TOK Updates

Since some of my students were a bit confused as to what was asked of them during my travels, I will post this information here as well.  Students may thank me when they see me in the halls for doing this, or when they turn in their Source Books  (some time before break if students want the possibility of full credit).  Since I spent so much time writing clear Substitute Plans, I figure I can just cut and paste them below.  And if students have any clarifying questions, they can come to me during my free blocks or after school for help.

After ironing out some kinks with our TOK Class Wiki, I am excited about the possibilities that await us.  I will also add some content to the main, “FrontPage” of the Wiki so that students know exactly what is expected of them, as well as how they will be evaluated individually for their efforts.  Even though we worked in small groups today, every student should request access for the wiki so that we can work individually on the content in the future.  Right now our goal should be to get ideas down on the site, and then we can worry about the organization later, I think.  When in doubt, we should simply remember the umlaut!

Ok, on to the sub. plans:

TOK Class–Sept. 11th and 15th

This class is discussion-based, and we just finished watching the Matrix and looking at Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” which should provide all sorts of entries for ideas and discussion. We have also been posting ideas on my website, http://www.mrquale.com. We are focusing on Perception as a “Way of Knowing.”
For both Friday and the following Tuesday, I want students to discuss ideas in small groups–using the packet that begins with the article “The Uncertainty of Knowledge”–and relate these ideas to our film viewing. Maybe the plan could be to have students work in small groups for half of the class, and then share their ideas for the last half. I have reserved three Source Book entries for these two lessons:

2. “Perception Discussion Group Ideas”
3. Journal #1
4. Journal #2

The Journals could be on the readings: “The Uncertainty of Knowledge,” “Perception,” the excerpts from Einstein’s Dreams, or a response to “The Parable of the Cave.” I want to give students the freedom to explore what they want to, knowing that some of these ideas will make their way into their small group discussions. I also have the book Einstein’s Dreams available if you want to read another Dream or two for ideas (I was going to read the 16th of April dream in class today, but we ran out of time)

TOK Class–Sept. 22nd

Today students will use parts of the “Perception Packet,” however these should remain in my classroom and not taken home. To start out class today, have students begin with a Journal (entry #5 in their Source Book titled “Perception Quote” Journal) on a quote from the first page of their perception packet of their choosing. They can pick a quotation that relates to what they’ve already been thinking about, or one that is hard and confusing, or maybe their favorite one.

After the journal, give some time to do a “pair share” with their neighbors about some idea that they wrote about. Then, as a whole class, you could ask students what quotes they wrote about, and why. This should provide a good start to the class. I’ve also completed the assignment on the next page, since sometimes I share my own journals with the class.

Next, use the Linking Questions brainstorm on Page 2 of the “Perception Packet,” and give each pair one of the subjects (Language, Religion, History, etc.). Have them address the question in pairs, and brainstorm one or two examples that supports their ideas. Then have a brief sharing session where each pair shares their conclusions and evidence.

I also want students to read part of the “Perception Packet” (The Introduction, Perceptual Illusions, Selectivity of Perception, and Distinguishing Appearance from Reality). It’s fun to do the Perceptual Illusions together-a lot of students will recognize these from other places. I also want students to be able to understand the following terms and topics from the reading:

• Empiricism
• Common-sense realism
• Perceptual illusions (the 4 kinds)
• Psychology and role of unconscious
• Appearance and Reality (3 criteria for differentiating the two)

These are basically the subheadings for the reading.  Students should start a list like this in their Source Book below their journal (no need for a separate entry) and then jot some ideas next to each one as they read.

My Journal Response:

Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.

The greatest calamity that can befall people is not that they should be born blind, but rather that they should have eyes and yet fail to see.

I could not pick just one, so I want to respond-and maybe compare-two quotations that deal with perception. They seem to almost be companion pieces to each other. The first one, by Schopenhauer, makes me think of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” which we looked right after The Matrix. The idea of the “limitations” of one person “field of vision” is very important in the Allegory, as is going beyond these limitations. The problem, however, is convincing others to look beyond the shadows. In the Allegory, Plato hypothesizes that even if one person “sees the light” and want to tell other people that the lives they are living are pretty much only a very small part of reality, that the others will kill him for this idea. This, in a sense, is also what Schopenhauer is arguing. Ones own individual field of vision is very limited, and should never be used to determine the limits of the world. It think I agree with that, however what do we have if not our own perceptions of the world around us. Maybe the point is to accept that there are very obvious limitations to what we know as individuals.

The second quotation at first reminded me of Neo’s question in The Matrix when, once released from his “pod,” asks why his eyes hurt. Morpheus’ response is an epiphany: “Because you have never used them before.” This seems to relate directly to this idea. Neo always had eyes, but he was not able to use them until he was released. The same holds true in Plato’s allegory. At first, a prisoner who wanders out of the cave would have trouble seeing things, since his eyes were not yet used to light. But slowly, images would appear, until finally he could look at the light source of the sun, and realize how insignificant the fire in the cave was when compare to it.

Both of these ideas in a way seem to be suggesting that we need to figure out how to live to our full potential-how we can perceive the world in such a way that we can benefit from all the experiences that it provides. This idea is something that is both daunting and exciting for me. A lot of people also interpret the “Allegory of the Cave” in a religious context. To me, it does seem like faith is part of it. Lastly, thinking about these quotes and the allegory reminded me of those famous lines from “Amazing Grace”:

“I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”