
TOK is uniquely positioned to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) while also strengthening wellbeing in a school setting. Below we discuss how it can contribute to these goals.
We have linked this discussion to links to our members’ resources, such as mini-lessons, TED talks, and TOK filmography, that will help you to use the course to ensure wellbeing . If you aren’t already a member, join us here!
Using TOK to promote equity
• Critical examination of biases TOK encourages students to explore how personal and cultural biases affect the production and use of knowledge. By challenging these biases, students develop a more equitable perspective. Check out our identification of authentic critical thinking as the key pedagogical objective of TOK, an aim that drives the design of all our resources.
• Access to diverse knowledge The course emphasizes that knowledge is constructed through often radically different approaches, and arranged into diverse areas of knowledge. This inclusive approach validates multiple ways of understanding the world. Check out our BQ5 unit, which asks how new knowledge is created and develops.
• Questioning power structures TOK prompts students to reflect on who produces knowledge and whose voices are marginalized, raising awareness of inequalities and the importance of equitable representation in knowledge systems. Check out how the 12 key concepts play a crucial role in our course delivery, in particular, power and responsibility.
Using TOK to encourage diversity
• Exposure to global perspectives TOK is inherently interdisciplinary and international, exposing students to a wide range of cultural, historical, and philosophical viewpoints. This broadens students’ understanding of the world and encourages respect for different perspectives. Check out out how we link mini and full lessons to wider issues going on in the world, taking students way beyond the classroom.
• Incorporation of non-Western knowledge By integrating indigenous, local, and non-Western knowledge systems into discussions, TOK challenges the dominance of Western paradigms and legitimizes different methodologies of producing knowledge. Check out our resources for indigenous societies, such as the mini-lessons which we update monthly.
• Empathy through perspective-taking TOK discussions require students to consider viewpoints that are different from their own, fostering empathy and appreciation for cultural and individual diversity. Check out our BQ4 lesson unit, which focuses specifically on different perspectives.
Using TOK to foster inclusion
• Safe space for dialogue The TOK classroom can be a safe space where all students are encouraged to share their ideas and experiences, knowing that diverse opinions are valued and respected, even when more challenging topics and ideas are being explored. Check out how each mini and full lessons encourage includes a slide guiding discussion and debate, and how to link topics to wider issues.
• Inclusive curriculum design Teachers can intentionally design the curriculum to include diverse voices, authors, and case studies that reflect a wide range of identities, cultures, and experiences. Check out how we’ve built our course around 5 Big Questions, all of which can be explored by anyone.
• Challenging stereotypes Through critical thinking, students learn to question stereotypes and assumptions, contributing to a more inclusive school environment. Check out how every full lesson focuses on this, such as the ones in BQ1.
Using TOK to strengthen wellbeing
• Developing critical thinking and resilience By learning to critically analyze information and reflect on their own beliefs, students become more intellectually resilient and better equipped to handle complex or conflicting information, reducing anxiety about uncertainty. Check out that key aim for the course again – authentic critical thinking!
• Building empathy and compassion TOK encourages students to understand different perspectives, which can foster kindness, empathy, and supportive peer relationships—key contributors to emotional wellbeing. Check out the importance of compassion in our BQ framework, via our unit on values.
• Promoting a sense of belonging When students see their cultures, identities, and ways of knowing represented in the curriculum, they feel more valued and included, enhancing their sense of belonging. Check out how our engaging, provocative, thought-provoking lessons bring students on board, and ensure that they are inspired by the course, rather than overwhelmed by it.

Become a member of theoryofknowledge.net
Members have access to a huge range of classroom-ready TOK resources, including three different TOK Courses, the monthly TOK Mini-Lessons, TOK Integration padlets, pre-DP resources, the University Application Booster, TOK Filmography, and TOK via TED.
Join in seconds here, and turn your school into a hub of authentic critical thinking. And if you have any budget issues, talk to us – we’ll find a membership fee to suit you.