on in the course. The earlier introduction of an area of knowledge (and the actual notion of areas of knowledge), may encourage students to see TOK links within their IBDP subjects. Through this "blended approach", you should still cover the second optional theme in the first year of teaching because the exhibition takes place in the first year. You may also teach some AOKs through concepts or the elements that underpin the entire course. The latter can help students make connections and focus on TOK stuff when analysing AOKs. This approach is still fairly straightforward in terms of planning and the allocation of teaching hours. Essay prep takes place in the second year. |
Conceptual approachThe conceptual approach organises the entire course by key concepts and/or the four elements. For each concept (eg "paradigms and perspectives"), you can discuss both the themes and the areas of knowledge. Teaching through concepts enables students to grasp the relevance of what they learn better. It also ties everything together very well. This conceptual and intertwined approach is very much in he spirit of the new specification. Nevertheless, this "creative" approach requires a lot of thought and careful planning by the TOK teacher. Textbooks do not tend to organise themselves conceptually, which complicates things somewhat. From personal experience, teaching through concepts prepares students well for the assessed essays and the analysis of (counter)claims. This approach may be more suitable for experienced TOK teachers. If you choose this approach, be careful to allocate the teaching hours proportionally. Also, ensure that all required TOK course content is covered in sync with the assessment timeline. |
Designing the TOK course outline for an IB authorisation
If your school is currently going through the authorisation process, you should use a specific template for the TOK course design,
This template can be found on My IB. (your diploma coordinator will provide access details).
This template can be found on My IB. (your diploma coordinator will provide access details).
2. Are there coursebooks for the new specification?
Yes, there are a range of new textbooks, e-textbooks and course books on the market which are specifically made for the 2022 specification. It is highly recommended that you update your school's stock of TOK textbooks, given the massive changes in the specification. Note that some coursebooks dedicate specific chapters to assessment, whereas other publishers have created separate resources for this.
For more information, click here.
For more information, click here.
3. What about assessments?
The new specification brings with it some major changes in terms of assessment. In this sense, it is important to have a good look at the requirements of the TOK exhibition as well as the slightly altered TOK essay. When you plan your course, keep in mind that the TOK exhibition should really take place in the first year of teaching. The essay titles will be published 6 months before the final submission date. The essay writing process will, in practice, take place during the second year of teaching. Given that the TOK exhibition is ideally linked to one of the themes, it is important to teach these themes in the first year of teaching. The essay titles are based on the areas of knowledge, so some areas of knowledge can still be taught in the second year of teaching.
For more information about the assessments, click here.
For specific examples of student exhibitions, essays and examiner comments, visit My IB.
For more information about the assessments, click here.
For specific examples of student exhibitions, essays and examiner comments, visit My IB.
4. How to integrate TOK across the curriculum?
Ideally, TOK is not just taught by TOK teachers, but truly embedded within each subject lesson and the IBDP as a whole.
In practice, this does not always happen, due to time constraints and misconceptions about the nature of the subject.
The latter may hinder IBDP teachers' ability to effectively provide TOK links within their subject lessons.
In practice, this does not always happen, due to time constraints and misconceptions about the nature of the subject.
The latter may hinder IBDP teachers' ability to effectively provide TOK links within their subject lessons.
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4.1 Introducing the new TOK specification to IBDP subject teachers: question bank.
To ensure that IBDP teachers understand how to embed TOK with minimal time and effort, avoid intellectualising the subject.
Remember that subject teachers are busy, and that they don't need to know everything about TOK in order to think about TOK concepts.
The bank of questions below aims to draw teachers into TOK (2022), without providing all sorts of unnecessary details.
Remember that subject teachers are busy, and that they don't need to know everything about TOK in order to think about TOK concepts.
The bank of questions below aims to draw teachers into TOK (2022), without providing all sorts of unnecessary details.
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If you had to place 3 objects -which represent how knowledge is acquired in your subject- in a museum, what would those objects be and why? Over the years, how has technology changed the way you "know" things in your subject? If there was one book, study, or idea students should know about in your subject area, which one would this be and why? Follow-up discussion (link to elements): “Is there any knowledge that a person or a society has a responsibility to acquire, or not to acquire?" What is the biggest unanswered question in your subject area? Which news report, article or documentary related to your subject specialism do you find particularly infuriating and why? Follow-up discussion: "What counts as good evidence in your area of knowledge"? |
If you had an ethical "carte blanche" in your subject discipline, what kind of things might you know (more about)? And why could it be considered unethical to pursue such knowledge? If you could go back in time to "erase" one thing people once believed to be true in your subject area, what knowledge would you discard and why? Which practices of your subject area will future generations most likely condemn, for ethical reasons or others? Follow-up discussion: What might your curriculum and/or textbook look like in, let's say, 50 years from now? “With great power, comes great responsibility.” In your subject area, is there knowledge which entails responsibility (in some form or other)? Which "object" do you find contentious in terms of the knowledge it embodies, and why? Follow-up discussion: What ethical responsibilities do we have regarding knowledge that has been created or published by other people? (link to elements). |
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4.2 Individually catered PD sessions
To avoid overburdening subject teachers with TOK information they don't really need, you can organise subject specific PD sessions for individual departments. This takes a bit of effort and research on behalf of the TOK teacher/coordinator. However, these sessions enable departments to include TOK links more effectively, both within their schemes of work as a whole and the actual subject lessons. Below you can find some examples of materials used to deliver PD sessions for the Economics and Language faculties respectively. These individualised PD sessions represent a great opportunity for TOK teachers to exchange ideas with subject teachers, whilst gathering original examples from a range of AOKs.
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| economics_and_tok.pptx |
| modern_languages_and_tok.pptx |
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4.3 The importance of collaborative planning and delivery.
Finally, it is important to actively involve subject teachers with the planning and delivery of your own TOK lessons. This can be done by having a conversation with a subject specialist about something you are not so sure about (eg ask them for specific examples about theories, disputed facts, evidence, unethical experiments/studies etc in their subject area..). This can also be done by inviting a subject expert to teach a TOK lesson about their subject specialism (or area of knowledge). The invitation for subject teachers to "guest teach" TOK lessons is a great way to add variety to your programme, whilst learning from colleagues. Ideally, TOK teachers occasionally collaborate with subject teachers to plan and /or team teach a TOK lesson on the subject teacher's area of expertise. Cross-curricular collaboration is truly invaluable in TOK. After all, TOK is placed at the centre of the IBDP and (partly) aims to tie the programme together. Below you can find an example of a cross-curricular lesson that was the product of collaborative planning and teaching between a TOK (language) teacher, a psychology teacher, a primary school teacher married to a member of an indigenous people in Brunei and a student who completed a CAS project in support of the indigenous Penan people. This lesson allowed for links between different IBDP subjects, the integration of the core (CAS-TOK) and the inclusion of different approaches within and across the entire school.
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| indigenous_knowledge_-_part_a__10_.pptx |
| indigenous_knowledge_-_part_b__2_.pptx |
5.Where can I find more information about the course?
Where to find the TOK guide, sampler assessments, access to nano workshops and official documentation.
The IBO has published some very helpful guidance for TOK teachers. This guidance is available through the "My IB" section of the IBO website. On My IB, teachers can find the TOK guide, which should really be your first read when you start the new course. In addition, there is quite a lot of information available about the new assessments. For example, you can find sample exhibition materials with examiner comments. The same goes for the renewed TOK essay. The IBO also offers several nano workshops on things such as knowledge and technology, TOK across the curriculum etc. Due to copyright reasons, I cannot share the important IBO documents about the new specification here. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you log in to My IB. Your IBDP coordinator should be able to provide you with your password and school code, in case you don't have access to My IB yet.
6. Where can I find good workshops and online training?
"Official" PD offered by the IBO.
The IBO offers its own professional development, ranging from online PD, to webinars and actual "face-to-face" workshops. It is a requirement of the IBO that a proportion of staff members is upskilled by the IBO. If you complete a workshop successfully, you will get a certificate. In addition to these "more comprehensive" workshops, the IBO also offers (free) webinars and nano-workshops (see above). Please note that you must sign up with My IB. Your school's IB co-ordinator will be able to provide you with the necessary login details.
Other providers of PD, online training, workshops and webinars.
In addition to the "official" workshops by the IBO, there are several other providers who are renowned for offering quality TOK PD.
Although the list is not exhaustive, the providers mentioned below tend to get good reviews from attendees.
Although the list is not exhaustive, the providers mentioned below tend to get good reviews from attendees.
