ToK in Subjects

Theory of Knowledge in Subjects

English Language and Literature

After reading an article on Jeanine Cummins’s novel “American Dirt”, we discussed what it means to have an “authentic” cultural voice.

Are certain topics or perspectives “off limits” to writers?

Can you only write about your own experiences or should fiction writers be able to write about whatever they choose?

As a class we came to a (not the) conclusion that I can write your story, but it will always be in my voice; it is impossible to separate the author from the story they are telling.

Arabic A: Language and Literature

وحدتنا الدراسیة في الصف الثاني عشر ھي تناول قضایا اجتماعیة ، حیث یتم مناقشة أھم القضایا الاجتماعیة التي كانت وما زالت مسیطرة حتى وقتنا الحالي مثل قضیة : الذكوریة والنسویة والطبقیة و ا ل م ع ت ق د ا ت و ا ل خ ر ا ف ا ت ا ل ش ع ب ی ة و و ص ف ا ل و ا ق ع ا ل غ ر ب ي ب ك ل م ا ف ی ھ م ن م ع ا ن ا ة ی م ر ب ھ ا ا ل م ھ ا ج ر ف ي رحلتھ للبحث عن الحقیقة والعودة في النھایة إلى أرض ا ل و ط ن .

یتم في ھذه الوحدة اختیار أعمال أدبیة للكاتب اللبناني میخائیل نعیمة من خلال تحلیل كتابھ " ك ا ن م ا ك ا ن " ح ی ث ی ت م م ح ا و ل ة إ ی ج ا د إ ج ا ب ا ت و ط ر ح ت س ا ؤ لا ت ع د ی د ة و و ج د ن ا ف ي ص ف ن ا ھ ذ ه ا لأ س ئ ل ة ا ل ش ر ع ی ة :

ك ی ف ن س ت ط ی ع أ ن ن ح ك م أ ن ن ا ن ع ی ش ف ت ر ة ز م ن ی ة ع ا د ل ة ی ن ا ل ف ی ھ ا ا ل ج م ی ع ح ق و ق ھ د و ن ت ف ر ق ة ب ی ن .1 ا ل ج ن س ی ن ؟

ھ ل یمكننا الحكم على الأشیاء من منطلق واحد ، و ب ن ا ء ع ل ى ف ك ر ة ی ؤ م ن ب ھ ا م ج ت م ع م ا ف ي ف ت ر ة م ا .2 ؟ أ م أ ن ھ ن ا ك ق و ا ن ی ن و م و ا ز ی ن ث ا ب ت ة لا ی م ك ن ا ل م س ا س ب ھ ا ؟

ك ی ف ی م ك ن و ج و د و ج ھ ا ت ن ظ ر م خ ت ل ف ة ف ي م س أ ل ة و ا ح د ة ؟ و ھ ل ی م ك ن أ ن ی ك و ن ك لا ا ل ط ر ف ی ن ع ل ى .3 ح ق ؟

ھل حقا تتساوى الذكور والإناث في كل شيء؟ ھل نحتاج المساواة أم العدل؟ .4

Arabic B

Language and multi-nationality affect the personal identity of individuals, and according to "The UAE Government portal", there is an increase in the number of residents by 9 for every Emirati citizen, which means that there are shifts in the Emirati demographic and identity of the linguistic. To discuss the issue, we read an article published in "Al Bayan newspaper", titled "The Centrality of Language in Identity and Culture" by the writer Suhair El- Sherbiny, published on 30/9/2019, and that formed some questions for the students addressed in the research and discussion, which are:

1- What is the difference between identity and culture? And how do they form? And how do they change? 2- How does language center between identity and culture? 3- Is cultural and linguistic diversity a burden or an enrichment? justify your position

4- How can we preserve the national Arabic Emirati identity within the number of citizens compared to residents? 5- There are those who say that we suffer from linguistic and cultural identity disorders amid social globalization and the dominance of the English language. What do you think of that with justification?

French

In our first theme of “Identities,” students are exploring different ways in which we can define our identity. As learners living outside our home country, we explore what it means to belong to a country and, for some of us, what it means to have more than one citizenship.

Students will have read two articles about foreigners living in France since they were young and how and why they identify the way they do.

Students will further understand the concept of personal identity by discussing “À quoi reconnaît-on qu’on appartient à un pays?”

Spanish

¿Hasta qué punto pueden diferentes lenguas dar forma a los conceptos que tienen de sí mismos y del mundo los conferenciantes/ o presentadores de una idea?

¿Cuáles son las implicaciones de tales diferencias en cuanto al conocimiento de algo?

History

Our current unit of study in Grade 12 is the causes, practices, and effects of the Chinese Civil War, 1927 - 1946. We explore responses to the following TOK Knowledge Questions as a class to discuss Historyrelated issues:

1. Does a nation’s historical perspective place firm limits on how it can proceed on the world stage for generations to come?

2. How might the existence of different historical perspectives be beneficial to historical knowledge?

3. How can we gauge the extent to which history is being told from a cultural or national perspective?

4. Can one nation’s historical perspective be more true than another’s when two or more nation’s have a shared history? If so, how do we know? If not, discuss this issue.

Computer Science

As part of the unit - ‘Computer Organization'. Students learn about the various forms of data representation in a computer. These include strings, integers, characters and colours. Students consider the space taken by data, for instance, the relation between the hexadecimal representation of colours and the number of colours available. All types of data representation eventually translate to binary. As a class, we then discuss - Does binary represent an example of a lingua franca?

Physics

In the upcoming study of Thermal Physics, we will be studying thermal physics and the behavior of gases through the kinetic model of an 'ideal' gas and equation of state for an ideal gas. Students will be making distinctions between 'ideal' and real gases in terms of volume, temperature and pressure constraints. They will explore how knowledge is acquired by making assumptions about the real world, and then applying those assumptions to solve problems with the use of critical thinking skills. This brings up questions that link to TOK such as; What allows the assumptions used in the Natural Sciences (such as "ideal" situations) valid enough to be considered in the production of scientific knowledge?

Maths

Every year in DP Mathematics students ask the question why do we have two ways of measuring angles, degrees and radians? What is the purpose of two representations of the “same” thing? Is one representation better than another? These questions which surely belong to TOK come flooding out, not just as innocent questions during a lesson, but as a way of trying to defend their beloved “degrees” from the big bad math teacher telling them there is a “better” way to measure angles. I t is not until we reach calculus, that we can discuss how the two different representations create different results in some of the fundamental identities underlying calculus. Q: Why radians? | Ask a Mathematician / Ask a Physicist

Visual Art

1.We have have done 'Spider Web Discussions' around an arts based ToK question. 2. Watched the TED Talk by Thelma Golden, How art gives shape to cultural change followed by discussion around the question: Can art change the way we interpret the world? This was linked to considerations for their Exhibition and connecting with their audience. 3. Watched the TED Talk by Cindy Foley, Teaching art or teaching to think like an artist followed by discussion around the question: Who determines what art is valued, and on what criteria? This was linked to their first unit encouraging them to focus on experimentation. 4. Listened to a podcast interviewing an artist related to our printmaking unit, followed by a discussion about a statement in the interview directly connected to the question: Can a work of art have meaning of which the artist themselves is unaware? This has been returned to spontaneously by the students when making plans for their Exhibition pieces.

Theatre

1.Students have explored the work of original theatre companies and how their work is embedded in some sort of social function, which they have drawn on to inspire their own piece of original theatre

2. Grade 12s are in the final stages of their Collaborative Performance, which is based in personal knowledge, but required creativity and imagination to develop character and story outside of their own experiences.

3. The Paper Birds, who are a leading company in verbatim theatre, have been booked to lead a workshop with Grade 11 and 12 Theatre students next month.