How do we know?
With the rise of nationalism, fake news, and divisive political propaganda, the theory of knowledge (TOK) plays a more vital role in the International Baccalaureate® Diploma Programme than ever before TOK is a course which challenges students to think in the abstract, while keeping themselves grounded in our human experiences. We ask students to apply knowledge questions to “real life situations”; yet, the nature of teaching in a classroom results in the students’ most meaningful shared experience being limited to what happens between those four walls.
What type of group experience outside of the classroom would be most conducive to the construction of a theory of knowledge? What would it look like? What is the right balance of structure and agency for an experience of this sort? (For further reading about structure vs. agency, see here) How can we design a travel experience that will bring our TOK class together as we embark on a journey through the murky waters of epistemology?
These questions were brought to us by TOK teachers in schools across the world — and through a collaborative design process, we started to build frameworks for customizable international travel experiences.
Envoys is a platform for schools to achieve their global education goals, and with every TOK program we run, we craft even more intentional itineraries that engage with deeper questions. TOK teachers then harness each experience to dismantle foundational assumptions, shaking and rattling students’ worldviews leaving only the strongest pillars of knowledge. Teachers who use the ways of knowing (WoK) or the areas of knowledge (AoK) as a focus in class can design a program that brings each of them alive in a real way.
Program Elements
cross-cultural interaction with youth
We being our interactions with host-country youth by breaking the ice and establishing a design challenge that is generative, authentic, and relevant to youth around the globe. Students then work together for several days, mapping the issue, ideating, building prototypes and developing solutions to the problem they identified together.
Expanding
Theory of Knowledge
All program itineraries have built-in time for TOK lessons and daily reflections (structured and unstructured) that bring depth and substance to students’ understanding of TOK. Students become the stewards of their own learning, designing and leading reflections with the help of a manual of thinking routines and thought questions.
Indigenous and Religious Knowledge Systems
From the Xhosa in South Africa, to the Muisca in Colombia, to the Amazigh in Morocco, students come into direct contact with ancient and fascinating knowledge systems that challenge what they know about their world. Programs are designed to juxtapose ancient and current religious systems to find cross-cutting themes and distinctions.
Shared Experience as a Group
It can take several weeks of classroom TOK sessions for most students to build up a sense of courage to share their thoughts about epistemology. However, when all students are on the same level, humbled by the novelty and wonder of culture shock, they quickly develop a space dedicated to sharing.
Communicative and
Experiential Challenges
In small groups, students explore novel urban and rural landscapes, interacting with local people through a series of communicative challenges designed to practice verbal and non-verbal communication skills. These moments are vital for asking questions about how others see the world and express it.
PRE-DEPARTURE ONLINE COURSEWORK
Envoys provides teachers with the ability to deliver readings, videos, podcasts and other content in our online platform. Students learn the basics about ethical, respectful travel, safety and security, and develop invaluable context before they set foot on the ground.
Today, global citizenship is less about our actions and more about how we apply the things we learn, that is, how we consume, digest, and profess our understanding on issues of global significance. In the IB, we are often asked to foster international-mindedness and to build an awareness of core societal and ideological assumptions while fostering an appreciation for the complexity of cultural identities in our world. The potential for a shared travel experience to catalyze a TOK group’s learning at the start of a course or crystallize it upon its conclusion is immense!
Who We Are
Envoys is the result of a collaboration between colleagues from the Harvard Graduate School of Education who together have decades of experience with the IB community. We are not tour guides; we are a cohort of career educators dedicated to using travel as a vehicle for transformative educational experiences. On every program, alongside students and dedicated global educators from around the world, we ask ourselves, how do I know what I know?
Sample Programs
finding Pathways to peace
colombia
This program focuses on the peace process, conflict resolution, and developing cross-cultural understanding.
Learn More!
tradition in north africa
Morocco
Students investigate the concept of identity through the lens of pan-africanism, society, and traditions.
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History, Memory, and Apartheid
south africa
We dig into significant cultural and political issues that make South Africa what it is today.
Learn More!
I’m Mason Hults, the Director of TOK Programs at Envoys.