The TOK Exhibition

TOK Focus week session 1

The TOK “Exhibition”
 Optional Themes:
What the IB says:
-Knowledge and language
• The TOK exhibition explores how -Knowledge and technology
TOK manifests in the world around -Knowledge and politics
us. For this reason it is strongly -Knowledge and religion
recommended that students base -Knowledge and indigenous societies.
their exhibition on one of the TOK
themes (either the core theme
(knowledge and the knower) or
one of the optional themes).
•

-The TOK Guide

What?
Students are required to create an exhibition
of three objects that connect to one of the
35 “IA prompts”

All three objects must be linked to the same

IA prompt.
How?
For moderation students are required to produce a single file
containing:

• a title clearly indicating their selected IA prompt

• images of their three objects
• a typed commentary on each object that identifies each object
and its specific real-world context, justifies its inclusion in the
exhibition and links to the IA prompt (maximum 950 words)
• appropriate citations and references.
The IB’s basic protocols for the exhibition:
• Each student must create an individual exhibition. Group work may not be
undertaken by students.
• Multiple students in the same TOK class are permitted to create exhibitions
on the same IA prompt.
• However, students in the same class are not permitted to use any of the
same objects.
An effective exhibition shows 4 key skills:
• Links the ideas together:
• An effective exhibition clearly – and explicitly – explains the links between the TOK
prompt chosen and the objects.
• Justification of ideas:
• A strong exhibition clearly justifies the choice of objects, saying why they have been
selected and referencing the theme (Nat Sci, Politics, etc).
• Use of evidence:
• An effective exhibition is academic in nature, and thus all of the claims are
supported by evidence: real-life situations or the referenced research.
• Identification of the real-world context:
• The objects chosen need to exist and be presented in context; rather than being
generic or abstract in nature.
Prompts
See TOK 2022
Objects:
• Digital or physical objects
• The objects may be digital rather than physical objects. For example, students
could include a photograph of an object, such as a historical treaty.
• Students may also use digital objects such as a tweet by a political leader.
However, they must be specific objects that have a specific real-world
context—objects that exist in a particular time and place (including virtual
spaces).
• They may be objects that the student has created themselves, but they must
be pre-existing objects rather than objects created specifically for the
purposes of the exhibition.
 Object examples:
1 2

3
Here we have 3 objects which fit within the IB guidelines. The
first is a tweet, the second a real-world object (vaccine) and the
third an object which we don’t have direct access to (the Torah).

All of these images would need to be referenced for academic

integrity, but would be relevant to the exhibition.
Objects continued…
• Examples of the diverse kinds of objects students could select include the
following
• A tweet from the President of the United States
• An image of the painting Guernica by Pablo Picasso
• The student’s own extended essay (EE)
• A basketball used by the student during their physical education lessons
• The graphic novel The Colour of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa
• A painting that the student created in their DP visual arts course
• A refillable water bottle provided to each student in a school as part of a
sustainability initiative
• A news article from the popular website Buzzfeed
• A photograph of the student playing in an orchestra
- The TOK Guide (first assessment 2022)
How is it marked:
Sample Exhibitions
The TOK exhibition Field Trip
Did your parents
complete the trip
permission form?
Exhibition trip: How does TOK manifests itself
in the world around us? (exhibition prep)

• Trip to Antwerp
• Look around you (and up) to see how TOK manifests
itself in the real world.
• Take photos based on prompts (scavenger hunt).
• Log ideas and details during the day.
• Follow-up during TOK lessons: select the best photos
and justify how they link to your prompts.
Practical:
• Arrive to school normal time.
• Wait for teachers at reception
• We walk to train station and take train to Antwerp
• School provides train tickets
• Bring phone/camera
• You will receive a printout of the trip prompts on the
day, as well as an electronic version
• We return to AIS during normal School Hours
Practical: Students going straight to Antwerp
• Meet us at 9 am
at Antwerp Central Train Station

in the main hall/ticketing office, at the

bottom of the staircase (see next slide)

• Be on time.
Meet us
here:
At the end of the day:
All students should meet here at 2.20 PM

Meet us
here:
During the day
• Whole grade meets in a central
location. Students do tasks in smaller
groups (+ return to location). Whole
grade moves to the next location(x3).
• Lunch: 12.-12.45 (Cathedral area).
• Stay in groups (old & new student mix)
• No smoking, drinking and illegal stuff.
• Have fun, but be on task
Emergencies

• First aid kit carried by staff

• Contact numbers AIS:
Ms Gulinck: 046915750, AIS reception: 03 543 93 00

• Ambulance/police/fire brigade:
112
@ 11.30:
NEW STUDENTS CAN GO FOR LUNCH
Other students: Mini-exhibition task
 “Old” AIS students: exhibition intro task

❖ “Old” AIS students: you will create a mini exhibition, based

on what you can find around AIS and/or in the virtual world.
❖ Use the same list of prompts we will use for the field trip.

Aims:
Prepare for the Field trip
Link TOK to previous learning
Prepare for the actual exhibition.
Your task for today:
create a“Mini exhibition”
• Choose one prompt from the field trip prompt list.
• Find one object that relates to the prompt.
• Create a Google slide presentation with a photo of your object
AND a short write-up explaining how your object links to the
prompt and why it enriches the exhibition.
• Walk around AIS and try to link TOK to previous learning
• You have 30 minutes to complete this task.
• Be prepared to share your findings with others when you return
to the classroom.

Today, you can work in pairs. BUT remember that the real exhibition is done individually
(and with 3 objects).