Hey ToKers,
First of all, you are awesome, as always. Please review your last comment about “acquiring knowledge.” Then, reply with a thought-provoking comment.
Second, please respond to this question in a 50 -100 word response:
A) In your book, how do ‘language’ and ‘key concepts’ construct or shape knowledge?
B) Which metaphors are use to convey knowledge? How effect is this in shaping what we know, believe, or claim to know?
Thanks so much!
Regards,
Coey
Were you aware of how often we paint mental pictures with our figures of speech? It happens just as regularly as the moon chases the sun. You just can’t seem to escape from them.
1. Read and consider these two articles Metaphors We Live By and In Defense of Metaphors in Science. If you are having trouble viewing the second document, click on this link to a word document, In Defense of Metaphors in Science. Then develop a comment and post on this web site.
2. Argue both for and against using metaphors in our language. What are the strengths and the weaknesses of such expressions? What knowledge questions emerge from this discussion?
Bonus: Give an example of a metaphor in science. Then think of a new metaphor for the concept. How does changing the metaphor change how with think? Example: “The Big Bang” could instead be “The Big Squeeze”
As we look back and think about the ideas we have encountered, how are you thinking about your thinking now? Which questions about the ways of knowing are most interesting? And what are the implications for how this thinking and awareness may influence the way you learn throughout your school day?
Create a graphic presentation of your ToK experience, including images or references to ‘real-life’ experiences viewed through the lens of ToK thinking and questioning. Include, when reasonable, linking questions from your chapter reading selections.
The goal of this presentation is to record your thinking about your thinking (meta-cognitive) up to this point in the course and to perhaps even speculate as to how this awareness about knowledge may shape your future.
Visit prezi.com and create a free prezi account.
Then, select one of these prompts to guide your reflection:
An “A” presentation will explore questions about knowledge, links between ways of knowing, and references to personal experiences, observations, and real-life case studies. Be creative and explore your thinking.
Dear ToK students,
Many experts now feel that emotional intelligence is a better predictor of success than traditional IQ tests. See how you stack up with this test.
This takes about 45 minutes, so set aside enough time.
http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=3037
Greetings children,
I hope you are up for thinking about the power of metaphorical language, which we know is ubiquitous. For Lakoff and Johnson’s original article, “Language, Thought, and Culture,” you can find the link on this web page under the “Language Links” to the right.
Where else do we see examples of metaphorical language in our studies of science, math, history, art, social sciences, and literature? How do we create our reality with these expressions?
Kind Regards,
Papa Coey
We can use mathematics successfully to model real-world processes. Is this because we create mathematics to mirror the world or because the world is intrinsically mathematical?
Using the links on the Mathematics sidebar, research Phi, the Fibonacci Series, and the Mandelbrot Set, and consider examples to include in your response. As is the case in most ToK prompts, the issue is not simple, so consider a variety of perspectives in your response.
In light of the questions above, is mathematics invented or discovered?
Perhaps you know about the term “greenwashing” but it is new for me. In honor of our recent Earth Day, I want to share this environmental slanted corporate marketing concept. It’s a great language issue similar to our study of euphemisms. So, what is greenwashing? What kind of critical thinking do we need to defend ourselves against greenwashing?
Check out this three minute video from “The Media Show” (you need sound and the first 30 seconds has only audio)
Also check out this “Greenwash of the Week.” It doesn’t strike me as great journalism, but what do you expect from a two-minute YouTube video? Anyways, it does make the concept of “greenwashing” much clearer “-)
Visit this BBC site and discover the human mind by indulging in these creative interactive teaching tools.
What sex is your brain? Total recoil? What kind of thinker are you? What is OCD?
Are these surveys scientific? Is there a way to verify the validity of the conclusions? Does it matter? How much about the our minds can we know through the process of self-examination?
Take this learning style quiz at Edutopia and answer these questions.
1. What is your learning style according to the quiz results?
2. Do you agree with the results? Why or why not?
3. What are the limitations of Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences?
4. What are the assumptions of this theory?
5. Comment on at least three of your classmates posts and be sure to include questions.
Intelligent Design and Creationism seem to be in the news every few months. This is one debate worth considering given the struggle to know how humans came to be. Are we here because of a higher power or did we evolve over millions of years?
1. Read this 2005 article about the claims and rebuttals to intelligent design. What is intelligent design? What knowledge claims are made? What rebuttal, or counter-claims are given?
2. Learn more about these two very different perspectives. Visit this intelligent design web site http://www.intelligentdesign.org/ and explain the strengths and weaknesses of their claim.
3. Visit the National Center for Science Education web site http://ncse.com/creationism and explain the strengths and weaknesses of their claim.
4. In your knowledge issue question be sure to include reference to two ways of knowing.
5. Comment on one of your classmate’s responses