One of the most useful things I’ve tried in my philosophy class is the humble flow chart.  Philosophy ideas and writings lend themselves to this graphic model.  So far, I have used a flow chart to explain how St. Augustine gets from the question: “If God is all Good and all powerful, why does evil exist” to “Free will allows us to choose to turn away from God which leads to evil or the corruption of Good.”  Bertrand Russell’s idea about the four hour work day also lent itself to the use of a flow chart.

Last week I decided to put the power of the flow chart in the hands of the students.  We read a selection from Rene Descartes, First Meditation.  We read the first section together.  I constructed a flow chart of Descartes idea on the board with student input.

The students were then told that the second reading section would complete the flow chart.  I then had students create groups of 3-4.  Groups read the second section together and then were tasked to fill in the rest of the chart.  I walked around and checked in with students as they worked.  Students struggled with the reading, but they discussed and tested their ideas with their groups.  The final flow charts represented collaborative learning, and critical thinking.

After completing the flow charts, students posted the work, review them, and voted on the charts they felt was the most complete.