{"id":13120,"date":"2020-09-23T17:13:23","date_gmt":"2020-09-23T08:13:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/?p=13120"},"modified":"2020-09-23T21:57:22","modified_gmt":"2020-09-23T12:57:22","slug":"themes-as-an-opportunity-teaching-areas-of-knowledge-through-themes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/09\/23\/themes-as-an-opportunity-teaching-areas-of-knowledge-through-themes\/","title":{"rendered":"Themes as an opportunity: Teaching areas of knowledge through themes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>This blog post belongs to a series entitled \u201cTraps and loopholes in the new TOK syllabus.\u201d You can access the full list of blog posts in the series <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/07\/08\/traps-and-loopholes-in-the-new-tok-syllabus\/\"><b>here<\/b><\/a><b>.<\/b><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13004\" style=\"width: 230px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.themantic-education.com\/collections\/textbooks\/products\/ib-theory-of-knowledge-a-students-guide-textbook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13004\" class=\"wp-image-13004\" src=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/revslider\/agency-home1\/ib-tok-cover-new-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"220\" height=\"297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/revslider\/agency-home1\/ib-tok-cover-new-scaled.jpg 1894w, https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/revslider\/agency-home1\/ib-tok-cover-new-scaled-222x300.jpg 222w, https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/revslider\/agency-home1\/ib-tok-cover-new-scaled-758x1024.jpg 758w, https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/revslider\/agency-home1\/ib-tok-cover-new-scaled-768x1038.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/revslider\/agency-home1\/ib-tok-cover-new-scaled-1136x1536.jpg 1136w, https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/revslider\/agency-home1\/ib-tok-cover-new-scaled-1515x2048.jpg 1515w, https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/revslider\/agency-home1\/ib-tok-cover-new-scaled-100x135.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/revslider\/agency-home1\/ib-tok-cover-new-scaled-906x1225.jpg 906w, https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/revslider\/agency-home1\/ib-tok-cover-new-scaled-1200x1622.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-13004\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">TOK Textbook now available.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In two of my earlier posts I explored some \u201ctraps\u201d in the new TOK syllabus associated with the new \u201cthemes\u201d. IB TOK has been split into Themes and Areas of knowledge. There is one Core theme (Knowledge and the knower) and five optional themes out of which teachers need to choose two (for an overview of the new TOK spec, see <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/06\/25\/the-new-tok-syllabus-at-a-glance\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The new TOK syllabus at a glance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">). I discussed two \u201ctraps\u201d hidden in the new themes:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Trap # 1. TOK essay is based on areas of knowledge. Therefore, the more time you spend on the themes, the less you prepare students for the essay. More about this trap in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/07\/29\/themes-as-a-trap-tok-essay-is-based-on-areas-of-knowledge\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">this blog post<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Trap # 2. The IB \u201cstrongly recommends\u201d to base the TOK exhibition on one of the themes. However, including a link to the theme is not required for the TOK exhibition commentary. This \u201cstrong recommendation\u201d can be misinterpreted by some teachers as a requirement, but really its purpose is just to ensure that the range of objects students choose from is not too broad. More about this trap in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/07\/29\/themes-as-a-trap-does-the-tok-exhibition-have-to-be-based-on-one-of-the-themes\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">this blog post<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/07\/08\/traps-and-loopholes-in-the-new-tok-syllabus\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Overview: Traps and loopholes in the new TOK syllabus<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/07\/08\/compulsory-knowledge-framework-as-a-trap-artificial-boundaries\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Compulsory knowledge framework as a trap: artificial boundaries<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/07\/08\/compulsory-knowledge-framework-as-a-trap-distribution-of-lesson-time\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Compulsory knowledge framework as a trap: distribution of lesson time<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/07\/08\/compulsory-knowledge-framework-as-an-opportunity-use-key-concepts-and-tick-all-the-boxes\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Compulsory knowledge framework as an opportunity: use key concepts and tick all the boxes<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/08\/21\/personal-and-shared-knowledge-as-a-trap-why-has-the-difference-been-removed\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Personal and shared knowledge as a trap: Why has the difference been removed?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/08\/21\/personal-and-shared-knowledge-as-an-opportunity-why-we-need-these-terms-back-when-we-teach-thematically\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Personal and shared knowledge as an opportunity: Why we need these terms back when we teach thematically<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now I want to focus on the positives and discuss how we can turn traps into opportunities. It\u2019s simple, really. Don\u2019t teach areas of knowledge <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">after<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the themes. Teach them <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">through<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the themes.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For example, teach knowledge and technology in natural sciences, knowledge and technology in mathematics, knowledge and technology in history, and so on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What do you achieve if you teach areas of knowledge through themes?<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You start areas of knowledge earlier in the course. As a result, students get prepared for the TOK exhibition and the TOK essay simultaneously. You don\u2019t waste precious time at the start of the course.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You still give students the opportunity to narrow down their choice of objects for the TOK exhibition. They can use one of the themes for the exhibition.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You enhance comparisons between areas of knowledge. They are supposed to be taught in comparison rather than one by one, so this approach is actually more in line with principles of IB TOK.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is exactly the approach that we have taken in creating <a href=\"https:\/\/store.themantic-education.com\/collections\/textbooks\/products\/ib-theory-of-knowledge-a-students-guide-textbook\">Themantic Education\u2019s TOK textbook<\/a> and teaching resources. We have designed our own big themes that include the IB themes and build upon them. Each of the themes has been closely linked to all relevant areas of knowledge, comparing them throughout. The table below shows how Themantic Education\u2019s TOK themes map onto the standard IB themes.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13125\" src=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-17.12.45.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"906\" height=\"499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-17.12.45.png 906w, https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-17.12.45-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-17.12.45-768x423.png 768w, https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-17.12.45-100x55.png 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 906px) 100vw, 906px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With this approach, you tick all the necessary boxes, but you also do so much more. You build a more efficient course that develops your students\u2019 skills in a focused way, with assessment in mind. And you don\u2019t waste any time.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Read further:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/08\/21\/personal-and-shared-knowledge-as-a-trap-why-has-the-difference-been-removed\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Personal and shared knowledge as a trap: Why has the difference been removed?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This blog post belongs to a series entitled \u201cTraps and loopholes in the new TOK syllabus.\u201d You can access the full list of blog posts in the series here. In two of my earlier posts I explored some \u201ctraps\u201d in the new TOK syllabus associated with the new \u201cthemes\u201d. IB TOK has been split into Themes and Areas of knowledge. &#8230; <\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/09\/23\/themes-as-an-opportunity-teaching-areas-of-knowledge-through-themes\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"#ffffff","slide_template_v7":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,13,103],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-areas-of-knowledge","category-optional-themes","category-the-core-theme"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Themes as an opportunity: Teaching areas of knowledge through themes | IB Theory of Knowledge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibtok\/2020\/09\/23\/themes-as-an-opportunity-teaching-areas-of-knowledge-through-themes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Themes as an opportunity: Teaching areas of knowledge through themes | IB Theory of Knowledge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This blog post belongs to a series entitled \u201cTraps and loopholes in the new TOK syllabus.\u201d You can access the full list of blog posts in the series here. 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