the spaghetti crop

Hi Everyone,

Remember my post on 1st April (HEY, LISTEN: 1ST APRIL!!!) that invited you to view a video at:

K:\Staff_To_Students\IB Subjects\Core\TOK

Well, there are two possibilities:

(a) you went and looked and it was so boring that you decided not to comment, or
(b) you didn't go there

On the expectation that at least some of you didn't go there (it's still there, so you can still bother!), this was a famous April Fools' joke from 1957 on the BBC in the UK. Is the April Fools' idea culturally specific? I can imagine there might be problems with the Ethiopian calendar, for example - please put me right, guys (or Ribika). From what I can gather, the origin of this practice might have something to do with the changeover in much of Europe from the Julian calendar (not my responsibility - no jokes about IB deadlines please!) to the Gregorian calendar in 1582 (Christian Era), but I haven't got a firm grasp of the reasons. Can anyone help?

Anyway, in 1957 this was a very convincing "phoney" news story (of course in 2009 it might not work so well, or...? - if not, why not?). Try the following for more information:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/1/newsid_2819000/2819261.stm

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/

What I wanted us to discuss was the ways in which our Ways of Knowing, as characterized in the TOK course, function (independently and in concert) in order to help or hinder us in recognizing the truth. This would simply be a trigger for a wider discussion on the connections between Ways of Knowing - think about sense perception and reason in particular, but not exclusively...

No referencing = -2!!!

Hi guys,

So I'm working on my essay and I'm using MS Word '07, trying to find the word count (when it's displayed at the bottom) and I stumbled on a tab that says "References". You can switch the referencing type to MLA and then it allows you to enter in the information of the book, web page, etc. I haven't fully explored it, but from what I have tried it seems pretty useful.

Sorry if you don't have MS Word '07, but for those of you who do, happy referencing!! (but erm I am not to be held liable for any errors in your references...this is just a tip to help you out....)

Our Poll on TOK Aims

Here is a funny thing. The number of votes in the poll on the right is GOING DOWN! The other day there were 11 votes; yesterday it was 10, now it is 9. What's going on? Are people "unvoting"?

In any case, 9 out of 90 is not great. Precisely 90% not great. Please think carefully and add your views - your contribution would be much valued. Thanks.

The Pool of Issues

Present your perspective on the issue below, using relevant reasons and/or examples to support your views.
"Important truths begin as outrageous, or at least uncomfortable, attacks upon the accepted wisdom of the time."
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"Originality does not mean thinking something that was never thought before; it means putting old ideas together in new ways."
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"Laws should not be rigid or fixed. Instead, they should be flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places."
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"It is always an individual who is the impetus for innovation; the details may be worked out by a team, but true innovation results from the enterprise and unique perception of an individual."
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"The function of science is to reassure; the purpose of art is to upset. Therein lies the value of each."
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"The study of an academic discipline alters the way we perceive the world. After studying the discipline, we see the same world as before, but with different eyes."

TOK marking criteria??

what exactly is knower's perspective?? I feel I don't fully understand what it is because with the sample essay we got in class the essay got a 9 for this criterion but I didn't see why

Full-Length Essay Assignment

Instructions and Advice

Your next theory of knowledge essay must be submitted to your teacher. It must be written on one of the three titles (questions) provided below. Your essay will be marked according to the full essay assessment criteria. Remember to centre your essay on knowledge issues and, where appropriate, refer to other parts of your IB programme and to your experiences as a knower. Always justify your statements and provide relevant examples to illustrate your arguments. Pay attention to the implications of your arguments, and remember to consider what can be said against them. External sources must be cited according to MLA convention.

Note that statements in quotations in these titles are not necessarily authentic: they present a real point of view but may not have been spoken or written by an actual person. It is appropriate to analyse them but it is unnecessary, even unwise, to spend time on researching a context for them.

Teachers will mark essays against the title as set. Respond to the title exactly as given; do not alter it in any way.

Your essay must be between 1200 and 1600 words in length, and is to be submitted during the TOK lessons on Tuesday 28th April. Previous instructions concerning line-spacing, word-count, exact copying of title, etc. apply.

Prescribed Titles

1) "We are more likely to be mistaken in our generalizations than in our particular observations." Do you agree?

2) In areas of knowledge such as the arts and the sciences, do we learn more from work that follows or that breaks with accepted conventions?

3) Consider the meaning of justification in different areas of knowledge. Is any one kind of justification more compelling than any other?

TOK aims

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Please take a few minutes to vote in our new poll on the blog. It's important that you think carefully before you respond because accurate feedback is valuable to us and will help us to adjust anything that needs it.

Don't be influenced by how others have voted (there's a good human sciences knowledge issue here!). And you can vote for as few or as many of the aims as you like.

Thanks in advance.