Written by 
As the snow settles after the first semester, I thought it about time to attempt an articulation of my action plan for this year. After the rigorously rewarding face to face session at York, I felt much more clear headed about where I was going with cohort 21. Built upon a wall of post-it notes, my action plan is:
To build a space that reflects the interdisciplinary cohesion of the Theory of Knowledge course for all Diploma Programme teachers at Branksome Hall.
Writing this now I am struck by the possibly over-ambitious nature of this task. Before journeying through the design thinking process I thought that this goal was superficial and unfocused. Now that I am aware of all the stake holders and have empathized with their positions, I am slightly overwhelmed by the scope of this endeavor.
To provide context and hopefully foster space for collaboration among other CH21-ers I will provide a bit of background for this action plan:
I am the coordinator for the Theory of Knowledge (TOK), which is a grade 11 and 12 International Baccalaureate Course. It is a required course for all students and basically offers students an introduction to epistemological thinking. Content aside, the teaching team is made up of nine highly qualified teachers and administrators from seven different subject areas. My goal is to create a unified space in which these teachers feel empowered as instructors and collaborators in the development of the TOK course. Once this space is in operation the end goal of TOK is to recognize its place in all of the grade 11 & 12 subjects. This means that all grade 11 & 12 teachers (who may or may not be familiar with the course content/structure) are the final stakeholders. The hope is that we can radiate the interdisciplinary expertise within the TOK team out through the rest of the Diploma Programme faculty.
As the storms of second semester begin to rise up, I will begin implementing my action plan based on the measurable objectives I attempted to articulate in the last face to face session. I am looking forward to digging into Google Communities further and sharing with the vision with the team. Below are a few photos of the work done at York.
Wishing all happy holidays! Looking forward to Jan 17th at MARS.
Thanks for posting your thoughts on your action plan, @jsmall! We don’t have the IB program at CDS and I know nothing about it, but the Theory of Knowledge course sounds so fascinating.
Your action plan certainly sounds ambitious. I’m looking foward to hearing more about and working with you on your ideas for implementation at the upcoming F2F!
Happy holidays!
Jen
I think it’s so important to remember that with big, meaty goals you can use C21 as your launching off point and continue the action planning well after this year is over. This is only the beginning!
Hi Jordan,
I don’t know if you remember but we spoke about our projects at the last F2F at York. I’ve been very interested in the TOK course since the year I worked at TFS, but have had no real experience with it, or with the IB program. Having said that, I’ve done some research on my own on the program and I have some thoughts I’d like to share.
The TOK course by its definition explores the interpretive nature of knowledge in 8 different areas of knowledge. I’ve always wondered how one teacher, who is presumably an expert in one area, can guide and evaluate a class full of students as they prepare a major presentation and essay on topics for which that teacher would be less knowledgeable. It seems to me, then, that your efforts to find a way to allow your 9 teachers to easily and efficiently collaborate with each other is an essential next step for your program. As you work to bring your teachers on-board, creating a platform that is user-friendly and provides clear tools for them to use (links to websites and videos; important documents; and a place to talk and collaborate) will, I’m sure, encourage more cohesion in the team.
My second thought is that, no matter who is teaching the course and what expertise they bring, there are common skills to be taught that you could clearly define and provide tools for on your site.
• Ability to analyze, synthesize and evaluate knowledge
• Reflection on the interpretive nature of knowledge (How do we know what we know?)
• Exploration of different perspectives and awareness of our own assumptions and biases
• Student’s reflection on their individual knowledge and understanding and how it might change/progress throughout the year (metacognition, Assessment as Learning)
• How to write the essay and prepare the presentation
Finally, I see the TOK content and skills as a possible layer in the planning of a course: Ontario Curriculum + Diploma Program + TOK, which is a perfect tool to help teachers imbed Critical Thinking skills and Inquiry Based Learning. The TOK newsletter would be very useful in this planning.
I hope this made sense. I’m really looking forward to seeing how things progress and wish you luck on this project!
Kelly
@jsmall What do you mean by space? Is this a virtual space meant to house resources and facilitate conversation or is it a physical space that you want to carve out in your school?
Can you reframe this action plan statement in the form of a How Might We statement? (Heads up: we will be asking for one in an up coming survey 🙂 )
While you see a need for this space, do others?
There are lots of ways to tackle this challenge. Jan 20th will be really helpful in that process.
Hi @jsmall, I’d have to echo @jmedved queries above. But I’ll build on a notion that you’ve mentioned above: that language defines space. If it is not a physical space, it could be a curated digital space that defines, clearly, the language of key terms, disciplines of thought, and examples of assignments of differing levels of achievement, and the like.
I’m looking forward to hearing your response,
garth.
Jordan, I find this action plan to be really interesting. I”m also wondering what you mean by ‘space’, but obviously it could be both virtual and physical. Is the space meant to promote collaboration, share knowledge, or is it for students to share ideas? Have you had a chance to talk to other TOK instructors at different schools? Great start! Looking forward to hearing more about it.