IB Diploma Core
In addition to courses in the six IB Diploma Programme (DP) subject groups, full diploma candidates will also complete the Diploma Core. According to the IB Organization, "the DP core aims to broaden students’ educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills." The Core is made up of Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay, and CAS.
CAS
CAS involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the Diploma Programme. CAS certification also provides non-diploma track students with a way to experience this unique I.B. programme and earn recognition for completion during their senior year.
Creativity encourages students to engage in the arts and creative thinking. Action seeks to develop a healthy lifestyle through physical activity. Service with the community offers a vehicle for new learning with academic value.
The three strands of CAS enhance students’ personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning and enable journeys of self-discovery.
Extended Essay
The Extended Essay, a piece of original scholarship with no more than 4,000 words, is a required element of the Diploma Programme. The Extended Essay is an opportunity for students to pursue a topic of interest, encouraging intellectual curiosity. Students will work on the essay during their junior and senior years, and the essay will represent approximately 40 hours of work. When the essay is completed, each student will complete a concluding interview with his or her Extended Essay supervisor.
In preparation for the Extended Essay, students are encouraged to take a research skills class at Las Positas College beginning in January of their sophomore (or perhaps junior) year.
Theory of Knowledge
As a thoughtful and purposeful inquiry into different ways of knowing, and into different kinds of knowledge, TOK is composed almost entirely of questions.
The most central of these is "How do we know?", while other questions include:
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What counts as evidence for X?
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How do we judge which is the best model of Y?
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What does theory Z mean in the real world?
Through discussions of these and other questions, students gain greater awareness of their personal and ideological assumptions, as well as developing an appreciation of the diversity and richness of cultural perspectives.
Contact Information
Noel Mattern
Theory of Knowledge Teacher
nmattern@lvjusd.org
Sommer Newkirk
Theory of Knowledge Teacher
snewkirk@lvjusd.org