Lately I've been thinking about how to return time to students, particularly those in the IB Diploma. Recently, I was filling in for one of my friends, teaching HL Chemistry to seniors. I know these students very well and they are absolutely delightful. My closing words were: "in these next few months, have fun! Don't get too stressed by exams. You will be spending these precious months with some of the best friends you will ever have in your life--enjoy them!"
Their jaws dropped. "Enjoy isn't in our vocabulary," they protested, "all we do is study."
I hear such comments all the time from IB Diploma students. While the IB Diploma is an excellent programme, it needs to address this issue--students are getting 3 or 4 hours of sleep per night, and refusing to go to the movies or for dinner with their families because they have too much homework.
One complaint that comes from many, but not all, IB students is about ToK. I was recently talking to a student who had just graduated from University, and she complained that in high school, ToK was a waste of her time. She said:
"I liked ToK, but it was worthless."
I told her, "if you liked it, then I think it was worthwhile."
I'm wondering if ToK has outlived its usefulness, and whether students aren't asking big picture questions through their CAS activities.
So, what do you think; should ToK be abolished? Please answer truthfully--the poll is on your left.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
i think you, mr mick, are not looking at the big picture either. A HL chemistry class does not make a fair representation of the IB student population.
Not all IB students are stuck studying all the time, some people know how to enjoy themselves while maintaining a decent set of grades, and a life outside of classroom in sport or in the arts.
Fair enough, most people will say they hate ToK, its full of C**p but, thats the same as some people hating maths or science, and i think ToK isn't liked as much because the teaching isn't great (at NIST anyways).
It all comes down to what one makes of it. of ToK, of IB, and of life!
Good points. I wish all our students were as well balanced as "Anonymous" purports to be.
btw, I think ToK is well-taught at NIST, compared to other schools.
I would find ToK fascinating, but I think I'm in the minority. I have never wanted to teach it because I hear so many students complaining about it.
Next week's question will be: Should mathematics be optional?" YES! from me.
While TOK may be interesting (useful?), as an IB student I feel that it is very much a waste of my time. I think that the vast majority of students, and perhaps some of the teachers as well, don't take TOK seriously and as a result TOK turns into a class where BS'ing (not reflection and critical thinking) is the main skill involved. In other words, I doubt there's much learning going on in these classes...
I agree with you Mr. Mick. I genuinely think ToK is a worthwhile experience - if taught adequately (which thankfully is the case for me).
The sad reality is though that a very small number of students actually pay attention in class. I think the language barrier is one obvious reason for this.
However, ToK's real world relevance certainly beats the hell out of the sometimes busywork reflections they made us do in the MYP. I laugh reminiscing the days we had to reflect on Math tests :)
I vote NO that ToK be abolished as I see it as a good idea for allowing students to be credited for writing thought provoking material. The IB need to sort out its issues though.
Interesting points. I can assure you that BS'ing is a very useful skill in life. Rememeber when a certain technology guru convinced the important poeple that you would NEVER be able to play computer games on your tablets? Hah! Also, I don't think ToK is the only class where students aren't paying attention ;-)
Mr. Mick, I have to totally agree with your closing words. I really wish I had enjoyed my last few months a lot more and spent quality time with friends who I have now come to realize are some of the best friends I'll ever meet (yes, I may have had a lot of fun the beginning of senior year, and a lot of trouble, but I focused too much on grades, which I must say don't really matter anymore, now that I'm in uni).
A strong reflection on school shows me that grades don't mean anything, but rather, the knowledge, skills and discipline IB teaches, that's the real deal.
to be honest, tok should be abolished.
it is a waste of time, no matter how well taught it is.
you end up questioning everything, doubting every statement, that you become so skeptical of the world and end up not learning but simply challenging things.
tok is so broad that it is impossible to sum up and give generalizations in 2 semesters. you learn all about it in college anyways if you take philosophy 101. ToK is like the IB program. you take IB chemistry for 2 years, and then in college, you cover the IB program in like 2 weeks of the course, then you go so much more in depth, that everything you've learned in IB was just pointless, and a very small headstart.
tok just scratches the surface of those philosophical ideas. there are many circumstances that are not explored, and when these exceptions to the 'rules' are not explained, it makes things hard for the student because we like to get the whole idea, not part of it. giving us part of the picture only makes things more ambiguous that it already is.
Post a Comment