Theory of Knowledge is NOT…

…only practised in IB schools.

Hello all. Welcome to the 124th edition of TEPS Weekly! 

What is Theory of Knowledge?

NEP 2020 keeps telling us to build ‘critical thinkers’, but where’s the roadmap?

Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is one of the core focus areas according to the CBSE teacher training recommendations. What does that mean for us?

Project-based learning (PBL), Inquiry-based Learning (IBL), Constructivism, Theory of Knowledge; these are so many words, but how do I cover the syllabus before the term test?

These are collective frustrations of teachers across schools in India. We write today about the connections among all these phrases and (hopefully) make things easier for teachers. We have online courses on PBL and IBL earlier. In this edition, we try to throw TOK into the mix. 

The Theory  of  Knowledge is a structured way of asking how we know what we claim to know. Isn’t that similar to IBL? According to TOK, knowledge is “justified true belief” - any statement is knowledge if it is accurate, you believe it, and you have good evidence for the statement. 

Take this sentence as an example: The Sun revolves around the Earth. We can believe this. But is this knowledge? The only way to know if this belief is justified is to look for evidence. A preschool or primary student may share anecdotal evidence that they ‘see’ the Sun rising and setting and they can ‘see’ the Sun move. This is irrefutable evidence for the young student. So, for this student, this is knowledge. As they move into middle and high school and learn more about how gravity works, what the Solar System is, and so on, this ‘knowledge’ will be challenged. So with more information the student can no longer justify that the Sun revolves around the Earth. They have enough evidence to justify the opposite – that the Earth revolves around the Earth.

An astute reader will see that there are traces of Constructivism in the example. You build knowledge on the basis of existing knowledge. And you change your ‘knowledge’ based on what you can “justify” or, in other words, find evidence for. Huh, now it sounds like Inquiry?

So it would be clearer for us to look at TOK as a philosophical lens rather than a pedagogical approach. 

Projects that start with a driving question and include inquiry cycles (both of which insist on evidence), or constructivist lessons where learners build meaning together—all of these practices already include TOK principles. 

Pedagogical approach	TOK connection	Typical classroom move
Project-Based Learning (PBL)	Students must justify each design decision with data, mirroring “justified belief.”	Make groups of students learn through projects and defend their approach in front of the whole class.
Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL)	Begins with knowledge questions, turns the local environment into a text to be interrogated.	Field-based data collection followed by a “Claim–Evidence–Reasoning” circle.
Constructivism	Emphasises personal knowledge construction before sharing in the community.	Think-pair-share followed by gallery walks to compare reasoning paths.

Real PBL is embedded in TOK

During a school visit, we discovered that teachers at a private school were assigning model-making projects after finishing each unit, believing this was project-based learning. In discussion, teachers realised true PBL demands learning during the project and continuous formative checks. Once the teachers reframed their units around guiding questions, students began using survey data and local municipal guidelines as evidence to justify their script for a play based on, “waste segregation that convinces our own parents?” Doing projects after the content is ‘covered’ will not include the TOK philosophy. But when the students are building knowledge while doing the project, it would equate to belief, justification and then knowledge (the TOK philosophy).

At another school, teachers who embraced PBL asked students to investigate rain-water harvesting and design solutions for nearby villages. The project started with a deceptively simple question: “How do we know this harvest-tank design will actually work here?” Students collected monsoon data, interviewed farmers, and defended their prototypes at a science fair organised by the school. So is this PBL, IBL or TOK? 

Embedding TOK into your teaching

1. Use the constructivist approach

Start with an experience that all students have had or something that all students should know.

“How sure are we that sunlight is essential for photosynthesis in every plant?”

2. Use Thinking Routines for evidence building and presenting

There are a number of Thinking Routines that can be used for this step. For example: 

1. Claim, Support, Question

2. Think, Puzzle, Explore

3. I used to think…Now I think…

4. What makes you say that?

These different routines allow you to create multiple ways of knowing with justification.

3. Role of the school leader

As a school, if there needs to be a cultural shift in evidence gathering, it must start with ensuring that the teachers start thinking in the way of making justifiable claims.

1. Use a social platform like WhatsApp to put a claim out there and ask teachers to refute or prove it with evidence

2. Get teachers to ensure that at least some of the lesson plans are re-written to include the TOK philosophy

3. Ensure that the teachers in your school are aware of the best approaches in TOK, PBL, IBL and Constructivism by inviting external experts for training sessions for the teachers.

CBSE has made TOK a part of the training and hence put it in the so-called limelight, but if we understand the nuances of TOK, it becomes apparent that the TOK philosophy can be fulfilled by using specific pedagogies like PBL, IBL and Constructivism.

---

If you found this newsletter useful, please share it.

If you received this newsletter from someone and you would like to subscribe to us, please click here.

Edition: 4.31