Historical analysis of Thanksgiving sign up

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How does ignorance about the past cause modern day problems?

Post with the most interesting/compelling/insightful part of your response that you formed in class.  Please comment/constructively critique another response as well.

How and why does history get rewritten?

Post with the most interesting/compelling/insightful part of your response that you formed in class.  Please comment/constructively critique another response as well.

How important are eyewitness accounts in history?

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Can we say anything with certainty (for sure) in history?

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In what ways is our view of the past built on myths?

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What determines the way in which history is written?

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Do the arts have a responsibility to accurately portray history?

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TOK Presentations

Have one person from your group submit your names, your RLS (with a link if applicable) and your knowledge issue.  Also, go through other TOK presentations and feel free to comment on another groups KI.  Compliments and positive constructive criticism welcomed.

David Brooks TED Talk

1. What personal connections can you make that illustrate some of Brooks' main ideas?
2. What connections to the different Areas of Knowledge does Brooks make in his talk?
3. How does he view the relationship between emotion and reason? How is his view different from that of many Enlightenment philosophers?  Do you agree or disagree with his view?  Explain.

Freeman Hrabowski TED Talk

1.  How is this talk relevant to you?

2.  Do you think hard work is more important than “being smart” when considering the possibility for excellence?

3.  Is pursuing a degree in arts and social sciences better/worse than a STEM degree?  Why or why not?

4.  Do you disagree with any of his points?

5.  Do you agree with Aristotle’s quote at the end of the presentation?  Is excellence ever an accident?  Is it always choice and not chance?  Why or why not?

6.  For those of you considering a degree in math and science, why are you doing it?  Do you have a passion for the subject?  Are you naturally talented in the subject? Is it a monetary motive?  Is one motivation “better” than another?  Why or why not?

Cosmos Episode 3

1. Is collaboration in the Natural Sciences (e.g. Halley and Newton) similar to collaboration in other AoKs?  Is scientific collaboration unique?  How so?  (compare it to collaboration in other AoKs)  How do faith and emotion play a role in scientific collaboration? 

2. What role does imagination play in the Natural Sciences?  How has the role of religious knowledge systems in shaping scientific knowledge changed over the course of scientific progress?  Or has it?

 3.  Does Newton’s obsession with what most would consider unscientific endeavors (alchemy, hidden biblical messages, etc.) effect his historical or scientific legacy?  Why or why not?  What do you think led him to be so obsessed with these notions?  Was he being reasonable?  Why or why not?

4.  In order for knowledge to classify as Science, must it be predictable (like the reappearance of Halley’s comet)?  Why or why not?

5.  "Science is the only genuine permanent revolution in human affairs, since it is committed to challenging the findings of its forebears.”  TWE do you agree with this quote?  Why or why not?  Are there other AoKs you could replace science with in this quote?  Explain.

Frans Lanting TED Talk

1.   Is it our ethical responsibility to deal with the dramatic loss in diversity of life?  Why or why not? How might a scientist approach this question?  How might an artist?

2.  What role does art play in creating knowledge in other areas?  Try to cite different WoKs in your response.  Be specific.

3.  What was the purpose of the story he told at the beginning of the talk?  How are narratives used in other AoKs to create knowledge?

4.  Do you agree with the implication of the story?  Do alternative ways of viewing the world and explaining what we observe (i.e. indigenous knowledge systems) help or hinder our search for knowledge (consider all AoKs)?  Why or why not?

James Randi TED Talk and pseudo science

Respond to the James Randi TED Talk we watched at the end of class below.  Remember keep your comments in a discussion format.  Disagreement is necessary, inevitable and encouraged, but keep it civil and impersonal.  You're disagreeing with ideas, not people.  Boom.

Ai Wei Wei - Never Sorry

Continue the conversation here!
Here are the questions I posed in class:

1.       Which piece of art/installation/action/moment was most impactful to you? Why?

2.       How does this film shed light on the relationship between art and the human sciences (more specifically political science)?  Explain.

3.       How does emotion and imagination play a role in political activism?  Do they help or hinder the process of activism?  What are some other WoKs featured/used in this documentary and how are they used?

4.       What are some ethical implications of the artistic knowledge Ai Wei Wei is trying to produce?  Is Ai Wei Wei trying to produce artistic knowledge or knowledge in some other AoK?  Explain.

5.       Is there another AoK that would be more useful to Ai Wei Wei (and Chinese citizens with similar motives) to achieve his goals?  Why would it be more useful?  Why would it not?

6.       How does the role of political authority inhibit the creation of artistic knowledge?

7.       What is more important, the message he is sending to the Chinese government, or the way in which he is doing it?  Why?

Deductive Reasoning game

Give block, name, color, and number of people for some bonus points! (e.g. Z, Fir, Orange, 50)

TED Talk battle : Mark Pagel v Patricia Ryan

Here are the questions, you know what to do! (for those that forgot, I need to see one post and one reply to a post from everybody, THIS IS REQUIRED)

1. Is one language inevitable? Is one language common to the whole world a defensible project? Why or why not?
2. Can we afford to have all these languages? Why or why not?
3. Does language divide us or bring us together? Why?
4. Do we use language as a barrier (Pagel) or as a door (Ryan) to understanding?
5. Does language promote cooperation or act as a barrier to it?

Atheists Feel Awe, Too article KIs

Post your knowledge issues in the comments section below so we can go over them first thing next class.

Indians and Pakistanis rewriting shared history article KIs

Post your knowledge issues in the comments section below so we can go over them first thing next class.

Eyewitness to Icier Arctic article KIs

Post your knowledge issues in the comments section below so we can go over them first thing next class.

'How the World Was' book review article KIs

Post your knowledge issues in the comments section below so we can go over them first thing next class.

Immersion in Nature article KIs

Post your knowledge issues in the comments section below so we can go over them first thing next class.

Geckos article KIs

Post your knowledge issues in the comments section below so we can go over them first thing next class.

Mental Maps and Knowledge Claims

Read chapter 1 in your TOK book and be sure to bring your book to class, so we can have enough for a class set.  Tomorrow we will be discussing the quote "the map is not the territory" and it's meaning to you as a learner.  We will be getting a visit from Mr. Liles (A-day only) as well, so come prepared to use the time we do have as efficiently as possible.  Next up we will be exploring the nature of knowledge.  What exactly do we mean when we say we "know" something? 

Also, you can access the site with the survey we are completing for Mr. Liles here.

Myers-Briggs Personality test

Take the Myers-Briggs test here.  We will be using the results for a class discussion.  Find the detailed explanations of each personality type here.  We will be using these explanations as a basis for discussion.

Some questions we will consider are as follows:
Do you agree with the assessment of your personality type? 
Were you surprised by the results?
If you disagree with the Myers-Briggs assessment, which personality are you?
Do you think this test is an accurate measurement of personality type?
Is this method of categorization useful to understand people with different personalities?
How might this test be flawed?

Why ToK?

In order to properly answer this question, you must first understand what this class is not.  This class is not a GPA booster.  This class is not a study period.  This class is not like any class you have ever taken.  Only one thing is required of you in order to progress in this class.  The one requirement is that you think, think, and then think some more (and there will be some writing involved).  You will not benefit from this class if you are preoccupied with a grade you may or may not receive.  The grade is not the goal.  Improving the way you think is the goal.  This grade does not matter.  Only logical, thoughtful and thorough self-reflection matters.

Theory of Knowledge is often called the "glue" of the IB curriculum.  Over the next two years, you will be bombarded with vast amounts of knowledge and rigorous course standards.  The purpose of ToK is to take all of your preexisting (and newly acquired) knowledge about Mathematics, Art, Natural Sciences, Human Sciences, History, and Ethics, and question it.  Question all of it.  Question methods.  Question theories.  Question assumptions.  Question conclusions.  Question questions?  I'll stop now.  Moving on. 

Self-reflection, critical thinking, and inquiry skills are three components that a successful ToK student develops throughout this course.  Everyday we will be discussing questions that do not have a correct answer.  There will be disagreements.  This is a good thing.  In fact, it's a great thing!  Without disagreement we can not properly address the knowledge issues at hand.  Lastly, I want this class to be enjoyable!  Everyday you will have the opportunity to contribute and express your very own ideas to the class.  I expect all of you to be provide the bulk of contributions during discussion.  My main role in ToK is to facilitate your development and progression as an active learner in order to improve the way you think, not to tell you what to think.  See you in class!