Grade 12 TOK Exhibition 2026
What does the graphic novel of an Iranian girl, a translation of a Spanish romantic poem and a submarine have in common?
They all point to something profound about the constraints we face in the pursuit of knowledge.
Whether it be the cultural barrier of lived experience that the reader faces; or the problems inherent in operating in a world of multiple languages; or the physical limitations we face discovering the depths of the ocean; each object points to the struggle we face understanding the world around us. The implications that these objects present pushes towards a sense of humility regarding the claims we make and hopefully towards embracing a deep respect for other’s opinions.
In many ways this is the mandate of an internationally minded education and it was an absolute privilege to host an exhibition of how our Grade 12s have mastered the skill of seeing value in these questions.
This exhibition was one part of the culmination of their ventures into this mind opening course. Unique to the International Baccalaureate's Diploma Programme; all students study Theory of Knowledge which matures our learners into philosophically reflective thinkers about the world around them.
Let me not just speak for them let some of their own words speak for themselves:
“[The TOK Exhibition] pushed me to a different level of developing my thinking, understanding alternative perspectives and being as thoroughly analytical as possible.”
“Writing about complex ideas under a strict word limit taught me how to communicate clearly. [it also] made me realise that my culture is a lens that shapes how I understand the world around me”
“every person .. brought a completely unique lifetime of experiences, biases, and contexts to the table, giving me an opportunity to see how they made sense of the objects in front of them .. it definitely made me look around the room and appreciate just how complex and individual everyone's perspective really is”
“Throughout my life I always wanted to know the answer to everything. I felt uncomfortable if I did not know the answer. With this exhibition I understood, with things that I am exposed to on a daily basis, e.g. my swimming costume specific things can never be certain. It made me realise, sometimes one has to accept that science,math and technology face their limits ”
“No amount of reading about music theory and chord shapes will teach you how to play an F-chord or a song. You learn by doing. You learn through experiencing.”
“it was a long journey, I think it was worthwhile as it helped me think about things differently”
“That is one of the aspects I enjoy about ToK, how knowledge expands when we look beyond our own lens. True understanding requires one to step outside of their own personal experience, bias, and cultural systems to take in different perspectives, and to be able to share this concept throughout the exhibition was quite fulfilling. I also had the chance to walk around and listen to the presentations of my peers and see the different prompts being explored so diversely, it had me wondering how such a "random" object can be explored through so many different areas of knowledge … ToK breaks that barrier, it explores how we know, what we claim to know, helping us articulate our own belief with logic and clarity, rather than keeping us in our own echo chamber”
Well done to the Cohort of May 2027 and we trust this successful event is the start of more success this year for you all.
Mr Adrian von Wrede-Jervis
TOK teacher
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