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TOK Learning activities

These activities cover a range of TOK ideas relevant to Biology. The list is not comprehensive but each of the learning activities provide resources for teacher who has to teach some TOK about the area of knowledge, "Natural Sciences" and Biology.

TOK lessons about Biology versus Biology lessons including TOK

Some schools have an expert TOK teacher who delivers all of the TOK lessons. The Biology teacher is only expected to point out interesting TOK points during Biology lessons. Other schools expect a Science teacher to deliver TOK sessions, or address key TOK issues within special Biology lessons.

The activities below could be used to support both TOK teachers teaching a lesson about Biology or vice versa

The nature of Science - scientific method

Time: 1hr In this lesson students are exposed to the experimental nature of the sciences and reminded of the way that hypotheses are tested by making predictions and collecting data.

Induction and deduction in Science

Time: 1h A fun practical science lesson using a few simple chemical magic tricks to illustrate inductive reasoning followed by a review of the scientific method and some deductive reasoning to reach conclusion as to what really happened during the chemical magic.

Certainty, Science and Paradigm shifts

Time: 1h What is certainty? What is truth? To what extent is Science true, or certain. What happens when new evidence causes a paradigm shift? What can we learn from this?

When is Science no use ?

Time: 1h Can Science help you to know if you are in love? How do doctors decide when a patient is dead? Should scientists alone decide? This activity looks at the limits of the scientific method in different types of knowledge.

Comparisons between Science and other areas of knowledge

Time: 1h An exploration of links between Science, other areas of knowledge and the ways of knowing using linking questions like those in the IB TOK guide.

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