Pathways TOK Buzz Magazine -First Edition from Senior School

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KNOWERS EXPLANATION

Senior School Presents

T K BUZZ

PERCEPTION

From the Heads...

After endless Zoom meetings, uncountable WhatsApp group chats, and conference calls spanning hours over the course of March and April 2021, we finally present to you the first edition of the ToK Buzz magazine.

What started off as an attempt by our ToK class to make ToK more accessible and perhaps “local” to Pathways has emerged into something much bigger, with the ToK Buzz magazine being a tangible manifestation of our vision.

Yet, to say that this was difficult would be a gross understatement – with the DP Class of 2022’s ToK Exhibition in mind as our launch date on the 23rd of April, 2021, we precisely had 28 days (or 4 weeks) to entirely plan, brainstorm, pen down, design, and market the magazine.

While we were off to a rocky start, it was with the perseverance and commitment of the content, editing, outreach, and design teams that the first ToK Buzz is available for your viewing today.

We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed making it!

- Arushi Pant and Unnathi Kumar

01

Ms. Manjula Shenoi

Scan the QR code above (or click on the link embedded in the code) to hear Ms. Manjula Shenoi, the Senior School Principal, talk about the coolest thing about teaching ToK, the craziest thing she's ever done in a ToK class, and much more!

02

CLEARING TOK MISCONCEPTIONS What's the first thing you think of when you hear "Theory of Knowledge"?

What do you think "Talks about very open-ended questions you are meant to about how do we know what we know." do in TOK? Yes. True.

You hit the nail on the head.

"We don’t specifically question the credibility and What do you think is meant by context of knowledge, but knowledge? rather we try to "An understanding of a certain concept understand why and built on information like facts, how certain experiences, etc." knowledge is considered credible. Yes. TOK is about observing how this understanding is constructed.

What are you looking forward to in TOK? "Comparing information from different sources, on a certain topic, to identify how preconceived notions/biases shape the same knowledge in different ways."

03

INSTRUCTION: STUDENTS, CROSS OUT ALL THE THINGS YOU HAVE DONE!

Been asked to move to "courses"

Been the only one in class with a teacher

Talked to a teacher about their girlfriend

Been fooled by an "Oscar level performance"

Opened up an article while speaking to sound intellectual

Been targeted by a teacher to finish work

Still haven't found three objects for the ToK Exhibition

Taken something absurd as an object for the exhibition

Ended up quoting Aristotle or Neiztche to win an argument

Actually watched "The Insignificant Man" or "The Social Dilemma"

Won "TOK STAR STUDENT"

Left the mic on and went on talking to someone else during zoom meetings

Changed "How" to "To What Extent" to sound smart

Had every discussion lead to a political debate

Began to question everything in life when asked "Who are you?"

Been told to switch on the camera or wait in the waiting room

04

AN INSIGHT INTO A NEW TOK TEACHER'S JOURNEY The academic year is nearing its end and the TOK exhibition is just around the corner. What has your journey teaching TOK been like?

My journey teaching TOK for grade 11 so far has been interesting, but with this online medium, it’s been very difficult to grasp whether the students understood the concept, their exhibition tasks, or the importance of this core element of ToK in IBDP. I’m a bit worried about that.

What were your biggest fears/apprehensions about teaching TOK? My biggest apprehensions about teaching TOK stemmed from the bigger concept of ‘how do you know what you know.'

Sometimes, you just can’t explain through the 6 areas of knowledge or with the ways of knowledge. It’s very difficult, as I said before in the first question, to foresee whether the students will get the concepts in relation to the areas of knowledge. So, when explaining concepts with AOK and WOK, I’m still not sure whether all our students understood everything that we discussed in our class. I’m still not very clear about that.

MS. VAIDEHI SRIDHARAN (Language & Literature and ToK Facilitator)

Has your approach to teaching TOK changed at all over the past year? If yes, then how?

Yes, the approach to teaching TOK has definitely changed over the past year. With everything becoming digital, we missed that feeling of us being able to approach the kids and the kids then discussing their thoughts and ideas with us. Even though this faceto-face interaction was somewhat possible with the current grade 12 students, it was almost entirely impossible with the current grade 11. Yet, I am glad that at least with grade 12, even though we also had online interaction for quite some time, I was able to help the students during their presentations and essays physically. I used to sit next to them, socially distant, and discuss their areas of knowledge, real-life examples, alignment with prompt, etc., but this time, it was highly impossible.

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How do you incorporate different perspectives into class discussions?

I’d like to answer this addressing both my specific subject and the ToK class. For my specific subject, I try to tell my students to think by putting themselves in different people’s shoes and try to bring out their ideas – why are they saying what they’re saying? What is the idea behind their views?

Why are your views different from theirs? This happens quite a few times in the ToK class as well, where we ask a lot of questions during classroom interaction – what issues do you think a country is facing? Why is it facing this issue? Why is another country not facing this issue? Through arguments on both sides, we all learn.

How important do you think TOK really is in understanding how to approach the various areas of knowledge outside of TOK classes?

When it comes to language and literature, we try to implicitly incorporate ToK in the classroom – how do you know the product is worthwhile? How do you know the audience is telling the truth? Students also use many ways of knowing in language and literature class. For example, we can question how commercials supply to the imagination of the viewers, while in ToK too, we have imagination as a way of knowing.

What is the last thing you do before TOK classes?

I end with a discussion with the students about what they have learned and their thoughts on the topics we discussed on that day.

What is the craziest you’ve ever done in TOK class?

The craziest thing I have ever done is to be a part of the "fake news" drama that Guru Sir conducted. It was truly an enjoyable and memorable experience.

What are 2 things that nobody knows about your TOK class?

First, the students don’t know whether Mr. Guru, Ms. Mona, or I am going to conduct the class, and second, they don’t know when we are going to unleash some drama and whether that’s going to be true or authentic.

As a new TOK teacher, what was the worst advice anyone gave you about teaching TOK? I have been told that I wouldn't understand the subject because of its complexity.

However, through discussions and conversations, understanding TOK isn't as hard as it seems and is moreover a subject I enjoy teaching!

06

TOK CROSSWORD

ACROSS

DOWN

3. April 23rd

1. Aristotle, Karl Marx, Plato

5. Personal record of past

2. "...(regions)" of Knowledge

experiences

4. Prompt number 30

8. Prompt Number 21

6. Choose 3 but choose

10. "How do I choose one? They all sound the same."

12. Smart version of 'how'

wisely 7. The cause of all problems in the 21st century

14. 'Have you written yours yet?'

9. "..." and the knower

15. Logical justification

11. "...(native)" societies

16. Modi, Trump, Biden, Putin

13. Core and Optional

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07

INTERVIEW WITH MR. SAURAV SINHA The academic year is nearing its end and the ToK exhibition is just around the corner. What has your journey teaching ToK been like?

How important do you think ToK really is in understanding how to approach the various areas of knowledge outside of ToK classes?

It's been a fun journey, primarily because I was teaching the subject for the first time and had only been exposed to it at the beginning of the year. So you could say I was a teacher and a student both at once. This gave it its own set of challenges, but I must say it has been worth it.

I think TOK, if taken seriously, can be of extreme benefit to students, not just in other subjects, but in the process of self-awareness and reading of a situation throughout their lives. As mentioned earlier, it enables and indeed pushes us to think more deeply about the situations we find ourselves in and the decisions that we take.

There are certain subjects that stay with you, and sometimes the value of their learnings is evident only until much later.

What were your biggest apprehensions/ fears about teaching ToK? The one great concern was whether I would be able to do justice to my students. One has heard a lot about the esoteric nature of the subject itself, and before I started I did have a bit of anxiety as to whether or not I would be able to grasp the essence of the subject well enough to explain it appropriately to the students.

How do you incorporate different perspectives into class discussions?

To be frank, this has been a challenge. The online format lends itself to certain discussions while becoming an obvious disability in others.

For a subject like ToK with a pre-existing tendency to be cryptic, the kind of to and fro interaction required for a healthy discussion is often impaired. Otherwise, I am quite good at playing the devil's advocate and I like to shake things up by offering a perspective completely different to what is being offered in class, and see how students respond or react to that. This usually makes for an interesting class

MR. SAURAV SINHA (Dean of Residences & Student Enrichment, Language & Literature and ToK Facilitator) Has your approach to teaching ToK changed at all over the past year? If yes, then how?

Oh absolutely, it changes on a weekly basis.

What is of prime importance is to realize that TOK, with both the subject content as well as the assessments, is geared to provide students with the ability to think from different perspectives. In order to do that, as a teacher, it is imperative that one continues to draw the link between the theory and its practical ramifications so as to avoid boring or confusing the students.

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WHAT'S HAPPENING IN TOK CLASS? 25 20

Dwayne Sir and jaya ma'am

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Item 5 Item 4 Item 3 Item 2 Item 1

"Dwayne sir’s class is informative. We viewed PPTs on ToK themes and analyzed articles. We also had class discussions on our political personas. Jaya ma’am gave us valuable tips on how to look at ToK. We viewed clippings from different short movies and analyzed it."

Sriram Sir, Amit Sir, and ila ma'am "The dynamic duo of Sriram sir and Amit sir propelled our class to have a more comprehensive understanding of ToK topic and themes. With the help of PPTs and interactive activities, our class worked together towards investigating ToK and its importance. Looking at Sciences and Math along with other subjects provided us with insightful examples."

Lopa Ma'am and Nazneen Ma'am "Lopa ma’am's and Nazneen ma’am's class has been really interactive. They both have brought in the true essence of ToK by posing us with critical thinking questions that allowed us to engage in the subject and have our own perspectives about current issues."

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Jaydip Sir and Ashwani Sir "Classes with Jaydip sir and Ashwani sir always kept us on our feet. Throughout the presentations of the PPTs, we engaged in insightful discussions surrounding knowledge and the knower, and how it branches out into politics and other areas of study. The classes always furthered our understanding of the concept of ToK and it was a new experience for all of us."

Guru Sir, Vaidehi Ma'am and Mona Ma'am "It’s really hard to sum up this TOK class in a few lines. But we can say that it was chaos. Utter chaos. Beyond experiencing his unique PPTs and watching interesting documentaries, we got to witness Guru sir get tracked down by the police. We also got the opportunity to compete for the TOK badge, making each class competitive and fun. Vaidehi Ma’am, Mona Ma’am, and Guru Sir collaborated to ensure every TOK class was engaging and rich in TOK learning."

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SUMAN MA'AM and SAURAV Sir "Our class enjoys debates. We frequently have disagreements and conflicting thoughts. Saurav Sir often likes to spark controversy and stir up heated discussions. The teachers really know how to get the class engaged as they consider everyone’s point of view when it comes to discussions, debates, and learning sessions."

NEERU MA'AM, AGRIMA MA'AM, and babita ma'am "In Agrima Ma'am, Babita Ma'am, and Neeru Ma’am’s class, we engage in several globally relevant discussions. We discussed the reliability of polls and the inevitability of media bias in the 2020 US Presidential Election. With each discussion, we discover unique perspectives and viewpoints."

10

Interview with Ms. Ila Pandey

How does the administration devise the deadlines and timeline for the TOK lessons to ensure maximum understanding of the main theme and the prompts?

Setting the deadlines for the TOK curriculum is very important as TOK is expected to be taught and completed over two years. It is important that we allot a few weeks to a month for each task. These tasks include teaching the concepts, the core theme, the optional themes, and the prompts. The deadlines are created with respect to the objective of completing the Internal Assessment within the first year of DP so that the supervisors can prepare the students to move into the TOK Essay in DP2.

MS. ILA PANDEY (DP Coordinator, Economics and ToK Facilitator)

How has TOK learning changed throughout your years at Pathways? (for principal specifically) IB is very innovative in its approach due to which every subject has to go through a review process after every five years. Similarly, the TOK curriculum has also been reviewed. However, the basic framework of the subject remains the same. When it comes to the "Areas of Knowledge" and the "Ways of Knowing," there has been almost no change. But I can say that certain TOK jargons have become a part of TOK concepts. The external component of TOK, the TOK Essay, remains the same however the internal component, the TOK presentation, has gone through a major modification. Originally, this presentation was to be completed throughout the two years of DP but it has now been replaced by the TOK exhibition which is to be completed in the first year DP itself.

What is one major challenge you faced while running the ToK program?

Not all teachers can teach and understand the TOK curriculum so I would say it is a challenge to train new teachers every year.

11

What is the purpose of TOK? Is it to ensure that pathways alumni continue to question and analyze the literature that they learn, or is it to expand their boundaries in terms of how knowledge affects opinions, thoughts, and pre-constructed notions?

TOK improves our awareness of our surroundings as it makes us think critically before accepting any new or existing knowledge. TOK gives us more to think and wonder about. It makes us understand that biases cannot always be taken as a negative connotation. I feel instead of DP, TOK should be introduced at a much earlier level of education as it can broaden the thinking horizon of young adults. If TOK can be taught across all curriculums, it will make the world a better place. People can then understand other perspectives before jumping to conclusions. People would then be able to consider right or wrong in other perspectives. Finally, it would help in understanding the circumstances under which actions were taken and knowledge was produced.

What is some advice you would give to MYP 5 graduates with regards to TOK? I think that MYP5 graduates would really enjoy TOK as this is something which they can relate to the IDU. They are required to know that TOK is not a subject but instead, it is the heart of the IB Diploma. It is the bridge between all subjects.

One piece of advice I would give is that they should work on their reading skills. If they are more well-read, they will understand the subject better.

What do you think is one thing about ToK that you would want every parent to know?

TOK is an integral part of the IB Diploma Programme and it needs to be given a lot of importance and attention, just like any other academic subject.

What is the most ridiculous thing that you’ve ever seen in a ToK class or presentation?

Something that you perhaps chuckle back at today.

I recall students making a first-order question as a knowledge question for their TOK presentation which is not at all about Knowledge.

12

Interview with Ms. Mona Sharma

How did the administration devise the deadline and timeline for the TOK lessons to ensure maximum understanding of the main theme and the prompts?

The TOK Curriculum delivery starts after the students adjusts in the DP. The Diploma Program is designed in such a way that Tok is seamlessly embedded in each discipline, that even if not done explicitly. TOK is a part of each and every student learning. The deadlines are mostly kept keeping in mind the other subject requirements to ease students and also as per the IB mandate.

What is some advice you would give to MYP 5 graduates with regards to TOK? “Knowing about Knowing” is what TOK is all about.

Knowledge is never acquired in isolation but through integration of learning. Theory of Knowledge would help student with the skill of critical analysis makes them acquire knowledge through integration between the academic disciplines and the real world.

MS. MONA SHARMA (DP Coordinator, Business Management and ToK Facilitator)

How has TOK adapted to new technological changes in recent years? Has the approach changed? Did parts of the curriculum change?

TOK like any other subject has also gone through many transformations. The curriculum has always been curated around the knower. The student needs to manifest their understanding of the world around them with the TOK World. To adapt the curriculum changes, the learning has not gone through much change since TOK is not bound by a structure but a way of thinking, making it open ended. The knowledge framework of TOK has not changed much but minor improvements have been made for the benefit of students as the individual "knower."

What is the purpose of TOK? Is it to ensure that Pathways Alumni continue to question and analyze the literature that they can learn, or is it to expand their boundaries in terms of how knowledge affects opinions, thoughts and pre constructed notions?

TOK looks to pursue more conceptual ideas of what it takes to acquire knowledge and how to apply that to real-world scenarios. The benefits are not school specific but a way of thinking and accepting knowledge. It helps you to be acing the “Art of Questioning.” It makes one understand that there is no need of accepting information at face value. This is, thus, the need of the hour to prepare one for the unknown.

13

ToK Mood Boards

These mood boards are meant to serve as a visual encapsulation of the 900+ words that some students have written to address their chosen ToK prompts during the 2021 ToK Exhibition.

For the ToK exhibition, the students were supposed to arrange for 3 objects that provide different perspectives to controversial and contextspecific prompts provided by the IB.

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ALUMNI SPEAKS: MANSHA KAPUR THE TOK BUZZ TEAM Looking back at your time in the IBDP, how would you summarize your experience with TOK?

MANSHA KAPUR I remember my TOK experience going quite smoothly, to be honest.

I enjoyed knitting evidence together for my presentation, and my essay was a dilution of philosophical ideas I’d enjoyed discussing with one of my friends at the time of the prompt release. My batch also had the unique experience of hosting the TOK Conference, and as a leader, I had the chance to design a workshop based on ideas that particularly intrigued me about the human condition.

THE TOK BUZZ TEAM How has TOK helped you with your learning in your higher education?

MANSHA KAPUR I always described TOK as a derivative of epistemology, and when I took a Philosophy of Science class last semester, we discussed sources of knowledge; Descartes, for example, had a lot to say in favour of intuition. While TOK didn’t necessarily cover the same ideas to the depth at which we studied them in that course, it was nice to make connections with prior exposure to the ideas.

I also appreciate the foundation it provided as someone who’s interested in academia. Knowledge is more fluid than concrete, and actively recognizing that is important when you inevitably have to be reflexive about your claims and ideas.

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THE TOK BUZZ TEAM Did you think TOK would have any significance in your life after school?

MANSHA KAPUR TOK makes you actively aware of the process by which you source and consolidate knowledge. When I understood that, I knew it was something I wanted to make habitual. Having greater agency over what information means to you equips you with a critical mindset and can help you generate organic ideas. It’s invariably valuable to practice asking poignant questions about how and what we learn.

THE TOK BUZZ TEAM Describe your TOK experience in a hashtag.

MANSHA KAPUR

#KnowHowYouKnow

THE TOK BUZZ TEAM Which movie or TV show connects with TOK for you?

MANSHA KAPUR

The Good Place

Mansha Kapur (Pathways' Class of 2019) is an undergraduate student at Johns Hopkins University, pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Physics, Pure Mathematics, and Molecular and Cellular Biology.

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THE CAST Pathways TOK Teachers Edition

Ms. Jaya Sharma

LAURA (TENET)

Knowledge propelled from each soft spoken word

Mr. Saurav Sinha

BOB

(STRANGER THINGS)

The brains, the Einstein of their respective departments.

Ms. Lopa Mudra

HAPPY SINGH

Oozing with class and punjabiness.

Mr. Guru Charan Kumar

BADSHAH

“When Badshah says once, it will echo a hundred times”

Ms. Neeru Tandon

BEN STEIN (FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF)

A veteran in economics

Ms. Nazneen Abbasi

GEETA KAPOOR

The Maa of psychology

Ms. Ila Pandey

PRINCIPAL LODHA (HINDI MEDIUM)

Women who build the future for children

Mr. Hemant Singh

MILKHA SINGH

Even from a mile away you would think “wow, they’re fast”

Mr. Amit Rajpal

ANAND KUMAR

The only people who can make maths humorous.

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Mr. Jaydip Chaudhuri

WALTER WHITE

Ms. Suman Agnihotri

Chemistry enthusiasts with a knack for potions

DOLORES UMBRIDGE

“One mustn't keep the camera off.”

Ms. Mona Sharma

Mr. Dwayne Fernandes

KABIR KHAN

ABHISHEK BACHCHAN

Tough love to get the best out of their pupils

Ms. Vaidehi Sridharan

RAM SHANKAR NIKUMBH

Who said a teacher can’t be your friend?

Ms. Manjula Shenoi

VIRU SAHASTRABUDDHE

An eco teacher by day and an actor on centre-stage by night

Mr. Sriram Arumugam

LUCIUS FOX (THE BATMAN)

Perhaps someone in Sri Ram sir’s class is Batman

Mr. Ashwani Parmar

GAUTAM GAMBHIR

Ms. Agrima Gairola

JANE FOSTER (MARVEL)

Let’s just hope Thor doesn’t show up in tomorrow’s eco class.

Ms. Babita Singh

PROFESSOR TRELAWNEY

(3 IDIOTS)

Teachers with an aura of command, determination, and fun.

One is part of Lok Sabha, and one would like to be.

Masters of different art forms

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Our Team TEACHERS IN-CHARGE

Mr. Guru Kumar & Ms. Vaidehi Sridharan

TOK BUZZ HEADS

Arushi Pant & Unnathi U. Kumar

DESIGN HEADS

Dhhairya Sharma & Siya Mehra

DESIGN TEAM

Khusshi Arora & Aradhya Poddar

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Our Team CONTENT & EDITING HEADS

Sankalp Kapur, Ram Goyal, Radhika Arora, Baani Mehandru & Nitya Khirwar

CONTENT & EDITING TEAM

Mayank Gahlaut, Adhrit Ranjan, Krish Kumar, and Saisha Singh

OUTREACH HEADS

Srijaa Chatterjee & Saranya Gupta

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www.pathways.in

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