In my presentation, there is still some to improve:

Problem 1: I spent 3 minutes explaining about my real-life example, which is too long and detailed.

Solution 1: Real-life example does not need to be interpreted comprehensively, so less than 2 minutes could be spent on it.

Problem 2: Knowledge concepts were not used thoroughly, some are mentioned but not applied and explained in the presentation.

Solution 2: I should analyze my research question and fully understand the knowledge concepts to be able to explain my claims with them and make my claim more clear.

Problem 3: My counterclaim 1 is not argumentive to claim 1.

Solution 3: More knowledge concepts can make the claim stronger.

Problem 4: More perspectives from different angles should be looked at, or the claim would be too vague and not persuasive.

Problem 4: More research is needed, talked to the supervisor for suggestions can make my thinking more clear.

Problem 5: TOK concepts is the main focus of the presentation but not a real-life example.

Solution 5: Use the knowledge framework and explain knowledge concepts deeper and more thoroughly, do not be distracted by real-life examples.

Conclusion: My interpretation of the knowledge concepts was not detailed enough to show my understanding of them. The structure was not quite fit standard and better planning is needed. More perspectives are needed, I need to extend my understanding and further discussion to dig the knowledge claims deeper. I actually spent a relatively long time making connections between concepts, but I realized that I need more preparation and research: make the knowledge claims first and find TOK concepts to fit in. Always remember to focus on knowledge but not examples.

TOK Grade 11 Year in Reflection

1. What DON’T you get?

After a year of leaning TOK, I still feel a bit confused about the concept of “reasoning” because I think inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning both can be unreliable. No matter the result is reasoned from a theory or a common phenomenon, people can always be influenced by their confirmation bias: looking for information that fits their previous understandings.

1. What DO you get?

I learned many about how to write an essay that always focuses on the topic. Through writing the practice TOK essay, I learned not to stray from the subject. I had many ideas when I was writing the essay, but I realized I couldn’t apply them all, because most of them didn’t fit the topic perfectly. Once I put irrelevant information, the essay seems less precise and academic.

1. What has stood out for you?

I am patient and decisive. When preparing for my TOK presentation, after more than 5 hours of research on the first knowledge question, it took me 5 minutes to make up my mind to change my knowledge question. Although a little impetuous, I adhere to accomplish the preparation of the new question in a clam and disciplined manner.

1. Has TOK changed your thinking at all this year?

TOK made me think deeper with a skeptical mind. Reading new information, I no longer easily believe but think about the credibility of the news with a more skeptical attitude, and I often tried to find a link between two concepts. For example, when I watch TV show, I not only enjoyed the show but also thought about why people don’t hate the bad in the visual world, is there anything to do with the relationship between ethical guideline and perception. When I read news reports about people’s reactions to COVID-19, I skeptically wondered if the spread of 5G has something to do with distrust of authority, because distrust of authoritative information leads people to be more favorable to folk rumors. 

1. Has TOK ruined your thinking at all this year?

This subject made me get used to thinking and doubting with more rigorous thinking. This causes me to struggle with logic problems when reading some fantasy novels. I can’t help but think about the importance of equivalence conversion and struggle with the plot of “creating water by magic” because “channeling water” is more reasonable. 

1. What do you aim to achieve next year?

I would like to do better in analyze knowledge concepts. I will pay attention to each lesson and trying to absorb more useful methods of thinking. I hope I can carry out a skeptical mind of thinking “what do I know and what do I think I know?” Also, I hope that I can do well in TOK presentation and essay 😀

Our group chose to call the white house and ask them if they sent missiles, and we would send a full-scale strike back if the call didn’t work. It was clear that the call won’t work: because of the intense cold war between the USSR and the USA, we won’t believe anything the person in charge said. So in fact, we chose B in disguise.

According to the article, we found a sentence that stated that it’s entirely possible for the US  sending a missile to the USSR because it did so to other countries before. We knew that it also could be a computer error, and if we gave the wrong information to the high commander, we could actually start a war. The consequences would be millions of deaths which might include us. On the other hand, if the missile was really coming and we reported that there is nothing. Not only I would be executed for treason, but the country will also be weak in the coming war. We die, either way, so we chose to believe in the evidence that provides by the computer and history and sent a full-scale strike back. I think we made this decision because we didn’t use emotion; we didn’t consider the bigger picture of the future and empathize with people because we thought we end up bad anyway.

“On 26 September 1983, the nuclear early-warning system of the Soviet Union reported the launch of multiple USAF Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles from bases in the United States.” however, Stanislav Petrov reported it as a computer error and it turned out that he is right. He used reasoning because he said that if the US really wants to attack the country, 5 missiles are not enough. He used knowledge about global politics, computer science, mathematics and so on. But the most important part of his decision-making process was his gut, his intuitive thinking.

Language is infectious so that people readily listen to you, but the words you said must be rational and reliable so that people can believe you. Language uses emotion to empathize with others, and reason uses evidence and facts to pursue others. These two are ways of learning, there are so different but both of them are necessary and complement each other. Without reason, the decision you made or the knowledge you have could be reckless or unreliable, because they are generated emotionally. On the other hand, without emotion, the fact can seem cold. For example, without the rendering of diction, the information about war would be a string of data, which doesn’t help people understand the main idea.

When I was listening to a speech, I might feel angry, happy and even sad with the speaker’s words. At this time, I relied on emotion to feel feelings and points the speaker wants to express to me. But I also looked for evidence that really supports the opinions of the speaker to ensure that everything he said is true and evidence sometimes hit a person hard. For example, “the earthquake killed 23 people, we need to know how to protect ourselves and prevent this tragedy from happening again.”

Eligibility

• Ability to write & understand English [ this competition is for people who are able to write in English because this requirement can avoid the following situations, “this word in my language has a deeper meaning”]
• Age groups: 10-18 youth group, 19-35 adult group [age group is for fair competition. In order to make sure that everyone in any age group and gets equal opportunity to take part in this competition, we will have more age group based on the age range of applicants]
• Each participant pays $15

Rules

• Must be a poem  (no word count) 
• No plagiarism 
• If plagiarized, you are disqualified 
• Must convey a message [the poem need to reflect something like the society, an issue or even the weather, but not merely beautiful words]
• Be more than five sentences [change into no word minimum, give participants enough space to create, there may be people can express their idea within 5 sentences. ]

Judging

• Based on the intensity of emotions the audience feels / Entertainment [the writer has to be clear that what he/she wants to show to the reader. eg. it is not allowed to turn fear of terrorists into admiration]
• Limited grammar errors [small mistakes are allowed, but not more than 10.]
• Diction [Can have rhyme, it is not mandatory. Don’t have to contain complicated words, but the writer has to express the idea clearly with the right world.]
• Creativity & originality
• Must convey the writer’s intention [This is hard to tell, there’s always bias] 
• The overall impact on the audience [exists bias]

Award

• Cash 3000 [for the top 3, and this can be higher based on the amount of the funding we end up with]
• Publication of the poem  [for the top 20]
• Internship with publishing company [3 months]
• Trophy [only for the first prize]
• Reputation

Funding

• Participation fee ($15)
• Donors (corporate sponsors, eg. publishing house)
• Donation from libraries [the library also provides space for competition, We need field scenes to prevent cybersecurity problems, for example, to avoid someone stealing other people’s work by using hacking techniques. In addition, writing on paper has more literary atmosphere.]
• Personal funding 

For Art prize, the participants have to have at least two years of visual art experience, it is a good idea but why 2 years?

For Music Prize, the group said that they will have a platform and hold a public vote, I think this is a very good idea, but the most of the top 20 probably win by pop music since most people who search for music on the Internet are young people. I think that the music creators can be required to tag their music, for example, pop, classic… Then, the platform manager can divide the music into different categories, and the voters will select 3 favorite songs in each category.

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