IB TOK class: Gillian Anderson wants us to find her G Spot
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
This article picked by a teacher with suggested questions is part of the Financial Times free schools access programme. Details/registration here.
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Specification:
Teacher themes Biology, health science, and anyone investigating food and drinks companies that claim their products can improve the way our bodies perform
IB DP TOK themes & AOKs Natural sciences, Language, Human sciences
Relevant BQ Experts
Key terms and ideas “Functional” drinks, Benefits, Claims, Prove, Evidence
Investigating Issues Pseudoscience
Exhibition prompt IAP-5 (evidence)
Click to read the article below and answer the questions:
Gillian Anderson wants us to find her G Spot
Have you come across the drinks brand ‘Prime’. Have you bought or tried one?
Why do they think they sell for so much money (around $10 per can)?
What examples does the article give of ‘functional’ drinks brands, and what claims do the manufacturers make for their products?
How accurate did the writer of the article seem to find these claims?
What advice does Professor Michael Heinrich from the UCL School of Pharmacy offer in assessing the effectiveness of these drinks?
Research the drinks brands mentioned in the article. What findings do you reach?
Overall, how can thinking critically ensure that we become intelligent consumers, and are not misled by pseudoscientific claims of manufacturers?
Michael Dunn, theoryofknowledge.net
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