It’s been a huge month of TOKtober festivities at QAHS, four weeks of thinking about knowledge – using Information, Imagination, Inspiration and Innovation. During this time, Year 11 students completed 1/3 of their IB Theory Of Knowledge assessment; conducted their Physical Exhibition in the Green Heart; shared their Virtual Exhibition online; had opportunities to view multiple aspects of Engineering – in Biomedics, Architecture and Environmental Engineering; watched design videos; listened to astronomy-inspired symphonies; created deep fakes; and had access to some of the most famous scientists, mathematicians and thinkers of our time including Dr Adam Rutherford, Professor Hannah Fry and Neri Oxman from Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT).
However, the culmination of TOKtober was the Inaugural QAHS 2minute TOK-tiks: One prompt, 2 minutes, 3 objects – held in the QAHS Lecture Theatre on Friday 28 October. The Year 10 and 11 cohorts, and QAHS staff were treated to the condensed TOK Exhibitions of ten students in a presentation format. Students self-nominated, and took up the challenge to present their three objects, justifying each object’s inclusion, and making explicit links to their chosen knowledge question, within a two minute time limit. Year 11 students Mia Bergh, Mathilda Bester, Samuel Brown, Giselle Courtney, Flynn Edwards, Lelarni Fletcher,
Ananya Garg, Regina Hoare, Anastasia Iliadis and Jordan Klos inspired and entertained the crowd discussing the implications, ethical constraints, communication and production of knowledge across a range of diverse and fascinating objects. These included a stunning Australian landscape painting, a Quantum computer housed at UQ, Watson and Crick’s DNA model, the International Space Station, Dr Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham, and Paganini’s Cantabile.
The high calibre of the Year 11 TOK-tiks was a fitting finale to TOKtober and congratulations must be extended to all participants. Mr Nigel Stratton delighted the crowd with a rousing rhyming TOK-tik, before crowning this year’s People’s Choice recipient, Ananya Garg. Well done, Ananya, and bravo, Year 11! As always, we look forward to seeing where you will take your TOK thinking, next.
Julie Bertwistle
TOK Co-ordinator, Psychology teacher, English teacher