PRESENTATION ON TOK EXHIBITION FOR TEACHERS.pptx

A short PPT orientation on the ToK Exhibition which is a core requirement for the IB Diploma

1. Understanding the TOK Exhibition

2. How did the idea of an exhibition come about?

3. “A history of the world in 100 objects”

4. AIM OF THE TOK EXHIBITION 1. Assessing the student’s understanding of the TOK concepts. 2. The student’s ability to apply these concepts to the real world.

5. How is it done?

6. Step 1: Choose any one prompt. Step 2: Choose three objects or images of objects. Step 3: Create the final document. Step 4: Include citations and references.

7. Step 1: Choosing the prompt ( i ) Choose any one prompt out of the 35 prompts given by IB. (ii) Prompts are questions that help students in drawing up a framework within which they can work.

8. PROMPTS GIVEN BY IB 1. What counts as knowledge? 2. Are some types of knowledge more useful than others? 3. What features of knowledge have an impact on its reliability? 4. On what grounds might we doubt a claim? 5. What counts as good evidence for a claim? 6. How does the way that we organize or classify knowledge affect what we know? 7. What are the implications of having, or not having, knowledge? 8. To what extent is certainty attainable? 9. Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others? 10. What challenges are raised by the dissemination and/or communication of knowledge? 11. Can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?

9. 12. Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge? 13. How can we know that current knowledge is an improvement upon past knowledge? 14. Does some knowledge belong only to particular communities of knowers? 15. What constraints are there on the pursuit of knowledge? 16. Should some knowledge not be sought on ethical grounds? 17. Why do we seek knowledge? 18. Are some things unknowable? 19. What counts as a good justification for a claim? 20. What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge? 21. What is the relationship between knowledge and culture? 22. What role do experts play in influencing our consumption or acquisition of knowledge?

10. 23. How important are material tools in the production or acquisition of knowledge? 24. How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence whether it is accepted or rejected? 25. How can we distinguish between knowledge, belief and opinion? 26. Does our knowledge depend on our interactions with other knowers? 27. Does all knowledge impose ethical obligations on those who know it? 28. To what extent is objectivity possible in the production or acquisition of knowledge? 29. Who owns knowledge? 30. What role does imagination play in producing knowledge about the world? 31. How can we judge when evidence is adequate? 32. What makes a good explanation? 33. How is current knowledge shaped by its historical development? 34. In what ways do our values affect our acquisition of knowledge? 35. In what ways do values affect the production of knowledge?

11. Step 2: Choosing the objects ( i ) Choose 3 objects or images of objects. (ii) Choose objects of their interest or that are interesting in the TOK context. (iii) Objects can be from their subject lessons, what they have experienced in school and also what they have encountered outside the classroom. (iv) These objects should be related to knowledge.

12. What kinds of things are suitable objects for the TOK exhibition?

13. Suitable objects for TOK exhibition 1. Real time objects 2. Digital objects

14. Some examples of objects 1. Photo of an important page of a textbook. 2. A law that has been passed somewhere. 3. A tweet by a political leader. 4. Something that they own. 5. Something that they have previously created. For example: Their Extended Essay or their IB art exhibition piece. 6. An image of the painting “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso. 7. A basketball used by them during their physical education lessons. 8. The graphic novel  The Color of Earth  by Kim Dong Hwa. 9. A refillable water bottle provided to them in a school as part of a sustainability initiative. 10. A news article from the popular website “Buzzfeed”. 11. A photograph of them playing in an orchestra.

15. Step 3: Creating the final document The final document should contain the following: ( i ) Title of their IA prompt (ii) Images of the 3 objects (iii) A commentary on each object that identifies each object and its specific real – world context

16. What should the commentary contain?

17. The commentary on the object should contain the following: (a) An identification of the object; (b) An explanation of its specific real world context; (c) An explanation of how the object links to the chosen IA prompt; and (d) A justification as to why they have chosen to include this object in the exhibition on the chosen prompt.

18. Step 4: Citations and references They should include: ( i ) Appropriate citations and references (ii) If the object is their own or something that they have created, they should mention this.

19. Important points to remember 1. The exhibition is assessed internally, but moderated externally. 2. This IA is an individual task. 3. Make sure that no one in their class/ school uses the objects/ images based on only 1 IA prompt. 4. The TOK exhibition is a live or virtual exhibition of 3 objects based on only one IA prompt. 5. The prompt chosen should be from the list given by IB only. 6. Remember that all 3 images of objects should relate to the same prompt. 7. They cannot create something for the TOK exhibition. 8. No generic objects such as photos of babies or young girls, etc., 9. Objects can be physical or digital. 10. The total word count for this document should not exceed 950 words.

20. 11. This document needs to be created as a single file. 12. The file should include:- ( i ) A title that identifies the chosen IA prompt; (ii) Images of the 3 objects; (iii) A commentary on each object; and (iv) Appropriate referencing and citations. 13. Academic integrity

21. TOK Exhibition Example TOK Exhibition: Subtext and Connotation The TOK prompt I have selected is: “What challenges are raised by the dissemination and/or communication of knowledge?”. This exhibition explores this prompt by reflecting on knowledge and language, and more specifically on whether subtext and connotation always create confusion rather than help us to communicate knowledge. The language we use in our everyday lives can often be interpreted many different ways by different people, depending on their cultural background, beliefs, ideologies, affiliations, personal experiences etc. In particular it seems that subtext and connotation can be particularly challenging as they are often only recognized by people that share some particular knowledge or experiences, and it seems that they can easily be interpreted very differently by different people which can cause confusion and hinder communication of knowledge.

22. ToK Exhibition Example (contd.) This cup was used by Starbucks in 2017 and was controversial because some people viewed the symbol of the two hands holding hands on the cup as a sign that Starbucks was promoting a homosexual agenda, because they saw the cups as having an LGBT subtext. However, many other people just saw the cup as spreading joy and love during the holiday season and did not think that there was any particular subtext at all. This cup is particularly interesting for this exhibition because a Starbucks spokesman said that they had intentionally designed the cup so that customers could interpret it in their own way, which suggests that they were deliberately trying to communicate in an open or vague way rather than seeing the disagreement this might cause as being negative/ a challenge. In this way, the cup highlights how confusion arising from the use of subtext can be useful or can actually even be used by people intentionally to provoke discussion. The cup generated a lot of media attention for the company while still allowing them to say that how the cup was to be interpreted was up to their individual customers to decide. This cup also enriches this exhibition because both some members of the LGBT community and also some members of the right-wing media and public saw the cups as promoting same sex relationships. While both of these different groups interpreted the cup this way, their reaction was very different, with one seeing this as very positive and one being very upset about it. Yet other people didn’t see this subtext at all. So in this particular case it wasn’t only that the subtext itself was only seen or understood by some groups and not others, but also that the reaction to that subtext also differed very dramatically. Object 1. Starbucks holiday cup

23. ToK Exhibition Example (contd.) This object is a dictionary I use to help me translate between Chinese and English. When we think about how language is translated so that it can be communicated between people who speak different languages we can see that this poses many challenges to communication of knowledge, particularly because of the way that language uses connotations, euphemisms, proverbs and idioms that go beyond the literal meaning of a word. The meaning and true essence behind many words and phrases is often unique to a specific language and the cultural/historical understanding that comes with an intimate knowledge only a native speaker can acquire, particularly things like connotation where language can have not only its literal translation but also can have secondary meanings. This dictionary is therefore included in this exhibition as an example of where language and culture can really impact on communication of knowledge and on whether we see connotation or subtext at all as those nuances might be lost in translation. I have also included this dictionary in this exhibition because of how it represents me and the challenges around language and communication that I have personally experienced in my life and as a DP student – for example I have personally experienced how some words and ideas do not translate easily from Chinese into English. Object 2. My Chinese-English Translation Dictionary

24. ToK Exhibition Example (contd.) The song Strange Fruit was sung by Billie Holiday in 1939. It is often seen to use vivid imagery to protest against the treatment of black people in America and to have a subtext about promoting civil rights. This can be seen to be heavily insinuated throughout the song, especially with the use of “strange fruit” as a gruesome metaphor for the lynching of black people. This song makes us think about whether there are things that only some people see or understand because of their culture, personal experiences, etc. I do think that subtext and connotation are sometimes interpreted very differently by different groups and the group that a person belongs to impacts on the meaning and on what is being communicated. For example, Strange Fruit was sung by Billie Holiday, a black artist. The fact that this subtext was being expressed by a black artist means that the singer was themselves part of a group of people had been marginalised for so long, which makes the song lyrics even more powerful and emotional. The use of metaphor, connotation and subtext in this song helps the song communicate complex emotions and themes about racism and civil rights. In this way, this song is a helpful addition to this exhibition because it provides a good contrast to the dictionary. The dictionary highlighted that subtext and connotation can sometimes cause confusion because they add a layer of interpretation to the literal meaning of language. But this song shows that sometimes subtext and connotation can actually help communicate complex ideas and emotions rather than always being a challenge to the communication of knowledge. Thinking about this song, I have realised that connotations and subtext don’t always have to be challenging or misleading. If the person is trying to evoke a powerful meaning or emotion, often words that have many layered meanings deliver a more powerful impact. Object 3. Billie Holiday’s song Strange Fruit

25. ToK Exhibition Example (contd.) References 1. Sugar, R. 2018. ‘How Starbucks’s annual holiday cup became a battleground for the heart and soul of America’, Vox, accessed online at https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/11/2/18052550/starbucks-holiday-cup-explained-2018-controversies 2. Lynskey, D. 2011. ‘Strange Fruit: the first great protest song’, The Guardian, accessed online at https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/feb/16/protest-songs-billie-holiday-strange-fruit

26. Exhibition example: Examiner’s comments This is an example of an excellent exhibition. It was awarded a mark of 10/10. The student has clearly identified three specific objects and has effectively linked each one to the selected prompt. There is also a strong justification for the selection of each object. This student has included an introduction to their work. It should be noted that this is not required, but students are free to include a short introduction if they wish to do so. In this case the introduction is helpful as the student clearly identifies their selected prompt and theme, and explains why they have focused particularly on issues around subtext and connotation. The student then makes explicit references to the prompt throughout the response. In their discussion of the third object, the student makes a comparison between the dictionary and the song. It should be noted that there is no requirement that students make connections or comparisons between their objects. They may choose to do so, but it is also perfectly acceptable to discuss each of the three objects entirely individually. The piece of work should be judged holistically using the marking instrument, which means that, for example, the discussion of the dictionary should be rewarded wherever it appears in the response, not just where it appears under the section labelled object two.

27. How can a student score a perfect 10? Clarity in thought is not sufficient! Good academic writing is essential!

28. How can teachers help students achieve good academic writing skills?

29. Principles of Academic Writing Seek for an explanation Discover the truth State facts of what we are and what we see around us Explain causes and consequences of the issue Propose a course of action Conclude stating that the question is answered Reflect on what we have learnt and how our own perspective has changes as a result of the learning Cite the sources and list the references

30. Homework Step 1: Put on your thinking caps!

31. Homework (contd.) Step 2: Select a prompt Step 3: Identify three objects of your interest Step 4: Establish a real-world context of the objects chosen Step 5: Link the objects with the prompt Step 6: Justify why you have chosen the objects Will you be assessed on this? Wait for more in the next session!

32. Thank you!