TOK - The History Boys
The movie ‘The History Boys’ written by Alan Bennett introduces the importance of the value and meaning of education. Set in the 1980s, after attaining the highest grades their school has ever seen, eight boys are prepared for their Oxbridge examinations although are taught with the contrasting philosophies of their teachers. Each boy through his own individual manner grasps what they feel is crucial from each teacher.
The results driven headmaster hires a young historian (Irwin) who is aware that the key to exam success is the individualism that differentiates a student from all the rest. In his classes, Irwin challenges the boys to express unorthodox views on and interpretations of history forcing them to have original perspectives on historical deductions. Here the boys use the Way of Knowing of reasoning and logical thinking to counteract their beliefs or even commonly held beliefs for example on the Holocaust. As it is such a mournful part of history, another WOK (emotion) is subtly revealed as having a crucial role in thought process. Even though the topic has so many emotional strings attached to it, Irwin teaches the Holocaust in such a way that the truth and emotion are irrelevant and as a result he poses the question of how learning should take place. Is it with the absolutes of reasoning or emotion? Or with a mindset that includes both? Emotion is less objective than reasoning and it is not factual knowledge that education is so obviously based on. Even though some factual knowledge is required to form an interpretation, the gut feeling from which the interpretations arise are based on personal experience (derived from emotion) and allows students to develop a unique deduction of the topic.
