I have read the articles published in the special edition, and wanted to correct some information.

There is an hour requirement for TOK. The course must be taught during both junior and senior year, as TOK (along with CAS and the EE) are the “core” of the IB program. There are 100 hours worth of content that should be covered for TOK, resulting in two assessments: the TOK Exhibition and the TOK Essay (please see page 10 of the TOK Guide for the Course Outline).

On block scheduling, we had more than enough time to get through the 100 hours worth of TOK content (which is why you were able to get time in class to work on CAS, the Extended Essay, and other IB homework).

I teach the juniors, so I need a minimum of 32 hours to teach them content to prepare them for the TOK Exhibition, and I also need to give them 8 hours of class time to work on the TOK Exhibition.  40 hours x 60 = 2400 minutes and 2400 minutes / 46 = 52 to 53 class periods to complete this. Unfortunately, I may only be able to meet with the students every other day, so we will be well into second semester before I can complete the TOK Exhibition (this year we were able to get it done between Fall Break and Winter Break). We usually have several classes that I lose due to non-TOK related event such as visits from Mrs. Galbreath or the IB coordinator, pep rallies, or testing dates (like the PSAT).

As you know, we do the Extended Essay during TOK class in Quarters 3 and 4. Now students will have less time for instruction on how to complete the paper and less guidance when conducting research and writing the paper.

All of the above information is missing out of the conversation about TOK and the other core components of the IB program.

I’m just really saddened and disappointed that no one has reached out to me and asked for this information or the asked other TOK instructors for their opinions on what should be done to help the IB program remain successful in Lee County.

Sincerely,

Ms. Isaac

Gallery • 2 Photos