Theory of Knowledge Workshop Recommendations

Barcelona, Spain
Workshop Leaders: Richard van de Lagemaat, Ric Sims

“Thank you very much for this wonderful workshop. It was facilitated perfectly by Ric and Richard. I learned a lot!”

Magdalena Tsavkova, Vienna International School, Austria

“Very effective leaders who knew when to allow comments/debate and when to move forward. Very open and helpful.”

Karl Lilja, Kungsholmen's Gymnasim, Denmark

“It has been a brilliant course and has really inspired my teaching.”

Louise Brooke, College Beau Soleil, Switzerland

“Overall, good value.”

Antony Powell, Sussex Coast College, United Kingdom

“I've found some new ideas at each session. It was a great experience for me.”

Margarita Sheremetyeva, Moscow Economic School, Russia

“Both Richard and Ric are high standard presenters. I appreciated that they were so well prepared.”

Anonymous

“The workshop leaders were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, open to discussion and questioning.”

Steven Weeks-Johnson, International American School of Warsaw, Poland

“A very fine workshop - worth coming.”

David McIntyre, Torsbergsgymnasiet, Sweden

“The workshop leaders were engaging, knowledgeable, informative, articulate. Courses where you hear what others are doing are always useful”

Richard Judd, Taunton School, United Kingdom

“The workshop was very stimulating and all of the sessions were useful in different ways.”

Martin Bluemel, Taunton School, United Kingdom

“Overall, I was very impressed with the workshop. Both presenters were engaging, knowledgeable, and open to ideas.”

Paul Harris, ACS Egham, United Kingdom

Barcelona, Spain
Workshop Leaders: Richard van de Lagemaat, Ric Sims

“Both presenters were very well-informed, friendly and open to our suggestions and questions... Thankyou - the course was really useful and reassuring for someone like me at the start of their TOK teaching. It was also great to meet such a mix of colleagues from different schools.”

Katy lee, Sir James Henderson School of Milan, Italy

“The workshop leaders were extremely knowledgeable and engaging.”

Phil Whalley, St. Helen’s School, United Kingdom

“I feel really privileged to have come to a workshop presented by such extraordinary experts in TOK”

Kevin Whitemore, Heidelberg International School, Germany

“The workshop leaders were very good. The mix of two presenters worked extremely well.”

Anonymous

“Excellent course.”

Alastair Ronn, International School of Geneva, Switzerland

“Ric and Richard were both great.”

Anonymous

“This was a very productive and useful workshop for beginners.”

Nestan Ratiani, European School of Tibilisi, Georgia

“The presenters were enthusiastic, motivating and definitely very knowledgeable.”

Janis Zeimanis, Riga State Gymnasium No 1, Latvia

“The workshop leaders were experts and pretty funny.”

Joan López, American School of Barcelona, Spain

“Great combination of presenters - complementary styles that gave a varied sense of approach/focus. Thanks!”

Matthew Nowlin, Hvitfeldtska Gymnasiet, Sweden

Paris, France
Workshop Leaders: Richard van de Lagemaat, Ric Sims

“The workshop was really excellent! All sessions were both interesting and valuable.”

Justine Oliver, Southbank School, London, United Kingdom

“Top notch!”

Ouriel Reshef, American School of Paris, France

“Both presenters were engaging, personably and knowledgeable and passed on excellent ideas.”

Jessica van Dreisen, TASIS, The American School in England

“Brilliant to work with quality workshop leaders and great TOK teachers.”

Robert Ohly, International School of Paris, France

“All the sessions were great. Both presenters are excellent and their styles complement each other.”

Sabine Cossette, Munich International School, Germany

“I found all the sessions useful. The two presenters made a good balance between theoretical ideas and practical lessons for the classroom. Thank you, I feel like I am no longer in the fog.”

Brendon Phillips, Gulf English School

“I am very pleased with the workshop and would recommend it to other TOK teachers.”

Ruben Wiwe, Katedralskolan, Linkoping, Sweden

“The workshop was creative and inspirational. The two workshop leaders complement each other perfectly.”

Kristine Sevcenko, Riga State Gymnasium, No 1, Latvia

Barcelona, Spain
Workshop Leaders: Richard van de Lagemaat, Ric Sims

“The workshop leaders were very knowledgeable. They were able to present the material effectively and cover a lot of ground - both theoretical and practical.”

Mark Palfrey, Munich International School, Germany

“There was lots of information, practical ideas & useful resources. I’m now excited to go back and implement some of these ideas.”

Victoria Harvey, Antwerp International School, Belgium

“I found value in all the sessions. I learned a lot from how the sessions were delivered, from which I feel I can model several concepts. A recommendable course - and I will do so!”

Inal Uygur, International School of Geneva (LGB), Switzerland

“In the main very strong presentations from people who are very comfortable with their respective fields and styles.”

Stephen Preece, International School of Geneva, Switzerland

“Definitely the best training I’ve had so far as a teacher! Both workshop leaders were excellent - thank you so much. The “double act” works very well.”

Alison Barber, Colchester Sixth Form College, United Kingdom

“Great job, Richard & Ric. I enjoyed your balance - you complement each other well. You’re open, flexible, humorous and knowledgeable. Thank you!”

Lori Lauscher, American School of Barcelona, Spain

“Both presenters were extremely well-prepared and knowledgeable.”

Heike Nefigmann, Privatschule der Deutschen Botschaft Ankara, Turkey

“Both workshop leaders were superb.”

Graeme Smith, Atlantic College, United Kingdom

“Many thanks - also for sharing a lot of “intellectual material” in your workbooks!”

Katja Kolb, Copenhagen International School, Denmark

“Thank you both for a mind expanding and intellectually interesting 3 days.”

Stephen Pegg, Christelijk Lyceum Zeist, Netherlands

“The presenters had a very high level of knowledge and ability to communicate - enthusing, challenging, inspiring.”

William Flint-Cahan, Haileybury School, United Kingdom

“Very many thanks to Richard and Ric for a splendid workshop.”

Mark Farrington, Wellington College, United Kingdom

“Though different in terms of style, I found both presenters to be of equal - that is to say, excellent - quality. The presentations were clear, insightful and generally useful.”

Michael Laird, Antwerp International School, Belgium

“I found all 10 sessions useful. I learned a vast amount, distributed equally across the session. It was helpful to be given practical, workable activities to use in the classroom as well as an overview of the TOK course which really lifted the fog of confusion. Thank you for a brain-stretching, informative and fun 3 days in Barcelona.”

Fiona Bell, Bedford School, United Kingdom

Istanbul, Turkey
Workshop Leader: Richard van de Lagemaat

“Our presenter, Richard, explained very clearly about the concepts and requirements of the TOK course. In addition, he was always willing to help with ambiguous topics.”

Demi Korkut, Ted Bursa College, Turkey

“The workshop leader was very professional: clear, a good talker, and a friendly approach. Many thanks!”

Alison Elif Arica, Dogus Okullari, Turkey

“The workshop leader was well-organised and knew what he was talking about. He gave concrete and interesting examples and gathered the attention of the whole group.”

Serhat Tuan, Marmara College, Turkey

“All of the sessions were useful. The discussions about ethics were really interesting and showed that TOK is related to real life and not just to theory.”

Süheyde Caputcu, Ted Bursa College, Turkey

“The workshop leader was well-prepared, motivating, interested in participants, and was able to take the stress from me as a beginner. Thank you very much.”

Canan Harmanci, Bilkent Lisesi, Turkey

“All of the sessions were useful, especially the ones about grading the essay and understanding how to teach the ways of knowing. Richard was very good at showing the point of each exercise and getting to the point of discussions and the course.”

Juliet Johnson Moore, Tevitol College, Turkey

“The workshop leader was very knowledgeable, accommodating, and willing to help in any way.”

Kevin Foley, Tarsus American College, Turkey

“Very nice job, Richard! Your workshop was very enjoyable and informative.”

Emily Wassell, Tevitol College, Turkey

“The workshop leader was interesting, challenging and showed strength in responding to participants’ views/ questions. There was a good choice of illustrations/ examples. I felt he really knew his stuff and could communicate helpful advice effectively. I found the workshop motivating and hope I can pass that on to other staff.”

Julie Fantham, Jumeriah ESS, Dubai

“All the sessions were useful for me and I feel that I have learnt a lot.”

Zeynep Karslioglu, Ted Bursa College, Turkey

Barcelona, Spain
Workshop Leaders: Richard van de Lagemaat, Ric Sims

“The workshop was outstanding: inspiring, well-organised and well-balanced.”

Tony Ackerman, International School of Prague, Czech Republic

“The best presenter team I have experienced. Fantastic!”

Kristine Sevcenko, Riga State Gymnasium No 1, Latvia

“The workshop was hugely enjoyable - a fascinating and richly absorbing few days. ”

Giles Bennett, King’s College School, Wimbledon, United Kingdom

“Thank you very much indeed for a most inspiring, informative, reassuring and engaging conference. I was very impressed with the quality of the presenters’ contributions. They were absolutely brilliant! ”

Anna Vibeke Eilert, King’s College School, Wimbledon, United Kingdom

“Both Richard and Ric were superb presenters using excellent resources and sharing them.”

Ann Kronbergs, British School of Brussels, Belgium

“The workshop was very enjoyable and thought provoking. The presenters were absolutely excellent. Both Ric and Richard are superb communicators. Thank you!”

Paul Lloyd, King’s College School, United Kingdom

“Both presenters were excellent in different ways - they complement each other nicely.”

Brad Masoni, St. Stephen’ School, Rome, Italy

“I enjoyed the workshop tremendously - practical ideas are always useful.”

Kirti Joshi, Munich International School, Germany

“Superb! Wonderfully inspiring! Thank you.”

Joelle Dines, Copenhagen International School, Denmark

“The presenters were excellent. Both were good humoured with an excellent knowledge and approach to TOK. They gave lots of useful examples and anecdotes which added to their presentations. I feel I have learned much and gained confidence and enthusiasm for the TOK course.”

Daniel Eglin, Felsted School, United Kingdom

“Thank you - I really enjoyed myself and derived a great deal of benefit - the ideal combination!”

Edith Hansen, Helene Lange Gymnasium, Denmark

“Both presenters were very inspirational.”

Nadia Ioannou, I. M. Panagiotopoulos, Athens, Greece

“The workshop leaders were inspiring and enthusiastic and I enjoyed all of the sessions.”

Rima Morkuniene, Siauliai Didzdvaris gymnasium, Lithuania

Barcelona, Spain
Workshop Leaders: Richard van de Lagemaat, Ric Sims

“The presenters were excellent and the workshop was valuable and enjoyable.”

Matthew Whitman, Norton Knatchbull, United Kingdom

“Excellent overall!”

Caroline Howe, Campion School, Greece

“Both presenters were excellent. They were well-prepared, flexible and very approachable.”

Raymond Jannetta, Oslo International School, Norway

“Overall, I thought the workshop was excellent. The workshop leaders were of a high quality. They obviously know their stuff and present it extremely well. It was very informative to hear a former Deputy Chief Examiner’s account.”

Paul Bjergfelt, Norre Gymnasium, Denmark

“Excellent!”

Alexander Leithes, Godolphin and Latymer, United Kingdom

“The workshop leaders were very inspiring... Thank you for sharing all your ideas.”

Ingegerd Stenport, Hvitfeldtska, Sweden

“This has been an excellent experience. I leave here informed and confident, thanks to a focused delivery by excellent practitioners. Thanks!”

Mark Monro, Brentwood School, United Kingdom

“The workshop leaders were excellent - a really good balance of useful ideas, humour, teaching structure. Really made TOK very accessible.”

Anne Skrorzewski, The British School in the Netherlands

“The presenters were very good! There was a good balance between challenging examples and providing insights and useful tips.”

Torkel Helberg, Sandefjord vgs, Norway

“The workshop leaders were professional, helpful, open-minded, inspiring, sensitive and open to the participants needs.”

Bozena Ordak, IB school 1309, Poland

“They were excellent speakers with obviously a wealth of experience to draw from.”

Eric van de Pole, International School of Maastricht, The Netherlands

“Both presenters were very good. I am very pleased to have been a recipient of such good teaching.”

Jonathan Percival, Skagerak International School, Norway

“The workshop leaders were a perfect match! The variation was really good, Ric and Richard were complementary and made the workshop complete. Good fun too!”

Joakim Olofsson, Katedralskolan, Lund, Sweden

“The presenters were utterly excellent: well prepared, enthusiastic and authoritative... I shall return to my school enthused about TOK and very positive about InThinking.”

Robert Reynolds, ICARDA, Aleppo

Paris, France
Workshop Leaders: Richard van de Lagemaat, Ric Sims

“The presenters were excellent - very knowledgeable, approachable, entertaining and helpful.”

Simon Walter, Henley College, United Kingdom

“I admire the high energy you put into these sessions and your commitment. Thank you for an inspiring course!”

Marianne Zandersen, Nørre Gymnasium, Denmark

“The presenters were excellent - professional, animated and knowledgeable.”

Maria Alaguru, Red Cross United World College, Norway

“Both presenters, although very different in style, were well-prepared, interesting and engaging. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable and beneficial experience.”

Kevin Loughton, Haileybury School, United Kingdom

“The workshop was great. Not only was it personally inspiring and intellectually challenging, but it also gave me many practical ideas for teaching. I feel I will go back to school re-energised and enthusiastic.”

Rachel McQuillan, Sevenoaks School, United Kingdom

“Richard and Ric were excellent as usual!”

Katherine Gandolfo, International School of Nice, France

“Excellent!”

R. A. Lister, Malvern College, United Kingdom

“Both presenters are well acquainted with the material. Richard gives a lot of ideas on how to approach certain topics. Ric’s angle on assessment especially was extremely helpful. His other sessions were inspiring as well.”

Jan Dijkstra, International School Maastricht, Netherlands

“Both Richard & Ric are the very embodiment of “TOKishness” at its best!”

Ouriel Reshef, American School of Paris, France

“Excellent!”

Trevor Burt, Bahrain School, Bahrain

“Excellent - clear, engaging, stimulating.”

Mark Weeks, Oporto British School, Portugal

“Session after session both Ric and Richard inspired passionate debate. All sessions were well organised, informative, and encouraged reflection on day to day practice in the classroom. The erudition of the presenters was an added bonus.”

Conan de Wilde, International School of Geneva, Switzerland

“Fantastic - never a dull moment. Great discussions. Thanks - another inspirational workshop with InThinking!”

Sabine Cossette, Munich International School, Germany

“The presenters were very good and it worked hearing two very different styles and input to the weekend.”

Lucy Ogilvie, King’s College School, Wimbledon, United Kingdom

“Great experience, good people...”

John Sprague, King’s College School, Wimbledon, United Kingdom

“Excellent!”

Richard Bool, Sherborne School, United Kingdom

“The presenters were great. Different, but they complement each other - which is good. I can’t wait for the next one!”

Elena Mora, Aloha College, Spain

“Thanks for a very worthwhile course!”

Mark Turnball, Sevenoaks School, United Kingdom

“I would strongly recommend the workshop. I enjoyed being challenged and taken forward. This was an advanced course worthy of its name but nonetheless very accessible.”

Peter Ashbourne, International School of Lausanne, Switzerland

“Richard & Ric were both excellent and were complementary in styles and approaches. Thank you!”

Stewart Cook, Whitgift School, United Kingdom

“The presenters were excellent: interesting, well-prepared & humorous. Overall, an excellent workshop. Thanks!”

Sheila MacDonald, Rabat American School, Morocco

Paris, France
Workshop Leaders: Richard van de Lagemaat, Ric Sims

“Both Richard and Ric are inspiring TOK presenters.”

Sarah Brown, King’s College, Wimbledon, United Kingdom

“Top notch! ”

Pat Ebho, International School of Luxembourg

“The workshop leaders were excellent both in terms of preparedness and examples/ wealth of experience and willingness to share. They showed good management of the group and interacted well with individual participants. Well done! An excellent workshop!”

Jan Wood, Inter Community School, Zurich, Switzerland

“Excellent!”

Rona McDonald, Oslo International School, Norway

“Both Richard and Ric are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about TOK, which is excellent. Our questions were all answered fully. They looked after us well.”

Jodi Kamm, King’s College School, Wimbledon, United Kingdom

“The presenters were excellent. They were engaging and shared lots of good examples. It was great that they both got involved socially as well - this created a very good atmosphere.”

Sue Maclay, Sevenoaks School, United Kingdom

“The presenters were very inspiring. They have an obvious mastery of TOK and their modelling of lessons was superb.”

Peter Luitjens, Oslo International School, Norway

“Excellent throughout.”

Stephen Burke, International School of Geneva, Switzerland

“Both Ric and Richard are very stimulating in different ways. Their extraordinary experience brings a lot to the class. ”

Hubert Schon, Ecolint Geneva, Switzerland

“I found all the sessions very helpful. I liked alternating between Richard and Ric - their teaching styles are complementary. They are both excellent presenters.”

Patty Regnier, International School of Paris, France

“The presenters were excellent - very good at both presenting material and leading discussion. The workshop has been an inspiring introduction and made me want to keep going.”

Celia Forsyth, Windermere St. Anne’s, United Kingdom

“Brilliant - both for practical and theoretical ideas.”

Yvonne Castello, The Sultan’s School, Oman

“Both Richard and Ric are excellent presenters: well-prepared, amusing, and able to make the subjects accessible to non-specialists.”

Howard Stickley, ASIS Lugano, Switzerland

“Both presenters were excellent.”

Heli-Maarit Mi, Oulu, Finland

“The presenters were great. They complemented each other, gave lots of inspiration and were very enthusiastic.”

Han van de Zwan, International School Eerde, Netherlands

“Excellent, knowledgeable and funny! ”

Simon Parker, Oslo International School, Norway

“I found all the sessions very useful. Both presenters were extremely knowledgeable and really approachable regarding the work - a great help.”

Darron Kokott, King’s College School, United Kingdom

“Both Richard and Ric were excellent at guiding teachers through a complex set of topics. They were able to draw on their wide and extensive teaching experience, their enthusiasm was contagious and their humour enjoyable.”

Paul Mackaill, American International School, Budapest, Hungary

“The presenters were fantastic. I love seeing people who are passionate about academics. As well as getting examples and tips, I got a real sense of how to look at things with TOK in mind. The workshop really got me excited and energised about being a TOK teacher.”

Steven Stainbrook, Kultur High School, Istanbul, Turkey

Paris, France
Workshop Leaders: Richard van de Lagemaat, Ric Sims

“Very good - apart from knowing their stuff and being impressively quick at thinking on their feet, they were energetic, amiable, amusing... and being part of the evening meal gatherings was also a valuable factor.”

Andrew MacDonald, Frankfurt International School, Germany

“Ric and Richard are quite excellent workshop leaders. They are both accomplished at keeping the discussion focused and to the point. I felt they did an outstanding job of keeping the content of the seminar within the time limits.”

Darren Dreisel, Frankfurt International School, Germany

“Brilliant! Coherent, approachable, highly skilled and well-prepared.”

Athan Rodostianos, International School of Luxembourg

“Fantastic! Their energy, expertise, and enthusiasm served them well. The style of presentations as well as their chosen activities in their respective workshops was very inspiring.”

Neil Sideco, Munich International School

“I think that both Richard and Ric are great presenters. They have a lot of energy and are capable of engaging people.”

Ida Semey, Hamrahlid College, Iceland

“Excellent. Consistently clear and concrete. Authoritative on the basis of a wealth of experience.”

Peter Asbourne, International School of Lausanne, Switzerland

“The presenters were very good! I liked the way they handled questions. It was one of those workshops where people didn’t mind ‘getting it wrong’ because it was definitely part of the learning process.”

Arthur Clare, ACS Hinllingdon, United Kingdom

“The workshop leaders were lively, engaging and very supportive of the course members, and worked hard to demystify TOK for the beginner.”

Olivia Bourne, Warminster School, United Kingdom

Paris, France
Workshop Leaders: Richard van de Lagemaat, Ric Sims

“Both presenters were very good in terms of putting across ideas, responding to participants suggestions, criticisms etc.”

Michael Rossall, The English College in Prague, Czech Republic

“The Paris ToK workshop held in March 2005 rates as one of the best professional development experiences I have had over the course of many years. The organisation was spot on with all sessions keeping to the master plan and also all delegates felt welcome, included and valued, which quickly bonded all into an enthusiastic group working with the facilitators in true ToK spirit. The content of all the sessions was pertinent to our needs as ToK teachers and all of us came away feeling reinvigorated and inspired. Richard and Ric were both outstanding in their effectiveness in initiating and managing meaningful discussion and imparting valuable knowledge. I was particularly taken by the imaginitive teaching techniques applied. There were a lot of pleasant suprises and never a dull moment. Overall the workshop represented great value as I returned to my school excited about the subject and full of new innovative ideas that will have a very positive impact on my teaching. ”

Robyn Tyner, International School of Sophia Antipolis, France

“Both excellent! Absolutely brilliant! ”

Ouriel Reshef, American School of Paris, France

“Outstanding - intelligent, passionate, interesting, on top of the material.”

Tony Ackerman, International School of Prague, Czech Republic

Paris, France
Workshop Leaders: Richard van de Lagemaat, Ric Sims

“I think the presenters were very good. I particularly liked the clarity of expression and the logic applied in dealing with different topics and subjects.”

Alexis Tengan, St. John’s International School, Belgium

“The presenters were excellent... All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the course and found it stimulating and extremely useful.”

Daryl Farmer, Dartford Grammar School for Girls, United Kingdom

“The workshop has been great fun, and I have learnt so much. You have both made it most interesting and enjoyable.”

Jill Young, International School of Geneva, Switzerland

“Excellent - approachable, enthusiastic, authoritative without being authoritarian.”

David Hamer, Jyvaskylan Lyseon Lukio, Finland

“Great presenters. Much knowledge and practical advice given in a personable, coherent, dare I say fun, manner. The best workshop I have attended in 8 years of teaching.”

Steven Stevenson, Modern Knowledge Schools, Bahrain

“Overall, very, very good - excellent knowledge of program, plenty of usable classroom strategies. Very willing to combine group’s expertise, where useful, but provided much leadership and expertise. Patient and willing to explain in detail.”

Trevor Burt, Bahrain School, Bahrain

“Richard and Ric are both very fine and qualified people. They listen to the others and at no point try to impose things on the audience. That I appreciate a lot. Also, they lead the group gently, kindly and insightfully. I truly appreciate their hard work.”

Jesus Castillo Coronado, St John’s International School, Belgium

“Excellent! I really felt they dealt intelligently and enjoyably with the subjects.”

Dr. Peter Morgan, Munich International School, Germany