The Best Objects Are Specific, Real, and Connected to You or a Clear Knowledge Context
- When selecting an object for your TOK exhibition, aim for something specific, real, and connected to either you or a clear knowledge context.
- This approach ensures your object is authentic and provides a rich foundation for exploring TOK concepts.
Note
Specificity and authenticity are key to making your object stand out.
Avoid Generic or Symbolic Items with No Depth
- Generic or symbolic items often lack the depth needed for a strong TOK exhibition.
- These objects can feel detached from real-world knowledge and may not provide enough material for meaningful reflection.
Example
- A blank notebook or a Statue of Liberty keychain doesn’t work because they aren’t tied to any real knowledge system.
- The whole point is for you to use your object to show how knowledge is produced, tested, or contested.
- Vague symbols like this could mean almost anything, so your commentary ends up generic (“creativity matters,” “freedom is important”).
- To make an object work, it needs a concrete context: a sketchbook filled with drafts shows how creative knowledge develops through practice, while a photo of the Statue of Liberty at a protest reveals how symbols are used in political struggles over meaning.
- The object must anchor you in a knowledge system, not float free of it.
Note
Common Mistake: Choosing objects that are too broad or abstract, such as a globe or a peace symbol, can make it difficult to connect to specific TOK concepts.
Strong Object Choices
The best objects give you something concrete to unpack.
- Personal connection: A family recipe book is evidence of how cultural knowledge is transmitted through practice, memory, and tradition.
- Real-world context: A newspaper clipping from the 2016 Brexit shows how media framed competing claims as evidence, from economic forecasts to voter testimonies.
- Embodied achievement: A medal or sports jersey can illustrate how knowledge is embodied, gained through practice, and emotionally significant.
Note
- These work because they force you into knowledge questions: What makes oral tradition reliable?
- How do institutions decide what counts as legitimate evidence?
- How is knowledge embedded in physical practice?
Self review
- Does my object connect to a real knowledge context (personal, historical, cultural, or disciplinary)?
- Can I clearly explain what TOK concept this object exposes (e.g., evidence, reliability, authority, culture)?
- Does the object force me to ask why this counts as knowledge instead of just describing what it is?
