TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title

1
TOK Essay Unpacking the Title

• 1 Knowledge is generated through the
  interaction of critical and creative thinking.
  Evaluate this statement in two areas of
  knowledge.
• Key Words and Phrases
• Knowledge, generated, interaction, critical
  thinking, creative thinking, evaluate

2
TOK Essay Unpacking the Title

• Knowledge is generated through the interaction of
  critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this
  statement in two areas of knowledge.
• Knowledge
• What definition of knowledge will I use?
• What definition best fits my argument?
• Knowledge is generated
• What is the process by which knowledge is
  generated?
• What does generated mean? Is that the same as
  new knowledge is created?

3
TOK Essay Unpacking the Title

• Knowledge is generated through the interaction of
  critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this
  statement in two areas of knowledge.
• Critical thinking
• What is critical thinking?
• How will I define critical and distinguish
  critical from other types of thinking?
• Does critical mean the same as analytical?
  rational? scientific?
• Where/when/how is critical thinking used?

4
TOK Essay Unpacking the Title

• Knowledge is generated through the interaction of
  critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this
  statement in two areas of knowledge.
• Creative thinking
• What is creative thinking?
• How will I define creative and distinguish
  critical from other types of thinking?
• Does creative mean the same as intuitive?
  artistic? non-analytical?
• Where/when/how is creative thinking used?

5
TOK Essay Unpacking the Title

• Knowledge is generated through the interaction of
  critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this
  statement in two areas of knowledge.
• Interaction
• What does interaction mean?
• What does interaction mean in the context of
  two ways of thinking?
• Does the interaction happen within the mind of
  one person? In the interaction of two or more
  people? Different time periods? Different
  disciplines?
• How/when/where do these two types of thinking
  come into contact and interact?

6
TOK Essay Unpacking the Title

• Knowledge is generated through the interaction of
  critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this
  statement in two areas of knowledge.
• Action term Evaluate
• What exactly does it mean to evaluate?
• Am I to examine if this statement is true or not?
• Do I examine the extent to which it is true or
  not?
• What is the relationship between evaluate and
  analyze? Evaluate and prove?
• How will I know when my evaluation is complete?

7
TOK Essay Unpacking the Title

• Knowledge is generated through the interaction of
  critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this
  statement in two areas of knowledge.
• Assumptions in the title
• That knowledge IS generated through the
  interaction of critical and creative thinking.
• That knowledge cant be generated WITHOUT
  interaction, without the presence of both
  critical and creative thinking.
• That the way knowledge is generated is different
  among the various areas of knowledge.

8
TOK Essay Unpacking the Title

• Knowledge is generated through the interaction of
  critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this
  statement in two areas of knowledge.
• Knowledge Issues
• To what extent does the generation of knowledge
  require both critical and creative thinking?
• How does the relative roles of creative and
  critical thinking and their interaction vary
  among the areas of knowledge?
• How can we make a clear distinction between types
  of thinking, particularly between critical and
  creative thinking?

9
TOK Essay Unpacking the Title

• Knowledge is generated through the interaction of
  critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this
  statement in two areas of knowledge.
• Areas of Knowledge
• Natural sciences, human sciences, history,
  mathematics, arts, ethics
• Which two areas of knowledge should I use?
• Should I choose two AoK that will give me
  opportunity to compare and contrast the different
  ways and levels of interaction between critical
  thinking and creative thinking?

10
TOK Essay Unpacking the Title

• Knowledge is generated through the interaction of
  critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this
  statement in two areas of knowledge.
• Return to the checklist
• What are the knowledge issues?
• What stance will you take?
• What AoK and WoK will you address?
• What are the examples?
• Deal with any counterclaims.
• Note any implications.