TOK PRESENTATION SIMPLIFIED

In planning your TOK presentation you can take your structure and language directly from the mark scheme that will be used by your teacher to assess the presentation. Below you will see a simplified table of the mark scheme. It is always a good idea to use the actual words from the assessment table to SIGNPOST exactly where you are in the presentation. Put simply, you should use the sections of the table to declare what you are doing in the presentation. For example, a few sentence starters:

The Knowledge question under enquiry today is … This KQ is directly connected to the Real Life Situation of … the KQ

arises directly from the clash between countering claims of … The key perspectives involved in the RLS are ... and are connected to the

KQ by … We can explore how the KQ is connected to perspective one by … The arguments presented by this perspective are … The knowledge claims for this perspective are justified by … We can explore how the KQ is connected to perspective two by … The arguments presented by this perspective are … The knowledge claims for this perspective are justified by … ETC Let’s now examine the outcomes of the KQ analysis …

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THE PRESENTATION ASSESSMENT TABLE SIMPLIFIED TO HELP YOU STRUCTURE YOUR WORKLEVEL 5 4 3 2 1

DESCRIPTOR Excellent Very Good Satisfactory Basic ElementaryMARK 9-10 7-8 5-6 3-4 1-2

FOCUS KQ On a well-formulated KQ

On a KQ Identifies a KQ

Identifies a KQ No KQ identified or abstract KQ stated

CONNECTION TO RLS

KQ clearly linked to a specified RLS

KQ connected to specified RLS

KQ some connections to RLS

KQ connection not convincing

KQ does not exist or too abstract so no connection

KQ EXPLORATION

Effectively explored in context of RLS

Explored Explored Some attempt to explore

ARGUMENTS Convincing Clear Some used

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

Investigated Acknowledged

OUTCOMES OF ANALYSIS TO

RLS

Significant and to other RLS’s

Significant Some awareness of significance

Limited awareness of significance

IMPRESSION(the marker will consider these words after you finish)

SophisticatedDiscerningInsightfulCompellingLucid

CredibleAnalyticalOrganisedPertinentCoherent

RelevantAdequateAcceptablePredictableOrdinary

UnderdevelopedBasicUnbalancedSuperficialDerivativeRudimentary

IneffectiveUnconnectedIncoherentFormlessElementary

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TOK Presentation Plan

How to hit every criterion, structure your work and use the right TOK language to ace your presentation.

Structure your presentation in the following order and signpost every stage of the speech:

A. Overarching Knowledge Question – Declare it immediately

Announce the major KQ for the presentation. Such as: This presentation will focus on the major KQ: (for example) “To what extent does language play a role in determining truth in history”. Remember to include the KQ in each successive slide to remind both you and your audience what the focus is.

Make a statement of why this KQ is relevant to the RLS.

“This KQ is highly relevant to the RLS because … it opens the analysis of how we, as knowers, can come to some judgment as to the validity of competing knowledge perspectives.”

This overarching KQ must be considered with examples and arguments as the most significant of the KQs in the RLS.

However, other KQs can be treated so that we have good understanding of their significance in this case. …

Knowledge Questions that are most likely to support high levels of achievement are:• Open-ended questions that admit more than one possible answer

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• Explicitly about knowledge in itself and not subject-specific claims• Couched in terms of TOK vocabulary and concepts: the areas of knowledge, the ways of knowing and the concepts in the linking questions—belief, certainty, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, justification, truth, values• Precise in terms of the relationships between these concepts

B. Real-life situation case study - give detailed outline of the case under scrutiny and show clearly how you drew the KQ from the clash of perspectives in the RLS

“This presentation examines the KQ’s and the many Knowledge perspectives arising from the recent RLS involving …. EXPLAIN THE CASE -THE BACKGROUND OF THE CASE – who, when, where, why, how etc

Look at possible historical background to such cases and related situations

First of all let me explain exactly what is involved in this RLS …

Give a statement of why the Case is significant in the world today … why it contains such an important KQ

“We will now demonstrate the full significance of this RLS – the topic – to the KQ …“The RLS we have chosen for this presentation is highly significant in today’s world and is worthy of consideration because of its relationship to the KQ…”“It has caused great interest/controversy and raised the KQ …”“It has had significant impact on society because of the class between the Areas of Knowledge A and B raising the KQ of …”In these cases and similar ones we are, as global citizens, in need of a framework for deciding the validity of any claims made within the major KQ raised by the many perspectives on the RLS … So, it is clear that the KQ in this RLS is significant because ..

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C. Perspectives - Stakeholders in the RLS

This is the heart of the presentation and must be worked through in a methodical, structured manner.

Here you are going to declare the perspectives, explore them thoroughly, and show the range of arguments for each perspective.

Aim to frame these through a dominant AoK for each perspective or stakeholder.

The process is based around each perspective or stakeholder and goes thus:

Declare the perspectiveIdentify the key AoK involvedExplore the AoKs and WoKs that drive the perspectiveShow the arguments each mounts by analyzing the justification and problems for each knowledge claimProvide your own arguments that show validity of claims and clash of claims so you are able to deal with the claims/counterclaims concept.Explore any problems of knowledge claims

Use the following table to plan your work for this vital section of the presentation.

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Stakeholder/perspective (try to see this as coming from a dominant Area of Knowledge)At least two will be your aim here.

Statement of Knowledge Claims – distill the major claims made by the perspective of the stakeholder – try to define them

Justification for claims – these should be couched in terms of the dominant and subsidiary AoKs in the first instance

AOKs involved WoKs involved

A 1.2.3.

1.2.3.

Choose and analyse the Major AoK for this stakeholder, then go onto look at the minor AoKs involved

Always examine the role played by language by analyzing quotes from stakeholders. Then go onto look at the way other WoKs are used in the justification /validation process for a claim within the AoK – emotion,. Reason, sense perception, memory, intuition, faith etc

BCDE

Make sure you identify clear clashes in Knowledge claims – these can then be depicted as claims and counter claims.

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“ Whilst stakeholder A has the knowledge claim X using evidence Q from the reference to Aok … WoK, a counter claim by stakeholder B is Y using evidence Z from the reference to Aok, WoK…”

Give a strong sense of how the knowledge claims and perspectives are in conflict, are competing to be taken as “truth”, to be “valid”.

As you do this, keep showing how these competing claims raise Knowledge Questions.

“this conflict between competing perspectives raises the further knowledge question of ..”

The key to exploring and developing the arguments for each perspective can be expressed as a series of steps:

1. Identify the perspective – state it clearly2. Give a clear indication of the perspective’s view on the issue. 3. State the KNOWLEDGE CLAIM or CLAIMS made in this perspective 4. Tell us what AoK and Wok are used by this perspective to POSITION THE AUDIENCE to accepting the

KNOWLEDGE CLAIM5. Produce actual evidence – quotes, docos, pictures, images, clips etc that are from the perspective under

analysis. 6. Show evidence of the docos in full – quotes, blogs, letters, articles, clips, photos, cartoons etc make sure you

SELECT KEY SECTIONS OR QUOTES for analysis – this is your vital “EVIDENCE”7. Analyse the use of AoK and WoK in the “evidence” showing how the “producer” of the “text” relies on these to

JUSTIFY THE CLAIMS and position the “audience” to accepting their perspective.8. Point out at any part of the speech how/why this is a COUNTER CLAIM to other CLAIMS and perspectives 9. Relate the analysis back to the key KNOWLEDGE QUESTION of the presentation or a variation on the key

knowledge question. “this raises the KQ of …” This can be done at any point in the analysis of the perspective.If you can see flaws in the knowledge claims through false logic, manipulation of data or images, role of bias, false models etc you should point these out as PROBLEMS OF KNOWLEDGE

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D. OUTCOMES OF ANALYSIS TO RLS - Application of how the positions taken on the knowledge question are significant in related areas – this is effectively your summary of the presentation. Here you show that you can transfer your understanding and analysis of the KQ to other cases.

Restate KQ Related areas (other Real Life Situations)

Significance

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This is the most difficult area of the presentation to score full marks.

It is best to think of how each stakeholder or perspective can be considered if you look at another RLS. Examine how some perspectives have importance for another RLS. Ask the question “what significance does such a Knowledge Question and set of knowledge claims have on another RLS?”

Possible starters are:

“If we apply the same KQ to another incident X …we can see very significant aspects such as …”“A similar pattern of analysis using the same KQ can be applied to episode Y …showing …this is significant because …“The challenging KQ raised by the RLS we having studied can be looked at with reference to W … points of significance are …”

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SPEECHES: BASIC SPEECH TECHNIQUES – YOU CAN USE THESE TECHNIQUES TO MAKE YOUR PRESENTATION

MORE EFFECTIVE AND PERSUASIVE

HOW TO PREPARE AND GIVE A SPEECH

1. All speeches must be given from cue cards – print your speech off and glue to cards – bring the margins in first so that the speech can be cut to cue card size. NO big sheets of paper, no computers, no ragged scraps of paper. You will be standing and speaking – keep your notes as small as possible.

2. NEVER read word for word from your cards.3. Structure – Introduction, Development and Conclusion – make sure you have a clear concept of each phase and

SIGNPOST them. Signpost all areas of the development.4. Introduction – before you start the speech smile and greet the audience …THEN …State your main idea (BIG

IDEA) and how you will develop your idea – SIGNPOST clearly how it will develop. For example: “I will show you how …” “I am going to develop this idea in these ways- Firstly …, secondly …Thirdly …”

5. Development – In clear sections develop your case. State the way each section contributes to the BIG IDEA. Give examples and quotes to support your points. Go into detail. SIGNPOST

6. Conclusion – indicate clearly that you have arrived at this section. Try to go back over the major points then evaluate the importance of the BIG IDEA – give a sense of the significance of the speech.

7. Speak with passion – conviction – belief - enjoyment8. Speak slowly so every word is understood9. Signpost everything so the audience knows where you are at, always – it does not matter if you use this too

much – it is better than too little.10. Use rhetorical devices – address the audience with personal pronouns – “we”, “us”, “our”, “your” etc This

makes them feel as though they agree with you.11. Break up your speech with question/answer techniques using what? When? Where? Why? How? Eg “So,

why is this so significant?” “What, then, is the importance of this line?”12. Use repetition for effect. “What does this all mean?” “It means …. It means … It means …” Use it several

times in different ways. Use anaphora – repeated phrase to start successive sections.

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13. State 3 questions at the start of your speech that you then answer at the end or throughout the speech. “There are three fundamental questions in this case – Firstly .. Secondly …Thirdly ..” … “and I will answer them throughout my speech”

14. Use triplets – in ascending order if possible – “confident, strong, powerful” even try to use alliteration as well if you can: “cool, calm, collected…”

15. If comparing points, ideas or characters - draw clear comparisons between the things being compared. “A is like this … BUT B is …” …”There is a major difference between A and B …let me explain”

16. Use a more colloquial tone. “let me explain …” ..”I will tell you...” … “I’d like to show you…” especially in between bigger chunks of analysis. This helps put the audience at ease and gives a far more relaxed chatty tone to balance out the heavy analysis.

17. Eye contact – make sure you use eye contact – do NOT just read it off the cards, word for word. Look up – project voice to the back of the room.

18. Keep cards lower down – not up in front of your face – glance at them then speak.19. Do NOT speak fast – slow and deliberate is better20. Underline key words in your speech BEFORE you speak – words that have more power that should be

given more volume and passion. This will help overcome the tendency to speak in a monotone voice. 21. Stand STILL – face square on to the audience – deliver your speech to the group, not the teacher.22. Make your finish strong and clear – smile and thank the audience at the end.

Finally, remember this is a speech NOT a spoken essay. All the points above are designed to make your words come off the page as spoken words. If it comes across as a read essay no matter how good the content – it will be boring.

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