A worked example of how to develop a Knowledge Question for a ToK Presentation, this could also be used for an introductory essay question.

1. Developing KQ's
for Tok Presentations
Daniel Trump,
KiS Bangkok, Sept 2015

2. Development of KQ
To develop the KQ you should:
● State the underlying knowledge claim (KC)
● Test KC against evidence (use WoKs /Aoks)
● State possible counterclaim.
● Test counterclaim against evidence.
● Link mini summary back to the KQ.

3. Worked example of
developing a KQ:
KQ: What role does prior learning have in
subsequent knowledge production ?
In non-tok speak “how do things that we
learned earlier influence things that we learned
later ?”

4. Developing KQ
KQ: What role does prior learning have in
subsequent knowledge production ?
Knowledge Claim:
Knowledge production is sequential, new
knowledge is built upon earlier knowledge.

5. Developing KQ
Knowledge Claim: Knowledge production
is sequential, new knowledge is built
upon earlier knowledge.
Evidence for: AoK The Arts, WoK Sensory
Perception.
Musical Genres develop from each other.
e.g. Hip Hop developed from RnB, which in
turn had developed the Blues.
Artistic Genres develop from each other.
e.g Cubism developed from Post
Impressionism which in turn had developed
from Impressionism.

6. Developing KQ
Counterclaim:
Some knowledge is either 'accidentally' produced, or
the synthesis of such an array of earlier ideas that it
appears innovative or even entirely new.
Evidence:
AoK: Natural Sciences, WoK Reason: “accidental”
scientific discoveries such as Penicillin
Charles Darwin's theory of Natural
Selection.
AoK: Human Sciences : e.g. Google's
advertising framework of Pay Per Click.

7. Developing KQ
Analysis of Claim &
CounterClaim:
Were the apparently new genres really
new genres, or just development of the
old ?
Was that which is apparently innovative
really a completely new idea, or was it just
built on pre-existing, but less well known,
ideas ?
(for example See the work of Alfred
Russel Wallace in relation to Darwin's
work)

8. Developing KQ
Linking KC back to KQ:
In order to establish whether
knowledge production is sequential
we would need to establish criteria
for both new genres and true
innovation. Therefore, the influence
of prior learning on subsequent
learning is found to be
ambiguous…., etc.
Gunpei Yokoi 1941-1997