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TOK unit plan Gaining Knowledge

Gaining Knowledge DP year 1,


Course and topic Timing of unit

Unit description and texts DP assessment(s) related to unit

Students will become familiar with two key concepts, personal and Students analyse personal and shared knowledge, and how they take place
shared knowledge, and the zone of exchange-where personal and interact using videos (F), and worksheets (S). First, we work as a whole
knowledge meets the shared. class, eliciting students’ prior knowledge and building up new knowledge.
They will learn there are different type of personal knowledge, Teacher will model for students and then ask them to start using this newly
such as experiential knowledge, procedural knowledge and gained knowledge in class discussion.
declarative knowledge. The latter is of key importance in our
Then, they will be evaluated by answering the questions from a worksheet.
programme since it is what we claim to know. They will learn the
(S)
different types of knowledge claims, such as, statements of
personal observation, statements of values or value judgment, Types of knowledge claims recognition: Students will become familiar with
statements of observation and metaphysical statements. different types of knowledge claims. They will practice in pair or in small
groups. Answers will be checked as a whole class. (F)
They will learn how to formulate knowledge questions and why
they are important in the quest for knowledge. Then, they will take a formal test on types of knowledge claims. (S)
Bibliography
Dombronski, Rotemberg and Bick, (2013). Theory of Knowledge.
Course Companion, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press
Van de Lagemaat, R. (2015). Theory of Knowledge for the IB
Diploma. 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press

INQUIRY: establishing purpose of the unit


Transfer goals
List here one to three big, overarching, long-term goals for this unit. Transfer goals are the major goals that ask students to “transfer”, or apply,
their knowledge, skills, and concepts at the end of the unit under new/different circumstances, and on their own without scaffolding from the
teacher.

Students will be able to recognize the value of personal and shared knowledge in gaining knowledge
They will be able to distinguish different kinds of knowledge claims.
They will be able to formulate knowledge questions.

Essential understandings
List here the key content/skills/concepts that students will know/develop by the end of the unit.
Students will know the following content:
Personal knowledge
Shared knowledge
Experiential knowledge
Procedural Knowledge
Declarative Knowledge
Knowledge claims
Knowledge questions
Students will develop the following skills:
Recognizing how personal knowledge turns into shared knowledge and vice-versa.
How to formulate a knowledge claim
How to formulate a knowledge question

Students will grasp the following concepts:


The role of personal and shared knowledge in gaining knowledge.
Knowledge claims and its different types.
Why knowledge questions are important in gaining knowledge.

Missed concepts/misunderstandings
List here likely misunderstandings students may have during the unit with relation to skills, content and concepts.
Content-based:
They may not understand what a knowledge claim is.
Skills-based:
They may not be able to differentiate the different types of knowledge claims
Concept-based:
They may find it hard to understand the different types of personal knowledge

Inquiry questions
List here the understandings above written in question form, preferably as ones that inspire students to answer them. Feel free to create additional
questions that help inspire further inquiry in the unit but may not directly connect to an above essential understanding.

What is personal knowledge?


What is shared knowledge?
What is experiential knowledge?
What is procedural knowledge?
What is declarative knowledge?
What are knowledge claims?
What are knowledge questions?
How does personal knowledge turn into shared knowledge and vice-versa?
How do you formulate a knowledge claim?
How do you formulate a knowledge question?
Why are knowledge questions o key importance?
What is the role of personal and shared knowledge in gaining knowledge?
Which are the different types of knowledge claims?
Why are knowledge questions important in gaining knowledge?
ACTION: teaching and learning through inquiry
Key activities Assessment
Students will know the following content: Content-based:
Personal knowledge Students create a Venn diagram in which they write the characteristics
of personal and shared knowledge. (F)
Shared knowledge
Students will create a concept map on the types of personal knowledge.
Experiential knowledge
(F)
Procedural Knowledge
Declarative Knowledge
Knowledge claims
Skills-based:
Knowledge questions
Students will recognize the different types of personal knowledge (F)
Students will develop the following skills:
Students will recognize the different types of knowledge claims. (F)
Recognizing how personal knowledge turns into shared knowledge and
vice-versa.
Concept-based:
How to formulate a knowledge claim
They reflect on the value of the zone of exchange. (F)
How to formulate a knowledge question
Videos for discussion and elicitation on personal and shared knowledge
(F)
Students will grasp the following concepts:
Worksheets to classify different types of knowledge claims. (S)
The role of personal and shared knowledge in gaining knowledge.
Knowledge claims and its different types.
Why knowledge questions are important in gaining knowledge.

Approaches to learning Connections


√ Thinking √ Affirm identity—build self-esteem
√ Social √ Value prior knowledge
√ Communication √ Scaffold learning
√ Self-management Extend learning
Research Details:
Details: Learning how they acquire their personal knowledge is of key
importance to any learner. It helps them visualize their process of
Students will develop their critical thinking skills through the
learning, not just for this particular class but for life. However, it is
discussion and other activities in class. These will be in oral or written
necessary to scaffold this new learning and make it meaningful to them.
form. Most of them will be in pairs or small collaborative groups. This
technique provides students with the opportunity to learn with work
with others, be open to new ideas and develop respect and
understanding towards their peers.

Resources

Dombronski, Rotemberg and Bick, (2013). Theory of Knowledge. Course Companion, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press
Van de Lagemaat, R. (2015). Theory of Knowledge for the IB Diploma. 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press

REFLECTION: Considering the planning, process and impact of the inquiry

What worked well What didn’t work well


They learned how to differentiate personal and shared knowledge using Types of Knowledge
real life examples

Transfer goals
List the transfer goals from the beginning of this unit planner.

Students will be able to recognize the value of personal and shared knowledge in gaining knowledge
They will be able to distinguish different kinds of knowledge claims.
They will be able to formulate knowledge questions

Transfer reflection
How successful were the students in achieving the transfer goals by the end of the unit?

Students were able to recognize the difference between personal and shared knowledge. It became easier for them once we analysed some
pictures and videos as a whole class. Scaffolding these concepts was needed since it is the first time they approach them.
They were able to recognize the different types of knowledge claims with some difficulty at the beginning. So, I created a pair of worksheets to
get additional practice. Finally, they got it.

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