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From Claim to Knowledge Workflow

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About This MicroSim

This interactive MicroSim helps students explore the concept. It supports the learning objectives in Chapter: Theories of Truth and Knowledge.

How to Use

Use the interactive controls below the drawing area to explore the visualization. Hover over elements for additional information and click to see detailed descriptions.

Iframe Embed Code

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

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<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/theory-of-knowledge/sims/claim-to-knowledge-workflow/main.html"
        height="450px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Grade Level

9-12 (High School / IB TOK)

Duration

15-20 minutes

Prerequisites

  • Familiarity with the concept of a "knowledge claim" vs. an opinion or belief
  • Basic understanding of the Justified True Belief (JTB) framework
  • Exposure to the distinction between personal and shared knowledge

Learning Objectives

  • Apply the JTB evaluation workflow to trace a real-world claim through all steps from initial assertion to justified knowledge

Activities

  1. Exploration (5 min): Enter the claim "Vaccines are safe and effective" into the workflow. Click through each of the 8 steps and read the prompts carefully. Notice how the workflow separates the initial claim from the evidence-gathering, justification, and truth-evaluation stages. Pay attention to where the workflow asks you to pause and consider alternative perspectives.
  2. Guided Practice (10 min): With a partner, trace a second claim through the workflow — try "The Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old." At each step, discuss: What kind of evidence supports this claim? Whose testimony counts as authoritative, and why? Where does the justification come from — empirical observation, expert consensus, or logical reasoning? Compare how the justification process differs between your scientific claim and an ethical claim like "It is wrong to lie." Identify which steps in the workflow are most contested for each type of claim.
  3. Assessment (5 min): Choose a claim from everyday life (e.g., "Drinking eight glasses of water a day is necessary for health"). Independently trace it through the workflow steps. Write a brief reflection (3-4 sentences) explaining at which step the claim is most vulnerable to challenge and what kind of evidence would strengthen or weaken it.

Assessment

  • Students can correctly identify and sequence all stages of the claim-to-knowledge workflow
  • Students can articulate the difference between belief, justified belief, and knowledge using the JTB framework
  • Students can identify the weakest link in the justification chain for a given real-world claim

Quiz

Test your understanding with this review question.

1. According to the Justified True Belief (JTB) framework, which of the following is required for a claim to count as knowledge?

  1. The claim must be believed by a majority of experts
  2. The claim must be true, believed by the knower, and supported by adequate justification
  3. The claim must be proven beyond all possible doubt
  4. The claim must be consistent with the knower's personal experience
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. The JTB framework requires three conditions: the proposition must be true, the person must believe it, and the person must have justification for that belief. Option A confuses consensus with justification. Option C sets an impossibly high standard (certainty rather than justification). Option D conflates personal experience with the broader concept of justification, which can include empirical evidence, testimony, and reasoning.

Concept Tested: Justified True Belief (JTB) Framework

References

  1. Plato, Theaetetus, circa 369 BCE — the classical source for the JTB analysis of knowledge.
  2. Gettier, E. (1963). "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?" Analysis, 23(6), 121-123.