How the ToK Presentation Works:
The purpose of the ToK Presentation is to show how you think through a concrete event at an abstract level... how you apply ToK thought to the real world. Students can choose to work alone or with two peers. Each presenter (whether individual or in a group of 3) is responsible for 10 minutes of presentation. At CPPHS, your audience will be your ToK2 class and your teacher, maybe with a few Junior DP candidates thrown into the mix. ToK presentations will be filmed. There is an additional 5 minute question & answer period at the end of each presentation. The content of each presentation will be assessed and evaluated; each participant receives a personal score. The question & answer period is not evaluated.
Each presentation is evaluated on four criteria:
A. Identification of Knowledge Issue
B. Treatment of Knowledge Issues
C. Knower's Perspective
D. Connections
The emphasis is not on how polished and beautiful your visuals are, how creative your method of presentation, or the rhetoric you used--the emphasis is on your thinking.
Each presentation is evaluated on four criteria:
A. Identification of Knowledge Issue
B. Treatment of Knowledge Issues
C. Knower's Perspective
D. Connections
The emphasis is not on how polished and beautiful your visuals are, how creative your method of presentation, or the rhetoric you used--the emphasis is on your thinking.
Practical Advice:
1. Groups of 2 might be best. More than two members complicates the getting-together-to-work factor. While it might make sense to work alone, a summary of the issue could take up to three minutes, leaving you with only seven (in which to show how great your thinking is). Working as a pair allows for 17 minutes in which to offer your thought process... not too shabby, eh? 2. Pick a partner you trust, who thinks differently than you. It's hard to work with people you don't like--don't do that. But if you choose someone who thinks exactly like you then you're essentially proposing ideas in a vacuum. Essentially, we don't know what we don't know; working with someone who thinks just like you do will lead to both of you not knowing. A friend with different strengths and viewpoints can help point out your blind-spots. 3.Start early. Getting that Knowledge Issue and Knowledge Question down early helps by giving you more time to think things through and possibly more time to think through the KQ. 4. Use your tips! Keep in mind that I've been through this a time or two... and I'd really like you to score well! There is nothing sadder than a super-smart kiddo who can't seem to get it "together" for the ToK presentation. And if you have questions... ask! |
One Sentence, Two Names & Topic Selection:
Choosing a topic might present a bit of a sticky wicket... especially when there is so much (much, MUCH!) from which to choose. By using the principle of one sentence and two names you can easily narrow down legitimate topics and ideas. Here is how it works: Make sure your proposal (for a RLS) can be summed up in (and fits in) one sentence, and that it contains two real names/proper nouns (person, place). Sounds simple right? Let's try it on for size with the following topic ideas: 1. Is man eating man right? Where is the real life situation (RLS) here? Is it grounded in real life? How? 2. Cannibalism What keys this into real life? How is it a situation? This can be better... 3. the portrayal of cannibalism in the movie Hannibal (2001) Ummm... this is fiction, it doesn't count as "real" or "life" 4. the portrayal of cannibalism in the movie Alive (1993) This one is better than #3, but it's also fictional. If you're headed that route, why don't you just choose the situation that inspired the movie? 5. cannibalism in the 1972 Andes flight accident And... there we have it! This is the RLS that inspired the 1993 film. But you'll need to do some research to get you to the one sentence, two name principle. You'll note that underneath each example it lets you know what's good and what isn't... Applying the 1S, 2N principle will yield this: “Nando Parrado (among others) was stranded with no rations on the Andes after a flight accident, and ate meat of the dead passengers to survive.“ This rephrasing first explains the situation more concretely even to those who know nothing about 1972 Andes Flight Accident. |
Watch out for the Knowledge Issue/Question:
Be sure that your Knowledge Issue and Question are actually what they are supposed to be. Sometimes it is common for students to make a good selection of your RLS but arrive at a superficial knowledge question. And sometimes, you create knowledge questions that aren't really even KQ at all. Make sure what you propose doesn't fall into one of the following (not okay) classes:
- Problems with narrow, technical answers are not knowledge issues: "How to prevent human trafficking", "How can negotiations between consumers and corporations be facilitated", "Are lethal injections painful" These questions are subject specific (not knowledge specific), and lead you toward a presentation for a subject area... not ToK
- Problems with common-sense answers are not usually good knowledge issues: "Should gambling be encouraged", "Should child soldiers be legalized in all countries"
- Closed-ended questions are not good knowledge issues/questions
- Problems with broad answers are worthy knowledge issues, but are very hard to justify in a 10 or 20 minute block of presentation: "What is love", "Is nationalism good"
You should tie your knowledge issue/question into all of the ToK things you've learned along the way: knowing, belief, certainty, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, justification, truth, values
In the end, your KQ should be a polished piece of genius! I should be focused and sharp (not verbose); it is the focus of the whole presentation!
In the end, your KQ should be a polished piece of genius! I should be focused and sharp (not verbose); it is the focus of the whole presentation!
Prepping for the Presentation:
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In order to maximize your overall score on the ToK formal presentation (or informal presentations) you need to combine several components:
You will be graded using the IB grading criteria. |
Some nitty-gritty detail.
Below are the presentation planner, a guide explaining the planner and a completed sample. You can access each document by clicking directly on it.
You can access the official IB Form (ToK PPD) via this site or your email. At the time of presenting, you'll need the in-house planning document, form PPD, and a completed presentation. Your presentation (an invitation, the PowerPoint, a web link, etc.) will need to be in my inbox 12+ hours prior to presenting.
You can access the official IB Form (ToK PPD) via this site or your email. At the time of presenting, you'll need the in-house planning document, form PPD, and a completed presentation. Your presentation (an invitation, the PowerPoint, a web link, etc.) will need to be in my inbox 12+ hours prior to presenting.
More Resources.
The links below are for three additional resources. The first is a teacher's tutorial on the best way to approach your presentation. For those of you with a partner, it breaks down the 20 minute time frame (singles only need 10 minutes of presentation). The next two are additional You Tube videos of actual presentations; both comment sections purport a 20/20 score.
We'll be talking about the details for your presentation in class. Topics and planners are due: March 6th. Presentations will start the following week.
We'll be talking about the details for your presentation in class. Topics and planners are due: March 6th. Presentations will start the following week.