We have been delivering workshops to schools around the world for over a decade, and every session is built around a single conviction: that critical thinking, done properly, is one of the most radical and empowering things education can offer.

Our sessions are practical, jargon-free, and designed to give teachers takeaways they can implement immediately. We are proudly independent, and we have no interest in delivering what you could get from anyone else. If a session does not change the way you think about teaching and learning, we have not done our job.

Our workshops feature an array of incredible, genuinely life-changing thinkers. In line with our ‘authentic’ approach to learning we prefer thinkers whose ideas belong in the real-world, not just the classroom.

Here’s a quick overview of some of the key thinkers who feature in our workshops, with video links to give you a clear idea of the kind of ideas and approaches that we enjoy exploring with schools.

John Stuart Mill

He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that.

Alex Edmans

We often have the discerning skills already within ourselves. We just need to overcome our biases and deploy them.

Julia Galef

Scouts are grounded. Which means that their self-worth as a person isn’t tied to how right or wrong they are about any particular topic.

Hannah Critchlow

Once you have built up a perception of the world, you will ignore any information to the contrary… changing the way that you think is going to be quite cognitively costly.

Donald Hoffman

Letting go of dogmatism… Being clear about our current ideas… Avoiding false arguments over nonsense… Finding out precisely why we’re wrong, where we’re wrong… Learning the most quickly.

Sasha Sagan

Tolerating ambiguity, waiting until you have evidence, knowing that sometimes the evidence will change, is central to any scientific advancement.

Everyone. We work with TOK specialists, non-TOK teachers, primary and secondary educators, students and parents, and both IB and non-IB practitioners, because authentic critical thinking is not just for the IB classroom.

It is for anyone who wants to think more clearly, more honestly, and more independently about the world.

Some of our most rewarding sessions have been with teachers who had never heard of TOK and left wondering why every school in the world does not teach it.

We love introducing this subject to people who have never encountered it, because we are passionate about what it can do for learners of every age and background. Read our workshops and training brochure here.

No two sessions are identical, because no two schools are the same. Every workshop is tailored to your context, your students’ needs, and the time available.

What they all share is a commitment to genuine intellectual engagement, practical application, and the kind of honest, energetic discussion that leaves participants thinking differently about the world.

We offer a range of sessions including introductions to TOK, assessment workshops, critical thinking masterclasses for non-IB faculty, and sessions specifically designed for parents.

We also offer bespoke programmes for schools that want to embed authentic critical thinking across their entire curriculum.

Every session is designed to leave participants with something they can use immediately. For teachers, that means practical lesson ideas, assessment strategies, and approaches to learning that work in any subject classroom, and any age level.

For educational leaders, it means a clearer understanding of how critical thinking can be embedded across an entire school culture, and why investing in it produces better learners, better results and human beings.

For students, it means a clearer understanding of why critical thinking matters, how to approach TOK in an effective way integrating it with their pre-existing knowledge, and how to channel the skills and knowledge they develop when they apply to university.

For parents, it means a genuine insight into one of the most powerful and unusual courses their children will ever take, and why it’s such an important part of the educational journey their children are following.

Both types of workshops offer advantages. In terms of engagement and interaction, it’s great to be in the same room as participants, and frankly, we love visiting schools! So if you are able to set up an in-school workshop, then this the perfect way of offering training sessions.

Online sessions are many schools’ preferred way of offering training, due to the ease with which Zoom and other platforms enable us to explore key ideas and strategies for TOK and critical thinking.

Find out more about training sessions from our Escaping Our Echo Chambers workshop brochure. It also gives you information about prices, and how to set up a session.

Alternatively, get in touch with us directly at support@ theoryofknowledge.net or via the contact form below. We will set up an initial Zoom call to discuss what you want your students or teachers to take away from the session, and start designing your bespoke workshop!

Feb 2026 CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL OF BUCHAREST. A day-long in-school workshop with the upper school and a session only for primary teachers. We discussed how ACT works at all levels, via the ideas of thinkers such as Alex Edmans, Julia Galef, Sasha Sagan, and John Stuart Mill.

Oct 2025 IŞIK SCHOOLS, ISTANBUL. A third annual week-long trip to Istanbul to work for a week with a great group of schools.

Sep 2025 HIBA ACADEMY, SHANGHAI. A second online workshop for DP2 students doing their TOK essays.

March, July, October 2025 IB Global Conferences in Singapore, New Orleans, and The Hague. Delivered sessions on Escaping your Echo Chamber, in association with Kialo.

Nov 2017 NEWTON COLLEGE, LIMA. In-school workshop for TOK teachers from 7 different schools in Lima.

Jan 2016 YAMANASHI GAKUIN HIGH SCHOOL, KOFU. Online consultations for the TOK team.

Nov 2015 EYÜBOGLU EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, ISTANBUL. In-school key note speech, in Association with Cambridge University Press.

Aug 2015 NESIBE AYDIN COLLEGE, ANKARA In-school workshop, in association with Cambridge University Press.

Jan 2017 INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF LUXEMBOURG. In-school workshop for ISL TOK team and DP2 students.

Jan 2016 STEPHEN PERSE FOUNDATION, CAMBRIDGE In-school workshop, in association with Cambridge University Press.

Nov 2015 ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS ACADEMY, BIRMINGHAM. In-school workshop for DP2 students.

Jun 2015 ST JULIAN’S SCHOOL, LISBON. In-school workshop for DP1 students from 5 different schools in Lisbon.

Very pleased with how things went. And again, wonderful to see how we seem to be in sync with our approach to TOK… Great feedback from students and teachers as they left just now.

Paulo Arruda, Head of Social Studies, Hiba Academy, Shanghai

Have completed my first week as a TOK teacher. I’ve overheard the students saying ‘So, this is how TOK lessons were supposed to be’, ‘Time passed so quickly!!’ You can imagine how that made me feel. Thanks to your wonderful resources, I am making headway, and enjoying it tremendously. Thank you for being an inspiration.

Jenny Chavush, Işık High School IB Diploma Coordinator

Thank again for your session last week it was exactly what the students needed.

Dan English, Head of TOK, Dartford Grammar School

We really enjoyed Michael’s workshop, it was great to see the staff so enthused and inspired!

Susannah Porsz, DP Coordinator, Anglo-European School

We were delighted to have Michael present over two full days in January. Michael delivered a workshop to a variety of teachers repressing 11 local schools. The workshop allowed fantastic opportunities for teachers to gain insight into the new TOK course. In addition, the student workshop provided fantastic high quality student engagement through a range of activities. Thank you for delivering two very successful workshops.

Hannah Cashell, TOK Coordinator, Gulf English School, Doha

Thank you again for spending the days with us; students were buzzing for a while after, and the ToK team appreciated the opportunity to connect, think, and talk ToK. Hope we have a chance to work again in the future.

Dasha Lis, Head of TOK, UWC Maastricht

The feedback I have had from the teacher workshops has been really positive. My colleagues really approached your personable style and found the content engaging. Everyone felt they had an immediate takeaway and a better understanding of TOK generally. We’d love you to come back and do more.

Joanne Perkins, Head of TOK, International School of Paris

I can’t say how thankful we are for your visit. Chatting to the students yesterday showed that they really felt the day helped them to grasp the essential concepts of TOK in a way that had thus far evaded them. Feedback was all positive and many have gone on to plan their final presentations on the back of ideas that came to them during the day.

Kieran Hennigan, Head of TOK at St Julian’s School, Lisbon

Thank you very much for the ToK workshop… as a ToK novice, I found it incredibly interesting and reassuring.

Alex Waring, CAS Coordinator, St Edward’s School, Oxford

It was a real pleasure to have you with us, and the sessions were extremely well received by both our primary and secondary colleagues.

Matthew Wemyss, Assistant School Director, Cambridge School of Bucharest

Thank you so much for your amazing workshop. To be honest, no-one was looking forward to it after another dispiriting day of online teaching in lock-down… This made it all the more surprising to find it so lively, entertaining and immediately relevant and useful to our teaching. Everyone I’ve spoken to agreed that it is the best PD workshop they remember at our school. 

Simon Jackson, DP film teacher, Shanghai Singapore International School

Having a TOK integration workshop with Michael Dunn was the best thing I’ve done as the TOK Coordinator. Michael’s knowledge, enthusiasm and practical tips for the subject were a great inspiration for the whole faculty.

Jana Jackson, TOK Coordinator, Shanghai Singapore International School

Thank you so much for the sessions you led with us, the TOK team is certainly feeling more confident in their teaching of the two assessments of the course and you have given me lots to think about in terms of the way we currently approach TOK.

Charlotte Nicholas, TOK Coordinator, Westminster Academy

Yesterday we had a TOK collaboration meeting, and the feedback from the workshop was fantastic! Everybody was happy… we need people like you!

Dorothee Prendergast, Head of Languages, and TOK, International School of Luxembourg

[The workshop has given] a broader, more complete/intuitive understanding of the course, will certainly improve critical thinking and subject connections. Great ideas for new and innovative practices and approaches to teaching the course. Good preparation with tools, tactics and new ideas. Very helpful. Very practical, and offered concrete ideas on how to approach the course. Terrific opportunity to collaborate and share ideas with the speaker and my colleagues. [This will] Help students how to understand ToK better by improved teaching schedule and lesson structure. The structure of the 8 questions programme makes so much more sense.

Feedback from the ISL teachers, following Michael’s visit to Luxembourg in January 2017

As an IBDP coordinator who has attended your workshop at Nesibe Aydin Schools in Ankara, I would like to thank you for the great ideas you have shared with us.

Müge Özgönül, IBDP & CAS Coordinator, Eyüboglu High School

Thank you so much for delivering your ToK session. Staff were really energised by it!

Tricia Kelleher, Head of School, Stephen Perse Foundation

Set up a workshop

We’ll be happy to answer any question you might have about our TOK training, and set up a workshop for your school.

These might include locations we’re able to travel to, how to decide on a topic for training, details of workshop fees, which members of your learning community we can help, and the pros and cons of in-school vs. online workshops.