Knowledge Heroes
Knowledge Heroes allows you to draw on the ideas of more than 100 of the most influential thinkers from the past and present, all of whom feature in our BQ lessons.
There’s a brief bio for each thinker, a key quote, and a discussion of how their work and ideas relate to the TOK course. Related thinkers are also indicated, with a link provided to a relevant lesson, and other media sources that can be used to explore them.
Purpose of the resource
Knowledge Heroes is designed to introduce students to some of the women and men who have done most to influence the way we think about, and interact with, the world. It helps students to grasp some of the most important TOK concepts, explained in a clear and engaging way, often from the very person who has formulated it.
It supports students to craft authoritative assessment tasks, by enabling them to infuse their exhibition commentaries and essays with the thoughts of a wide range of crucial thinkers. Finally, it supports Diploma Programme integration by providing a library of thinkers who can prompt thought and debate about the nature of knowledge in both TOK, and other DP subjects.
Using the resource
Knowledge Heroes is a 38-page PDF booklet. The coloured icon indicates to which aspect of the course the thinker aligns, a brief bio provides a background to their life and work, and a key quote allows you to immediately identify the concept they can help us understand. We provide an explicit link to the Exhibition IA Prompts (IAPs), and to broader issues that the thinker can help you explore – found in our Investigating Issues resources.
You can then explore their life and work via guidance on how their idea relates to TOK, other thinkers who have dealt with the same concept, and links to take you to their idea in the context of a lesson, newsletter, article, or other media source.
Accessing Knowledge Heroes
To see the Knowledge Heroes resource, become a full access member of the site. You can download a sample version of Knowledge heroes here. If you have any questions about joining us, contact us at support@theoryofknowledge.net.
Develop your students’ authentic critical thinking
Our in-school & online workshops are engaging, inspiring, and jargon-free, and leave TOK and non-TOK teachers with practical takeaways that they can implement easily in their classrooms.
We can help you with a wide range of issues and topics related to the TOK course, and help you turn your students into authentic critical thinkers who make sense of the world in a nuanced and objective way. Find out more and book a session here.