On Tuesday, January 4th, the 11th grade IB students kicked off their Theory of Knowledge (TOK) exhibition week in the lobby of the Zhentao Building, where they will be holding exhibitions everyday until Friday (12:20 – 13:10 each day).

While many students are interested in learning more about the IB program, TOK is probably one of the least understood IB courses, as there is no other class quite like it in earlier grades. The course focuses on prompting students to analyze the fundamental properties of knowledge, which provides an opportunity to reflect on significance of their studies in all other subjects. By looking into how we “know what we know”, students are then able to make original connections between different types of knowledge.

Their exhibitions are a perfect example of this, as each student presents three different objects that they believe help answer difficult knowledge questions like “What counts as a good justification for a claim?” or “Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge?” Their presentations offer some concrete answers to these abstract questions and give other students an opportunity to ponder the same ideas.

A student presented her exhibition to Mr. Lang, one of the TOK instructors

Eighteen exhibitions were on display on Tuesday, with their authors standing by to field questions and lead conversations on their chosen topics. Students and teachers from all grades and departments had a chance to stop by and take a look, but don’t worry if you missed your chance to see Tuesday’s display – all are welcome to visit the exhibitions that will continue daily through Friday!

Students crowded around the exhibition of a popular presenter

A well designed exhibition that made use of both a colorful poster and interactive objects

A presenter led her classmate through some of the finer points of her exhibition

(Written/ Pictures by IB TOK Class)