By Mrs Everitt (ToK Coordinator)
On Friday 29th September, the Lower Sixth IB cohort, with the Lower Sixth IB cohort at Bedford School, visited the Pitt Rivers Museum and New College, Oxford, for a trip relating to our Theory of Knowledge (ToK) curriculum.
First stop was the Pitt Rivers Museum, for a talk by Mel Rowntree, the museum’s Education Officer. Mel specialises in coloniality and the impact of colonialism on first-nation groups. She challenged the students to consider whether the later settlers had contributed to epistemicide - the 'death' of knowledge systems - as well as asking them to deduce what could be known about some first-nation groups on the basis of some of the artefacts that are kept at the museum. She provided valuable insight into the terms by which we know about different communities - cultural artefacts often having been traded, and at times in situations where there has been an imbalance of power.
As we walked through Oxford, students were able to see the Bodleian Library, and to appreciate the value that has been placed on academic scholarship and knowledge over many centuries. New College provided insight into the way of life of students as early as the 1300s; these students studied together, ate together, and worshipped together - a system that enabled, and still, if in slightly different ways, enables academic discussion across disciplines. We were delighted that Miles Young, Warden of New College and Old Bedfordian, was able to welcome us to the College, along with his adorable College dog.
Before we left, we had a chance to visit the Norrington Room at Blackwell's, the largest book-selling room in the world, with nearly three miles of shelving: another testament to the importance of study, and of knowledge.
Rachel Forbes-Laird (Lower Sixth) said: “The day was a fantastic journey filled with thought-provoking discussions, collaborative learning and the kind of critical thinking that fuels the inspiration for our future TOK projects.”
Harriet Whitbread (Lower Sixth) added: “I thought the ToK trip to the Pitt Rivers Museum was very eye-opening to different cultural perspectives on colonialism. I also enjoyed looking round the University of Oxford and learning about their traditional values.”
