IB Diploma Programme Predicted Grade Action Plan

Due 21 February 2014

Teacher Name: Collin MacDonald
Subject: Theory of Knowledge
1. Based on the January predicted grades, my students will receive an average score of: C (hopefully!)
2. The internal assessment mark range for my subject is based on a scale from 1 to 20.
3. Based on my preliminary analysis of students internal assessment-based activities, the average internal
assessment score for my students will most likely be 13-15.
4. In the space below, please briefly summarize the main points of the May 2013 IBO subject reports
published for your subject (if available).
Recommendations to improve the TOK Essay. Common pitfalls students fell into last year. Exemplar
knowledge issues from last years prescribed titles. Dos/Donts of the TOK essay. Review of the TOK
presentation and its structure. Common pitfalls students fell into. Potential real life situations and
knowledge issues that may be extracted from those RLS.
5. In the space below, please utilize the internal assessment objectives/criteria in your subject guide to
identify teaching and support strategies which would increase the average internal assessment mark for
your students/subject.
Identification of Knowledge Issues: Students will view example presentations and extract knowledge issues
from them. From there, students will bring in their own real life situations (or post them on Edmodo) and
extract their own knowledge issues from the issues.
Treatment of Knowledge Issues: This is where I fear most students will lose points. They often only stay on
the surface when wrestling with KIs and dont dig deep into the issue. Well practice brainstorming all the
angles KIs can be explored through as a whole class with relevant real life situations and then students will
be asked to do the same on their own. Theyll continue to practice this in their weekly blog posts in order to
help prepare them for their presentation.
Knowers perspective/Connections: The seniors are pretty good at sharing their own perspectives already.
What they need to work more on is identifying and addressing counterclaims. Well work as a whole class in
taking a generally accepted perspective and brainstorming the counterclaims that may exist. Then students
can work in small groups on this, and finally, on their own for their presentation.

The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared
guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.

6. In the space below, please identify strategies which you can implement to support holistic gains for
Diploma students.
Presentation and writing skill is a big deficit for many of these students. This weekend Im giving my
feedback on their external assessment draft and can hopefully steer some students in the right direction both
with their knowledge issues, and with their structure of the essay. Well work heavily after the essay is
completed on crafting presentation skills so our IAs arent just students reading off of a Powerpoint for ten
minutes.
7. On the reverse side, please identify ways in which the Diploma Coordinator and/or administrators can
assist you with any or all of the aforementioned.
Nothing that I can think of. On a somewhat unrelated note, Im worried about the TOK scores this yearnot
because of the students but because this subject area is new to me. I already feel so much more comfortable
with the juniors simply because Ive learned much more about what to expect and how to teach this content.