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Four TOK Themes Interaction Map

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About This MicroSim

This interactive MicroSim helps students illustrate how the four TOK themes interact by identifying connections between them in a concrete example.. It supports the learning objectives in Chapter: Knowledge and the Knower.

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/tok-themes-interaction/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 four TOK themes: Knowledge and the Knower, Knowledge and Language, Knowledge and Technology, Knowledge and Politics
  • Basic understanding of how knowledge is produced and shared within communities

Learning Objectives

  • Illustrate how the four TOK themes interact by tracing connections between theme nodes on a concept map for a real-world scenario

Activities

  1. Exploration (5 min): Select the "COVID-19 Pandemic" example from the sim's dropdown menu. Click on each of the four theme nodes to read their descriptions. Observe which connections between themes are highlighted and note the labels on each connecting line.
  2. Guided Practice (10 min): Starting from the "Knowledge and Technology" node, trace all connections to the other three themes. For each connection, discuss with a partner: How did technology shape language around COVID (e.g., "flatten the curve")? How did political decisions rely on technological knowledge (e.g., vaccine distribution)? How did individual knowers navigate conflicting information from technological and political sources? Record at least three specific examples of theme interactions.
  3. Assessment (5 min): Choose a different real-world scenario (e.g., climate change, artificial intelligence, or a local issue). Without using the sim, sketch your own four-node concept map on paper showing how the TOK themes interact for your chosen topic. Label at least four connections with specific examples.

Assessment

  • Students identify at least three distinct interactions between TOK themes for a given scenario
  • Concept map connections include specific, concrete examples rather than vague generalizations
  • Students demonstrate understanding that themes are interdependent rather than isolated categories

Quiz

Test your understanding with this review question.

1. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which example BEST illustrates an interaction between "Knowledge and Technology" and "Knowledge and Politics"?

  1. A student reads a biology textbook chapter about viruses
  2. Governments used epidemiological modeling software to justify lockdown policies
  3. A poet writes about the experience of isolation during quarantine
  4. A philosopher questions whether scientific knowledge is objective
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Epidemiological modeling software represents technological knowledge production, while lockdown policies represent political decision-making that depends on and shapes that knowledge. This is a clear intersection of the Technology and Politics themes -- technology generates the models, and politics determines how those models are interpreted and acted upon.

Concept Tested: Interaction between TOK themes (Technology and Politics)

References

  1. IB Theory of Knowledge Guide, International Baccalaureate Organization, 2022.
  2. Alchin, Nicholas. Theory of Knowledge. Hodder Education, 2014.