Diploma Programme course outline—TOK
School name
Westlake High School
Time distribution
Starting date of TOK course in year 1
of the Diploma Programme
Name of the teacher who
completed this outline
Heckstall, Shaun
Date when outline was
completed
January 2015
1.
School code
January 2017
Ending date of TOK course in year 2
of the Diploma Programme
Date of IB training
Name of workshop
(indicate name of subject and workshop
category)
050328
December 2018
Summer 2015
Theory of Knowledge
(Category 1)
Course outline
–
Use the following table to organize the topics to be taught in the course. Add as many rows as you need.
–
This document should not be a day-by-day accounting of each unit. It is an outline showing how you will distribute the topics and the time to ensure
that students are prepared to comply with the requirements of the course.
–
This outline should show how you will develop the teaching of the course. It should reflect the individual nature of the course in your classroom and
should not just be a “copy and paste” from the TOK guide.
General TOK resources (relevant to all units):
Print: 101 Philosophy Problems by Martin Cohen; Theory of Knowledge for the IB Diploma by Richard van de Lagemaat; Theory of Knowledge Course
Companion by Dombrowski, Rotenberg, and Bick; The Story of Philosophy by Bryan Magee; Man Is the Measure by Reuben Abel; The Need to Question by
Malcolm Clark; About Philosophy by Robert Paul Wolff; Introductory Readings in Philosophy by Marcus G. Singer and Robert A. Ammerman; Psychology
Today
On-line: The Skeptic's Dictionary – website; www.inthinking.co.uk - resource for IB teachers (all subject areas); NPR archives; www.ted.com (talks on various
topics of global interest by noted speakers)
Topic/unit
(as identified in the IB
guide)
Allocated time
Contents
State the topics/units in the
order you are planning to
teach them.
Introduction – The Ways of Definitions of knowledge (Plato, Descartes,
Knowing
William James)
Ten potential ways of knowing (sense
perception, language, reason, emotion,
intuition, memory, authority, group consensus,
empirical evidence, divine revelation)
Classical and contemporary views of
epistemology; “alternative” epistemologies
(e.s.p., artificial intelligence, etc.)
3 types of certainty (emotional, judicial,
philosophical)
Analytic-synthetic distinction
One class is
90
In one week
there are
2-3
2 weeks
minutes.
Assessment
instruments to be
used
Students generate personal profile (analyze
background and bias)
After viewing excerpts from the film Knowing,
students are given selected items of imaginary
“knowledge” and challenged to explore how
they might make use of that information (for
example, knowing a tsunami will strike
California in two days, knowing the cure for
leukemia, knowing “the one true religion,” etc.)
List the main resources to be used,
including information technology if
applicable.
classes.
Knowledge Log/Field
Specific Resources for Ways of
Journal (weekly entries
Knowingwill reflect topics in each
unit as well as individual Print: Enduring Issues in
application and extension of Philosophy "Chapter 1: What Can
students’ understanding of We Know"?; About Philosophy by
Robert Paul Wolff; Inerrancy by
knowledge issues)
Norman Geisler (Chapter: "The
Problem of Certainty"); One Two
Three…Infinity: Facts and
In-class, TOK-style essay Speculations of Science by George
précis/outline based on
Gamow
previously released TOK
essay topic focused on ways Video: excerpts from Knowing
of knowing
(2009)
Distinctions in the value of knowledge
Potential fieldtrip to Atlanta’s Dialog in the
Dark
Resources
Students prepare a
description of a category
of “real” knowledge (For
example, What is a tour of
“the real Atlanta”? What is
a “real Christian”? What is
the “real hip-hop”?)
Concept web for imaginary
“knowledge” detailing
“knowing” issues and
consequences
On-line: illusion.kitt.net (sensory
illusions); TED Talk: "Julian
Treasure: 5 Ways to Listen Better"
African American
Philosophy and scholastic
roots
Identify, analyse western philosophical and
scholastic ethos as express through late 19th
century and early 20th century thought, and
pedagogical leaders
Comparative ethical systems (secular and
religious)
Basic logic (inductive and deductive)
Ethics and the Ways of
Knowing
Absolute vs. relative ethical systems
3 week
4 weeks
Du Bois, W. E. B. The Souls of
Knowledge Log/Field
Journal (weekly entries
Black Folk. 1994 pgs. 2-35
will reflect topics in each
unit as well as individual
application and extension of They Came Before Columbus: The
students’ understanding of African Presence in Ancient
America (Journal of African
knowledge issues)
Civilizations)
by Ivan Van Sertima Chapter 1, 3
and 5
In-class, TOK-style essay
précis/outline based on
The Wretched of the Earth
previously released TOK by Frantz Fanon
essay topic focused on ways
of knowing
Dr. Asa Hilliard - Free Your Mind
Means vs. ends
Mutually exclusive claims vs. convergent
claims
Five reasons for pursuing moral knowledge
Complete moral inventory
Is it possible to know right from wrong beyond
one’s own cultural context? Class generates
universal definition of good and evil as they
would define them
“Knowing” issue specifically related to ethics
(for example, the function of deception in
information exchange)
Literature as a source of ethical knowledge:
students analyze myths/fables from various
cultures and rewrite them to reflect the values
of another culture
Are morals constant, and does it matter?
Students trace the moral evolution of a well
known comic character from origin to
contemporary times (Wonder Woman,
Superman, Captain America, Wolverine, etc.)
or they may choose to trace the moral evolution
of a major character from a long-running TV
series or group of spin-off’s (General Hospital,
Star Trek, The Simpsons, Dr. Who, Law and
Order, etc.)
Students prepare a
description of a category
of “real” knowledge (For
example, What is a tour of
“the real Atlanta”? What is
a “real Christian”? What is
the “real hip-hop”?)
(Return To The Source - African
Origins) Pt.1
Specific Resources for EthicsPrint: Applied Ethics: A
Multicultural Approach by May
and Sharratt; 101 Ethical
Dilemmas by Martin Cohen;
Situation Ethics by Joseph
Fletcher; Morality and the Law by
Richard A. Wasserstrom; Opposing
Concept web for
Viewpoints: Constructing a Life
imaginary “knowledge” Philosophy ed. By Daivd L.
detailing “knowing” issues Bender; Eichmann in Jerusalem: A
and consequences
Report on the Banality of Evil by
Hannah Arendt; Enduring Issues in
Philosophy by Gerald W.
Eichhoefer ("Chapter 1: What Can
We Know?" and "Chapter 2: What
Is Ultimately Real?"); Enduring
Issues in Religion by John Lyden;
The Bible - New International
Version; The Koran – English
Translation; Tao Te Ching by
Stephen Mitchell; The Way of Zen
by Alan W. Watts; The Atheist
Debater's Handbook by B. C.
Johnson.
Video: Excerpts from Watchman
(2009)
On-line:TED Talk videos (ex:
“Marco Tempest: The Magic of
Truth and Lies”)
Human Sciences and the
Ways of Knowing
Overview of some major human sciences
(psychology, sociology, economics, education)
Conceptions of the mind and consciousness
(including exploration of the impact of nonstandard mental states on knowing issues)
Common measures of intelligence and
personality ( accuracy and validity); students
take sample intelligence /personality
inventories and reflect on their validity and
reliability
Nature vs. nurture – the source and reality of
social roles (for example, perceived and real
gender differences)
Surveys/ questionnaires/ opinion polling as
measures of public position
The dialectical path for the growth of
knowledge
Prominent pedagogical theories
Comparison of human and natural sciences
(similarities and differences)
Examination of difficulties magnified when
pursuing the human sciences across geographic/
linguistic/ cultural lines
Examination of competing claims concerning
responses to selected global concerns (for ex.,
Secretary General’s proposals on sustainable
development, green energy, global warming,
etc.)
Students examine opposing theories in one or
more areas of the human sciences and speculate
on the possibility and value of a synthesis of the
two (for example, Keynesian and classical
economics)
5 weeks
Specific Resources for the
Human SciencesPrint: How to Lie with Statistics
by Darrell Huff; Bias: A CBS
Insider Exposes How the Media
Distort the News by Bernard
Goldberg; An Anthropologist on
Mars and Other Paradoxical Tales
by Oliver Sacks; How We Know
What Isn't So: The Fallibility of
Reason in Everyday Life by
Thomas Gilovich; I Am America
and So Can You by Stephen
Colbert; Boys and Girls ARE
Different: Men, Women, and the
Sex Difference - ABC News and
John Stossel; Enduring Issues in
Psychology by Toni Blake Chapters 2, 3, and 4: "What Is
Personality and How Is It
Measured?"; "How Does
Psychological Development
Occur?"; "Does Nurture or Nature
Drive Psychological Disorders?";
Philosophy, Science, and Political
Inquiry by John G. Gunnell
Video: Excerpts from A Beautiful
Mind (2001); Excerpts from
Memento
On-line: “Counterpoint: Boys and
Girls AREN’T Different” from
www.FAIR.org; www.un.org
(official site)
The Arts and the Ways of
Knowing
What is the artist saying? Issues of
4 weeks
interpretation (Formalism, Psychological
perspectives, Sociological perspectives,
Deconstruction, etc.);reflection on who/what is
“in the center” – is meaning inherent in the art,
the knower, the culture, the critic?); exploration
of the possibility of “knowing” anything
through art
Robert Glaser and George Miller – memory and
schema: exploration of how the mind constructs
meaning
Fiction vs. non-fiction as vehicles for
knowledge
Issues in translation/information loss
Meta-media: art about art
Divergent media “languages”: print, image,
sound, and symbol (students examine truths
captured by various media, comparing and
contrasting the degree to which the medium
affects the artistic “knowledge” conveyed)
Artist and director – what is the relationship
between guiding/teaching art and creating or
performing the art itself
Forced association exercises (blue grass = hip
hop, etc.)
Study and evaluation of film in two cultures
(students’ choice) including research into the
critical reception of said films in their source
cultures with emphasis on how the films
illustrate differing cultural norms and values
Beyond narcissism and solipsism: toward a
shared aesthetic (exploration of the relationship
between form and function in art, bad, good,
and great)
Specific Resources for the ArtsPrint: Deconstruction and
Criticism by Derrida, Hartmen,
Miller, and Bloom; Literature:
Reading Fiction, Poetry, and
Drama by Robert DiYanni
(“Chapter 36: Critical Theory”);
Perrine’s Literature: Structure,
Sound, and Sense (Chapters 15 and
16 – evaluating poetry); A Map of
Misreading by Harold Bloom;
Amusing Ourselves to Death:
Public Discourse in the Age of
Show Business by Neil Postman;
Cultural Literacy by E.D. Hirsch; I
Am America and So Can You by
Stephen Colbert; Rereading
America: Cultural Contexts for
Critical Thinking and Writing by
Gary Colombo; “Translator’s
Note” by John Ciardi in The
Divine Comedy
Video: American Masters: Normal
Rockwell – Painting America
(PBS); Joseph Campbell and the
Power of Myth (DVD set); The
Colbert Report (Comedy Central);
The Daily Show (Comedy
Central); American Photography:
A Century of Images; The Human
Face - Video series - The Learning
Channel
On-line: www.metmuseum.org
(Metropolitan Museum of Art
collection databases);
www.louvre.fr (Louvre collection
databases)
Preparation and presentation (see assessments)
of TOK assessments
1 week (distribu-ted throughout year Knowledge Log/Field
Specific Resources for TOK
1)
Journal (weekly entries
Assessmentswill reflect topics in each
unit as well as individual Print: Approach Your Assessment
application and extension of the IB Way byTim Sprod and
students’ understanding of Antonia Melvin
knowledge issues)
On-line: IB on-line curriculum
center
In-class, TOK-style essay
précis/outline based on
previously released TOK
essay topic focused on ways
of knowing
Students prepare a
description of a category
of “real” knowledge (For
example, What is a tour of
“the real Atlanta”? What is
a “real Christian”? What is
the “real hip-hop”?)
Concept web for imaginary
“knowledge” detailing
“knowing” issues and
consequences
History and the Ways of
Knowing
What really happened? Students consider
reliability of eye-witness accounts
The effect of bias on perception, collection,
interpretation, and dissemination of information
Propaganda, elections, and justice systems:
distortions of knowledge within governmental
frameworks
Conspiracies and historical distortions – their
origin and claims
Considerations in historical investigation (the
effect of recency, proximity, primary and
secondary sources, etc. on clarity and validity
of historical claims)
Determining truth in an electronic age; visual
vs. print media as sources of truth
Validity of current historical narratives – myth
or fact?
Vetting factual claims in a digital age
Exploration of the validity of historical claims
as seen from multiple perspectives
Popularity and publicity: to what degree is
historical validity or value determined by the
breadth of a claim’s acceptance
Math and history: Are there clear patterns in
history? Does history really repeat itself? To
what degree could we predict the future?
Students evaluate the validity of past claims of
foreknowledge relevant to present events
6 weeks
(see above)
Specific Resources for HistoryPrint: The Lessons of History by
Will Durant; Imperialisms:
Historical and Literary
Investigations edited by Sauer and
Rajan; Handbook for Classroom
Instruction That Works by
Marzano, Norford, Paynter,
Pickering, and Gaddy (Module 18:
Historical Investigations);
Amusing Ourselves to Death:
Public Discourse in the Age of
Show Business by Neil Postman;
The Greatest Stories Never Told by
Rick Beyer; Opposing Vewpoints:
The Mass Media ed. By Neal
Bernards - "Chapter 1: Are the
Media Biased?"; The 10 Big Lies
About America: Combating
Destructive Distortions About
America by Michael Medved;
Futureshock by Alvin Toffler; The
Foundation Trilogy by Isaac
Asimov (future history)
Video: The DaVinci Code, JFK;
The God Who Wasn’t There dir.
Brian Flemming; Dude, Where's
My Country? By Michael Moore;
Doublespeak - PBS video William Lutz
On-line: Wikipedia;
www.factcheck.org;
news.columbia.org (“Memory
Works Differently in the Age of
Google”)
Natural Sciences and the
Ways of Knowing
Science and its connection to major world
views
The nature of the scientific method
Limits and strengths of empirical research
Indirect ways of knowing – the growing value
of simulation research
Ingenious ways of knowing – astounding
methodologies balanced against the validity of
resulting claims (for example, the search for
terrestrial planets beyond our solar system;
discovery of black holes)
The role of serendipity and intuition in science
(for example, Penzias and Wilson and the
discovery of the universal background
radiation)
The nature of scientific revolutions and their
impact on the validity of scientific “truth” at
any given moment
“Fringe” science (paranormal phenomena,
UFO’s, the Loch Ness Monster, the
Chupacabra, etc.)
The unknowables and scientific frontiers (for
example, dark matter and dark energy)
Do non-scientific epistemologies have anything
to say to the scientists?
Overview of challenges to scientific claims –
global warming, creation vs. Evolution, the
reliability of carbon dating, the age of the
universe, etc. (for example, analysis of Creation
Institute’s graph intended to prove that the
speed of light is variable)
How important is consensus to scientific
validity?
Scientific truth in a political age – funding and
its effect on perceived truth
Parallel universes, observer-generated realities,
quantum mechanics, and the conservation of
information
Impact of biotech and information sciences on
human knowing (cybernetics, virtual reality,
downloading consciousness – would you still
be you?)
6 weeks
Knowledge Log/Field
Specific Resources for the
Journal (weekly entries
Natural Scienceswill reflect topics in each
unit as well as individual Print: Tainted Truth by Cynthia
application and extension of Crossen; The Dancing Wu Li
students’ understanding of Masters: An Overview of the New
Physics by Gary Zukav; The
knowledge issues)
Politically Incorrect Guide to
In-class, TOK-style essay Science: Science Myths Busted by
précis/outline based on
Tom Bethell; Handbook for
previously released TOK Classroom Instruction That Works
essay topic focused on
by Marzano, Norford, Paynter,
history
Pickering, and Gaddy (Module 19:
Experimental Inquiry); Quantum
Panel discussions
Reality: Beyond the New Physics
exploring both sides of
by Nick Herbert “Melonta Tauta”
historical controversies
by Edgar Allan Poe; Parallel
(Kennedy’s assassination, Universes: The Search for Other
the validity of the moon
Worlds by Fred Alan Wolf;
landing, the government’s Theory and Reality: An
involvement in 911, etc.) Introduction to the Philosophy of
Full-length practice TOK- Science by Peter Godfrey Smith;
A Short History of Nearly
style essay completed
Everything by Bill Bryson;
outside class, based on
previously released TOK Discover Magazine; Nature
magazine; Scientific Knowledge by
essay topic related to
Janet Kourany; The One True
history
Platonic Heaven: A Scientific
Fiction of the Limits of Knowledge
Fictional double-diary – by John Casti; RC Series Bundle:
Conjectures and Refutations - The
students explore daily
Growth of Scientifc Knowledge by
perspectives from both
Karl Popper; Philosophy, Science,
sides of a significant
historical event (students’ and Political Inquiry by John G.
Gunnell
choice)
Video: Through the Wormhole:
Seasons 1 and 2 (Morgan Freeman
– Science Channel); An
Inconvenient Truth (2006); Fringe
seasons 1-3
“Time Cop” project in
which student groups are
presented an alternative
present day and must
Online: TED Talks: (for example,
generate a scenario to
"Lucianne Walkowicz - Finding
intervene in the past to
Planets Around Other Stars")
return the timeline to
“normal” on a global scale
Mathematics and the Ways
of Knowing
“Pure” vs. “applied” mathematics
Mathematical abstractions manifested in the
“real” world (fractals, the golden ratio)
Limitations of mathematical notions – (Zeno’s
Paradoxes, non-Euclidian geomtetries)
Predictive power– mathematic theories
validated later by empirical evidence (for
example, the theory of Relativity)
The creation and validation of mathematical
knowledge: mathematical methods
The expertise gap: eight ways numbers can be
used to lie to the mathematically disinclined
Mathematics as a “universal language;”
numbers and non-linguistic representation
What, if anything, is to be learned about
mathematics by studying non-mathematical
information (for example, history or
psychology of mathematicians)
How are mathematics taught? Current
mathematical pedagogies
Math and aesthetics: are numbers beautiful?
Digital vs. Analog representation –
mathematics and its impact on the artistic world
Mathematical representation - animation,
rendering, cgi
What haven’t we done? Mathematical frontiers
5 weeks
Knowledge Log/Field
Specific Resources for
Journal (weekly entries
Mathematicswill reflect topics in each
unit as well as individual Print: The Mathematical
application and extension of Experience by Phillip J. Davis;
students’ understanding of How to Lie with Statistics by
Darrell Huff; The Golden Ratio:
knowledge issues)
The Story of PHI, the World's Most
“Thought” experiment: Astonishing Number by Mario
Students are challenged to Livio; How We Know What Isn't
determine what is in a box So: The Fallibility of Reason in
with one side open. The
Everyday Life by Thomas
box faces the fall and may Gilovich; The Language of
not be rotated. Learners
Mathematics: Making the Invisible
will apply what we have
Visible by Keith Devlin; The Math
discussed about scientific Book: From Pythagoras to the 57th
methods to learn the
Dimension--250 Milestones in the
contents of the box.
History of Mathematics by Cliford
Students are then asked to A. Pickover; The Man of Numbers:
design an experiment to
Fibonacci's Arithmetic Revolution
determine the answer to a by Keith Devlin; Journey Through
scientific question raised in Genius: The Great Theorems of
their field journals.
Mathematics by William Dunham
In-class, TOK-style essay
précis/outline based on
previously released TOK
essay topic focused on the
natural sciences
Video: Excerpts from Good Will
Hunting (1997); Through the
Wormhole Seasons 1 and 2
(Morgan Freeman – Science
Channel)
Full-length practice TOK- On-line:
style essay completed
www.math.harvard.edu/~knill/mat
outside class, based on
hmovies/ (collection of clips from
previously released TOK movies involving mathematics in a
essay topic related to
variety of situations)
history
Panel discussions
exploring both sides of
contemporary scientific
controversy (students’
choice)
Students write an essay or
make a presentation
advocating global focus on
and financial support for the
pursuit of significant goal in
a scientific discipline of
their choice
Final TOK Essay due in
week 12 of year 2
Preparation and presentation
of TOK assessments
2 weeks (distribu-ted throughout year Final TOK Presentation
2)
due in week 14 of year 2
In-class, TOK-style essay
précis/outline based on
previously released TOK
essay topic focused on
mathematics
Full-length practice TOKstyle essay completed
outside class, based on
previously released TOK
essay topic related to
mathematics
Groups create a
presentation around what
they consider to be the
three most globally
significant mathematical
achievements/ concepts in
history; case judged by IB
math students
Link presentation 2 (see
year 1)
Groups select one of the
unsolved Millennium Prize
problems present a report
on the nature of the
problem and the potential
value of its solution
Specific Resources for TOK
AssessmentsPrint: Approach Your Assessment
the IB Way byTim Sprod and
Antonia Melvin
On-line: IB on-line curriculum
center
Coordination with other
subject areas IB components
(see above)
Coordination with other
subject areas IB components
2.
Links with Diploma Programme teachers
As the TOK guide indicates, it is an IB requirement that all Diploma Programme teachers are familiar with TOK as they have to make connections with
TOK questions in their own courses. They can also suggest some theoretical concerns that could be taken further in the TOK classroom. Within this
context, how do you plan to work with your colleagues to ensure that TOK becomes a real link among all of them?
I will conduct an in-service with all IB teachers to familiarize them with the TOK concept. Once all of the outlines are returned and refined, I will review them
myself and conduct interviews with subject-area teachers to determine key “knowing” issues in their fields of expertise. I can then refine my own course
outline. If approved by my IB coordinator, I would like to schedule regular meetings to maintain ongoing coordination between TOK and the subject areas. I
will expect my own students to reflect on and explore knowledge issues in their other subjects in the Knowledge Log/Field Journal which is an ongoing
requirement for my class. If possible, I would like to work with the subject-area teachers to include TOK issues occasionally on their classroom assessments. I
plan to release the prescribed titles to the subject area teachers and discuss ways in which their courses may help to build a relevant knowledge base for the
students.
3.
TOK assessment components
Briefly explain how and when you will work on them. Include the date when you will first introduce the assessment components to your students. Explain
the different stages, the timeline and how students will be prepared to undertake both.
Essay: Distribute past prescribed titles in week 4 of year 1; practice essay outlines and conduct formal discussions 1-2 times per unit; outside of class,
students complete and turn in outlines on 3 titles from one of the past lists for feedback only; one in-class TOK-style essay précis/outline based on previously
released TOK essay topic relevant to each unit; 1 full practice essay topic relevant to each unit; distribute lists of past prescribed titles to subject area teachers
– require explicit integration in at least one of their units; final essay due in week 12 of year 2
Presentation: Distribute guidelines in week 4 of year 1; require proposal for hypothetical presentation based on Knowledge Log/Field Journal (submit for
feedback only) in weeks 6 and 12 in year 1, “Synthesis” presentation in week 12 of year 1 will help to familiarize students with the requirements; proposal for
final TOK presentation due in week 17 of year 1; optional full TOK presentation for feedback only due in week 8 of year 2 for feedback only; final TOK
presentation due in week 14 of year 2 for submission to IB
4.
International mindedness
Every IB course should contribute to the development of international mindedness in students. As an example of how you would do this, choose one
topic from your outline that would allow your students to analyse it from different cultural perspectives. Briefly explain the reason for your choice and
what resources you will use to achieve this goal.
Topic
Contribution to the development of international mindedness (including resources you will use)
Ethics and the Ways of
Knowing
Discussing ethical systems based on major world religions will give students a chance to discuss multiple ethical
perspectives and make connections to social and historical factors that influence the development of various cultures’ values.
This topic will give students experience with the sacred texts from multiple cultures (Christian, Muslim, Taoist, etc.) as well as
secular texts that oppose those world views. Within that same unit, students explore how literature is both a repository and
source of moral knowledge. Examining myths and fables from more than one culture will allow them to see how a number of
archetypes can reveal commonalities between disparate cultures (Favorite Folktales from Around the World by Jane Yolen;
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell). The practice of having students rewrite one story from the point of view of another
culture will also give them an increased awareness of how differing perspectives may be reconciled.
5.
Development of the IB learner profile
Through the course it is also expected that students will develop the attributes of the IB learner profile. As an example of how you would do this, choose
one topic from your course outline and explain how the contents and related skills would pursue the development of any attribute(s) of the IB learner
profile that you will identify.
Topic
Contribution to the development of the attribute(s) of the IB learner profile
Human Sciences and the
Ways of Knowing
In our exploration of the nature vs. nurture controversy, we will examine a video report on the nature of perceived gender
differences. Prior to viewing the program, I will be asking students to make “observations” about gender roles in their Field
Journals. They will discuss these observations and generate a series of questions that they believe are raised by the
inevitably conflicting claims that will arise. This process of inquiry will establish a learning set with which to direct our study.
All of this will provide them with a basis for reflection after we complete our research. The report itself will make students
more knowledgeable about the topic so that they may formulate more authoritative opinions. In addition to analyzing the
biological and psychological claims presented in the report. I will be training students to develop critical viewing habits. We
will focus on sequencing, tone, body language, imagery, background sound, and omissions to more rigorously scrutinize the
content of the program. Since many Americans read less and receive more information through the visual media, such
thinking skills are crucial. After studying the visual report, we will explore counterpoints and criticisms of the report from
FAIR.org. These criticisms will encourage students to approach the central issue with a more balanced perspective. One
significant claim in the report is that the investigator’s opponents are not willing to consider data that conflict with their
position. This situation, together with the parallel claim presented in the counterpoint, gives me a prime opportunity to stress
the importance of an open mind in facing any empirical challenge. Since the primary conclusion of the visual report
concerns how scientific “truths” can and should affect public policy, learners inevitably must consider how knowledge may be
used in a principled manner. Given the generally sensitive nature of the topic, I will have to promote a classroom
environment that promotes risk-taking. Once we have studied the topic from both sides, students will be asked to write a
reflection concerning how their opinions may or may not have changed, as well as how their conception of what may be
considered factual was affected by the delivery of the information.