The Theory of Knowledge (ToK) trip to Oxford has become somewhat of a rite of passage for our International Baccalaureate students, who, along with IB students from Bedford Girls’ School, excitedly make the annual pilgrimage together.
First stop of the day for this year’s cohort was the famous archaeological and ethnographic Pitt Rivers Museum to gain a deeper insight into ToK in preparation for their ToK exhibition later this year. The students were taught how to critically think and analyse different objects answering questions such as: ‘Where does it come from?’ and ‘What is its significance today?’. They also learned how to link objects from the past to global issues today.
Lower Sixth Former Tanay Rai said after the trip, “This trip is definitely going to help my ToK exhibition as I already have a few ideas about what objects I would like to explore more. For example, I would like to explore the cultural significance of religious objects (amulets and charms) in Western African Society and how they shaped beliefs in Nigeria.”
“I learnt how there are so many links from the past that have shaped us as people in the present. Sometimes it’s easy to focus on the present and only look ahead, but if we don’t understand the past, we may never have the opportunity to learn about our ancestors. This trip developed my ‘global mindset’, something the IB course is so good at doing.”
Students were also encouraged to widen their perspective and understanding of the first nation’s groups in North America, specifically looking at a group in Canada in Haida Gwaii.
Lower Sixth Former Fred Dickson explained, “This trip helped me with my TOK as it gave me the opportunity to explore theory of knowledge questions and practise coming up with answers to some epistemic questions. I learned a lot, especially about indigenous cultures and the ethics of some of the exhibits in the Pitt Rivers Museum. The best bit of the trip for me was walking around the museum and having the chance to explore and learn about different cultures from all around the world in the process.”
After stopping for some lunch, next on the itinerary was a tour of New College, Oxford, led by School Chaplain Mr Neil McCleery, who himself spent some years as a student there. The group was also privileged to be joined by the college warden, Old Bedfordian Miles Young (63-72), who talked about how the college has changed and how it had been constructed according to changing aesthetic ideas about architecture, as well as changing needs in the student community.
Tanay explained that this was his favourite part of the trip because “I have aspirations to study Economics and Management at Oxford, and I was able to see what student life was like. It must be said that many of us were taken aback by the breathtaking buildings at New College!”.
