1. Welcome to Theory of Knowledge

2. Ready, Fire, Aim!
Identify only by touch three carefully chosen TOK mystery objects hidden in pillow cases.
Do not confer your guesses and write your response on a small piece of paper put your name on it and hand it to me.
From this simple activity we just accessed multiple AOKs and WOKs

3. What is TOK? Write down what you think we do in TOK? 5 mins
In TOK it does not matter how smart you think you might be compared to others in the room; and it does not matter how much knowledge that I, as your teacher, might have accumulated over the years.
Things that count are participation, questioning and personal strategies for gradually deepening their own understanding.

4. Maria Mitchell (pronounced Ma-RYE-ah) was an astronomer, librarian, naturalist, and above all, educator. She discovered a comet through a telescope, for which she was awarded a gold medal by the King of Denmark. She was then thrust into the international spotlight and became America’s first professional female astronomer.

5. Mr. Estrada Born in Juarez MX Raised in EL PASO, TEXAS
BS in Psychology from UNT
I love to play sports, music, reading, traveling, cook (obviously)
Proud dog parent to Santo

7. WOKs (Ways of Knowing)

8. AOKs (Areas of Knowledge)

9. IB Core TOK Extended Essay CAS (Creativity, Action, Service)
You must complete all three to graduate with the IB Diploma!

10. Core Premises 1. Much of TOK consists of questions
2. We are all responsible for content
3. Disagreement is likely

11. CONSENSUAL AGREEMENTS
Face each other to ensure eye contact. 
Be a good listener. Be open to, and respond to, what has been said. Do not just wait to state your own preconceived idea. 
Respect all: No gloating, taunting or sarcasm or isms of any kind (racism, classism, ageism, etc)
If you have something to contribute there is a moral imperative to do so. 
Do not pretend to understand if you don’t. Ask for clarification. 
One voice at a time. No ongoing battles between domineering individuals. 
Be rigorous and have fun! 

12. Grading Policy Class participation= 50% Presentations= 40%
Quizzes and Journal entries= 10%
This class is based on class participation and sharing out in the class
You need this class to graduate with an IB diploma so it is crucial for you to participate in class

13. Procedures Put phone in wall organizer
Pick up the article/s for the day and begin reading
Take a seat and get out your journals
At the bell I will start the days news and students should take notes
Write your connection papers to turn in ( more on this later)

14. Bathroom No Bathroom the first and last 15 minutes of class
Grab the pass and go after the Do Now

16. Objective
“I can explain how TOK trains me to overcome problems with acquiring knowledge about the world”

17. The first two thinking skills of tok

18. What does the slide suggest about “thinking”?
What might the young girl be thinking? Would a young boy ask the same sorts of questions? Would a young Muslim girl (or boy) ask different questions?
What questions might an adult ask? How do you know this? •
Does “perspective” affect our thinking? If so, how?
Does understanding different disciplines affect our perspective? Our thinking? Our conclusions?

19. Reflection What does the slide suggest about “thinking”?
What might the young girl be thinking? Would a young boy ask the same sorts of questions? Would a young Muslim girl (or boy) ask different questions?
What questions might an adult ask? How do you know this? •
Does “perspective” affect our thinking? If so, how?
Does understanding different disciplines affect our perspective? Our thinking? Our conclusions?

20. The Thinker

21. The first two thinking skills of TOK
1. Thinking critically (meaning?) 2. Thinking authoritatively (meaning?)

22. WOKs

23. AOKs

24. Knowledge Questions
Do you believe in Magic?
What is Magic? Not a KQ
What percentage of science is based in magic? Not a KQ
How does magic trick the human mind to believing what is real versus what is fictitious? Better but not a KQ
To what extent does sense perception and faith influence reality? This is a KQ

25. Quiz How many senses are there?
Why is it warmer in the summer than in the winter?
What percentage of the brain is used by humans?
What shape are planetary rotations?
When did we realize that the earth is spherical rather than flat?
What colour is deoxygenated blood?

26. Answers – Q1
There are not five senses. There are nearer to 20. These include internal as well as external senses. For example
Thermoception - detecting temperature
Equilibrioception - sense of balance
Proprioception - spatial movement
Nociception - sensing pain

27. Answers – Q2
The answer is not because the earth passes closer to the sun during summer (which would probably lead to the complete destruction of the earth). The answer is that the angle of the suns rays are less acute, so they are more concentrated on the surface of the earth, thus warming it more.

28. Answers – Q3
Neurologist Barry Gordon describes the myth as false, adding, "we use virtually every part of the brain, and that (most of) the brain is active almost all the time even when we sleep Sleep paradox- Body is catatonic but brain is active (dreams, REM, hypnogogic)

29. Answers – Q4
The answer is not ‘elliptical’, the answer is (almost) perfect circles. If this was not the case, planets would burn up every time they went closer to the sun. Diagrams in textbooks showing elliptical orbits only seek to show a more 3 dimensional view.

30. Answers – Q5
The answer is not 1492 when Columbus’s ships disappeared over the horizon. We have known since classical times that the earth was spherical.

31. Answers – Q6
The answer is not ‘blue’; there is, in fact, very little difference in the colour of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. The latter is a little darker

32. Why did we do so badly?
Flawed sources of knowledge – from school? Our parents? Our intuition? Textbooks?
What are the implications of getting such basic questions wrong, on subjects that we have probably received an education?

33. Other problems of knowledge
A Nottingham University study found that amongst 500 Internet sites offering advice on health issues, not a single one sponsored by private companies provided the correct information about ailments on which they claimed to be an authority Vitamin C and Colds?

34. Midichlorians

35. Other problems of knowledge
We’re exposed in a single day to as much data as someone in the 15th century would encounter in their entire life We now create as much information in two days as we did from the dawn of man through 2003 Every 24 hours we are bombarded with the equivalent of 174 different newspapers worth of data

36. Other problems of knowledge
Fanatical groups operating in the world, and the (tabloid) media coverage of their actions Alt-Right _____ Lives Matter Religious

37. Our First Do Now!
Every class we will be listening to a minute report on the days news or a Ted Talk/Video
You will need to get out your journal and connect the report to something in your life (memory, emotions, history, culture, sports)
i.e. If the report was about penguins I would write in my journal how I saw a penguin one time in Antarctica and how Antarctica does not have any polar bears. The greek word for bear is Arctos so Antarctica is Anti-Arctos ( Without Bears.) I know this because I saw a program about polar bears when I was in middle school. ( I just connected the report to Memory, Natural Sciences, and language)

38. Exit
How can TOK help us to overcome these problems of knowledge? i.e. how can TOK help you when you are learning in other classes