Statue of Aristotle, University of Thessaloniki
Hong Kong students are on summer break, and like all of us they may be tempted to kick back and forget about studying until school starts again.
But this would be a mistake! While you may not have any assignments, you should always try to stay in the habit of learning. And being free from the distractions of day-to-day school life actually gives you a chance to focus on education with long-term significance.
One area where this long view can pay off is Theory of Knowledge, a very important part of the IB curriculum (though non-IB students can also benefit from studying it). Theory of Knowledge deals with “different ways of knowing, and different kinds of knowledge”. But that description doesn’t touch on what makes ToK so different from other academic pursuits. By design, ToK doesn’t deal with questions that have a set, definite answer. It is more concerned with the basic questions “What is knowledge?” and “How do we know what we know?”
Some students conclude that the class sounds easy, because there are no wrong answers; others, that it sounds impossibly hard because there are no right answers. But in truth, neither is correct. ToK isn’t meant to put knowledge in your brain, but, more philosophically, to prepare your mind so that knowledge can take root. Therefore, the examination will test how well your mind has been prepared.
There are two parts to the Theory of Knowledge assessment: an essay, which is graded by external examiners, and a presentation, which is assessed by one’s teachers. The strategy for doing well on these examinations is too much to get into one blog post. You can find some resources online, but it may be best to get hands-on assistance from a specialised teacher, like the ones at NTK.
Whether you’re in the IB or not, understanding your own mind is a highly valuable skill. Knowing yourself and how you learn will help you to take control of your academic career and your life. More than this, it can even help you in your relations with others, for instance by helping you understand the thought processes of people from different backgrounds. Whatever your academic plans, you can probably benefit from the resources available for ToK students. Take a look!
