Your ToK essay

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Your ToK essay
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Titles

• You have to choose your title (from a selection
  of
• 10 issued by the IB) and produce an essay of
• 1200-1600 words.
• The titles should have obvious connections
• to the ways of knowing and subject areas
• we look at in ToK. But when you begin
• writing the essay it is unlikely that you will
• have completed the entire course. This is why an
• independent approach is particularly important.

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Choose

• It sounds obvious but you must choose a title to
  which you
• feel attracted. You might not feel you know a
  great deal
• about it yet, but that doesnt matter.
• Dont choose a title which has a very strong
  focus on a
• subject which you do not study at IB. You are
  unlikely to
• write a good History based ToK essay if you no
  longer
• study History

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Plan

• Make sure you understand the question
• about what exactly are you being asked to
• give your view?
• Identify
• ? Appropriate WOKs to discuss as you
• address the question
• ?Appropriate subject areas to discuss as
• you address the question.

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Unfortunately this ToK candidate has
misunderstood WOK in this context.

• (sorry about that.)

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(A) Understanding knowledge issues

• A relevant knowledge issue is one that directly
  relates to the prescribed title undertaken, or
  one that the essay has shown is important in
  relation to it.
• Depth of understanding is often indicated by
  drawing distinctions within ways of knowing and
  areas of knowledge, or by connecting several
  facets of knowledge issues to these.

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(B) Knowers perspective

• To what extent have the knowledge issues
  relevant to the prescribed title been connected
  to the students own experience as a learner?
• Does the student show an awareness of his or
  her own perspective as a knower in relation to
  other perspectives, such as those that may arise,
  for example, from academic and philosophical
  traditions, culture or position in society
  (gender, age, and so on)?
• Do the examples chosen show an individual
  approach consciously taken by the student, rather
  than mere repetition of standard commonplace
  cases or the impersonal recounting of sources?

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(C) Quality of analysis of knowledge issues

• What is the quality of the inquiry into knowledge
  issues?
• Are the main points in the essay justified? Are
  the arguments coherent and compelling?
• Have counterclaims been considered?
• Are the implications and underlying assumptions
  of the essays argument identified?

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(D) Organization of ideas

• Is the essay well organized and relevant
• to the prescribed title?
• Does the use of language assist the reader's
  understanding and avoid confusion? Are central
  terms explained or developed clearly in a way
  that assists comprehension?
• Note This task is not a test of first language
  linguistic skills. No account should be taken of
  minor errors unless they significantly impede
  communication.
• When factual information is used or presented, is
  it accurate and, when necessary, referenced?
  Factual information includes generalizations.
• If sources have been used, have they been
  properly referenced in a way that allows them to
  be traced?

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Planning

• Follow your teachers guidance on
• planning. Provide detailed plans and
• drafts as required.
• If you skip these parts, or do them in a
• superficial way, your essay will lack
• organisation, and a lack of clarity/ detail at
• these important stages means that your
• teacher will not be able to give you as much
• guidance as those who are showing her/ him
• detailed plans.

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Writing Formal / Academic essays basic
plan(e.g. Essay questions in History,
Geography, Science, English, extended essays and
TOK essays)

• INTRODUCTION
• Introduces the TOPIC or interprets the QUESTION
  and mentions the
• different ASPECTS which will be covered in the
  essay WITHOUT
• giving details.
• MAIN BODY
• Presents a LOGICAL PROGRESSION of ASPECTS of the
  topic, along
• with EXAMPLES, EXPLANATIONS and INTERPRETATIONS
  of
• meaning, ARGUMENTS in support of a point of view
  and / or
• COUNTER ARGUMENTS.
• CONCLUSION
• EVALUATES the evidence and presents your OPINION
  or your
• CHOICE in the matter with PERSONAL REASONS for
  your decision.

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For ToK specifically..

• What to put in the Introduction Make sure the
  key concepts you use are discussed in the
  introduction along with a statement of the
  Knowledge Issues and a brief statement of your
  position. You should give the reader some helpful
  signposts here about how you will deal with the
  issues raised in the Title.
• What to put in the Body of the Essay The
  arguments and main examples should appear in the
  body of the essay. Here you should give some
  detailed support for your position. Then there
  should be some anticipation of possible
  weaknesses in, or objections to, your position.
• What to put in the Conclusion The conclusion
  should state an evaluation of the arguments
  presented and the implications of this. There
  should be an answer to the question "So what?"
  For example you could end with a 'forward looking
  view'.
• (Source Ric Simms - http//uwcac.org.uk/acad/thok
  /tentips_e_2.htm)

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Things to avoid!!!
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Meaningless Statements

• such as "Since the dawn of time man has
• been obsessed with knowledge". The essay
• does not need a romantic lead-in so you should
• start it straight away. Like a film the first
• paragraph should be packed with TOK Action.

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Gross Unsubstantiated Generalizations

• such as "Americans see wealth itself as a moral
  good". Be very
• careful with the use of the word all. Check
  carefully what it is you want
• to say. Ask yourself whether it is necessary for
  your essay to make
• such a sweeping statement?
• The embodiment of moral good -according to ALL
  Americans.

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Pseudo-examples

• These are fictional examples usually based on
  stereotyping - "An Israeli would regard the
  Defensive Wall as necessary while a Palestinian
  would see it as an infringement of his basic
  human liberties". Rather than relying on fiction,
  try and find a statement made by a real Israeli
  and a real Palestinian.
• Worse are examples which typecast Areas of
  Knowledge, such as "A scientist would look at the
  statue and try to work out the forces in it while
  an artist would react emotionally to it" or "All
  scientists are atheists and religious believers
  are highly emotional and prone to superstition".

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Dictionary Definitions

• These are usually not at all
• helpful in clarifying TOK
• concepts. These are best dealt
• with in your own terms.
• It is better for you to explain what you
• understand as 'knowledge' as opposed to 'belief',
  
• 'subjective' versus 'objective', 'inference' as
• opposed to 'deduction'? On the whole avoid being
• 'bogged down' by definitions. If one had to
  define
• Art before writing any essay on it then one would
  
• hardly get anywhere at all.

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Avoid Taking Examples from Textbooks or Quoting
Philosophers

• Textbooks used in a authoritative way, without
  critical evaluation, often lead to poor TOK
  essays. The examiners are interested in what you
  have to say not the author of a textbook or a
  philosopher. If you use a textbook or quote a
  philosopher make sure you stand back and look
  critically at what is said. Do you agree with the
  author or philosopher - if yes, why? - and if
  not, why not?

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And my personal bugbear

• Avoid boring tired examples.
• For example The Nazis and The Holocaust.
• (Look up Godwins Law.)
• There is an internet site devoted to collecting
• unnecessary or silly comparisons between the
• subject under discussion and Hitler/ The Nazis.
  http//www.justlikehitler.com/
• ..others include flat earth/ round earth
• -the discovery of penicillin
• zzzzz.

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Resources and research

• Sources should be varied a bibliography
• containing only websites does not impress. If you
  use a
• website, be prepared to justify it in terms of
  its academic
• reliability and validity.
• Ask your ToK teacher teachers connected to the
• subject areas which feature in your essay
• Librarians relevant interviewee(s)
• Keep your eyes open and read all material with
• your ToK topic in mind.
• Make sure you understand exactly what plagiarism
• is and how to avoid it. Cite and reference in MLA
  
• style.

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Sources

• Image (Rodins The Thinker)
• http//www.forgottentreasurez.com/catalog/rodin20
  thinker.jpg
• Wok/ chef image
• http//eilatnature.com/restaurant/images/Wok-Chef.
  jpg
• Essay Criteria
• IB ToK course guide
• Things to avoid by Ric Simms
• http//uwcac.org.uk/acad/thok/tentips_e_2.htm
• http//www.justlikehitler.com/
• Thinking boy image
• http//pro.corbis.com/images/42-17015663.jpg?size
  572uid7B2F9A4FE0-9812-4E1B-8AE9-44E0A7F5902A7D
  
• No Entry sign/ image
• http//www.freefoto.com/images/41/01/41_01_3---No-
  Entry_web.jpg

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Sources contd.

• Simpson cartoon
• http//www.geocities.com/invictusdomini/insert_bra
  in.gif
• Paris Hilton image
• http//images.starpulse.com/pictures/2008/02/17/pr
  eviews/Paris20Hilt
• on-EKP-003190.jpg
• Miraclecartoon
• http//www.sciencecartoonsplus.com/images/miracle3
  .gif
• Dictionary image
• http//www.pelangibooks.com/admin/pics/series/SBSG
  DE04.jpg
• Yawning baby image
• http//www.nobodyasked.com/wp-content/uploads/2006
  /12/WindowsLiveWriter/Pandiculation_498F/yawn25B3
  5D.jpg