Aspects of Knowledge offers a similar course of lessons as Disruptive Ideas, but which we’ve structured around the six different aspects of knowledge, that act like a critical thinking lens through which we can make sense of the world. It comprises 60 lessons in total.
The aspects of knowledge units
Click on the images to take you to the AK units. There is no obligation to teach all of the lessons within each unit, nor do you need to teach them in the order we’ve arranged them. You can also replace the presentations with our other resources, such as the mini-lessons and Investigating Issues, or edit them as extensively as you want.
AK1 (Foundations) invites students to look at the fundamental nature of knowledge, and what it means to be a member of an epistemic community. Click here to access the lessons for the unit, plus all the support material you’ll need to deliver it.
AK2 (Values) invites students to look at how we draw on our knowledge to make moral decisions, and establish ethical principles. AK2 will be launched on 15 September 2021. Click here to access the lessons for the unit, plus all the support material you’ll need to deliver it.
AK3 (Spin) invites students to look at how our understanding of the world is shaped by the form in which knowledge is communicated. Click here to access the lessons for the unit, plus all the support material you’ll need to deliver it.
AK4 (Perspectives) invites students to look at how our perspectives and biases shape the way we approach knowledge, and understand the world. Click here to access the lessons for the unit, plus all the support material you’ll need to deliver it.
AK5 (Creativity) invites students to look at how new knowledge about the world is created, and why it develops over time. Click here to access the lessons for the unit, plus all the support material you’ll need to deliver it.
AK6 (Experts) invites students to look at what it takes to become a discerning knower about the world, and an effective member of an epistemic community. Click here to access the lessons for the unit, plus all the support material you’ll need to deliver it.
Help your learners to exit their echo chambers!
Our online and in-person workshops offer the usual support for students writing the essay and exhibition, and TOK departments designing great courses.
But our training sessions go much further than this: by focusing on authentic critical thinking, they demonstrate how to help learners confront, rather than confirm, their biases and assumptions, and exit their echo chambers. This makes them accessible and relevant for all teachers, whatever their subject or programme. Read more here.