Personal Decision-Making

CALM 20 / Life Skills Grade 10 Developing Self-Esteem Personal Decision-Making Contributor M. J. Berezan, guidance counselor, Wetaskiwin Composite High School, Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools No 11. Objective This lesson helps students understand and think about decision-making. They will explore decision-making models and processes and learn the skills for effective decision-making. The lesson helps students apply and practice effective decision-making skills in their daily lives. They will learn to develop an attitude of valuing a collaborative approach while recognizing the need for authoritarian or democratic models in some contexts. Variations of this lesson can also be used in social studies to teach political systems. Time Materials • • • 80 to100 minutes Overhead/handout: “Brainstorming Tips” Overhead 2 “ Consensus Voting” Decision-Making Steps—Card Sort Activity Getting Started Knowledge Now Use this opening activity to create a non-threatening atmosphere and help students learn the skills of decision-making. Ask students to find four other people who use the same brand of toothpaste as they do. Ask each group to make a decision about one of the following topics: • • Where they would go for a two week holiday What are the top three ways to make a new student feel welcome Write the groups’ decision on a piece of flip chart paper and post it. Ask groups to select a spokesperson to explain their group’s decision to the class. The three steps are thinking by yourself, extending thinking with one other person and sharing ideas with a large group. Engaging Interest Ask students to think about the process their group used to make decisions. Guide them using these questions. Describe what happened in making the decision. Who spoke? Did anyone take charge? Did everyone have a say? How did you come to agreement? Were you all happy with the decision? Were everyone’s ideas considered? How was this process of decision-making similar or different from making a decision on your own? How do you make decisions in your own life? Think of decisions in your own life that need to be made in consultation with others? Provide information on various decision-making styles. These are: • Authoritarian: Is this what you mean by unilateral? -this approach leaves decision-making to one person, usually the leader. The leader can be chosen by the group, appointed or self-selected. • Democratic: this approach is made by voting. Majority rule determines the group’s decision. • Collaborative/consensus: all members negotiate a decision through discussion. Everyone’s ideas are heard and agreement is determined by weighing pros and cons and respecting everyone’s input. Sometimes groups use consensus voting to make decisions. Although the focus of this lesson is on personal decision-making, you may want to provide information that explains when it is appropriate to use the various types. To do this ask the following questions: • Which style is closest to the one your group used? • What are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach? When would it be appropriate to use each? i.e. Democratic when the group is split and the decision needs to be made (most effective after alternatives have been arrived at through consensus and there are just a few choices that are equally compelling); authoritarian works in an emergency and someone needs to take charge in a hurry; and, consensus when the group’s decision need to reflect interest held by everyone. CALM 20 Learner Outcome(s) Theme1 Self-Management, Topic 3 Develop a Personal Decision-Making Model Life Skills 10 Cognitive/Intellectual Balance Safe and Caring Topics and Concepts Developing Self-Esteem Striving for competency builds self-esteem Respecting Diversity and Preventing Prejudice Respecting different points of view builds community and helps to prevent or resolve conflict Living Respectfully Taking responsibility for our choices, our actions and for the consequences of our actions. The Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities—www.sacsc.ca 2 Teaching Strategies Go to www.sacsc.ca for Strategies and Resources Cooperative Learning Inquiry Learning Direct Instruction • for strategy descriptions Think-PairShare • Problem Solving (visual interpretation) • Lecture Generalization and Transfer Peer Teaching Empathy/Affective Education General Teaching Activities/Ideas • Skill Practice • Brainstorming The Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities—www.sacsc.ca 3 Supplementary Resources • Bessert C., Crozier S.D. and Violato C., 1988, Strategies for Career and Life Management, Weigl Educational Publishers Ltd., Edmonton/Regina, p. 36, 40-41. Learning Activities Post this quotation on board. When you have a choice to make and you don’t make it, that in itself is a choice. Point out that we make dozens of decisions each and every day. Generate some examples: getting out of bed; what to wear or eat; how to spend your time, and so on. Have students take two minutes to individually write down all the decisions they have made since they got up that morning (or in the last 24 hours). Ask students to code their own decisions in the following way: *The decision was made almost automatically **The decision was easy but required some thought ***The decision was difficult and required a lot of thinking What types of decisions are automatic? Which require more thought? Reinforce these ideas We are constantly making decisions. Some decisions require little or no thought. They are clear cut and often based on past experience. Other decisions are difficult and require an open mind and critical thinking. It is important to learn processes to help make tough decisions or to solve problems. Tell students that they will learn an effective strategy to use for brainstorming choices or solutions. Create Overhead 1 based on the template Brainstorming Tips (see end of lesson). Use Think-Pair-Share to brainstorm possibilities for a topic. For example, ways to improve the bathtub, how can we build others’ self-esteem or how can we make our school safer and so on. When a topic has been selected use this strategy to generate solutions: 1. Make a list individually 2. Continue to add to the list with a partner 3. The pair will share their lists with their small group or the whole class. After sharing group ideas, point out that they have just done the first three steps in a decision-making process. Draw attention to the fact that in many cases two heads are better than one in generating ideas or solutions. The Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities—www.sacsc.ca 4 Ask students to read page 36 in Strategies for Career and Life Management. Refer to this information to reinforce the importance of good decision-making. Decision-making Steps—Card Sort Activity Create a set of cards for each group. See Card Sort Activity at the end of lesson for template. Hand out a set of cards to each group and ask one student to shuffle them. Ask groups to arrange the cards in the order that would make the most sense if one were to use a step-by-step approach in decision-making. Check the responses by going over the order all of the steps. Focus on Steps 1 to 3 Ask students to think about what kinds of questions they need to consider in addressing the first three steps. For example, in Step 2 Identifying and Assessing Resources, they will need to know what resources are available, how much time will the plan take and is there money to support the plan? Do this for Steps 1 and 3. Focus on Steps 4 to 6. Review how the brainstorming exercise done at the beginning of the class covered the first three steps. These steps focused on what and where questions. Ask students to think about how they would progress through Steps 4 to 6. These focus on how questions. Continue to use brainstorming to think about how to make, plan, implement and assess an action plan. Read page 40 in Strategies for Career and Life Management. Have students write out steps of model in their notes. Assessment/Analysis Assign each group one of the case studies on page 41 of the text (or generate scenarios from their own experiences). Ask them apply the model by working through each step. Use consensus to make a decision in the case study. Application Homework assignment: Each student should choose an issue, decision or problem in their life that they would like resolved. Ask them write out each step of the process for their situation. Encourage them to make a decision that they can implement. Take some time to go over these decisions either in class or as an individual assessment. Because the intent of this lesson is to establish trust it is best to avoid formal evaluation. Consider providing verbal feedback or written comments. The Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities—www.sacsc.ca 5 Overhead 1 Brainstorming Tips • Record all ideas Don’t discuss or evaluate ideas during brainstorming - just list them Generate as many ideas as possible Let one idea trigger others Don’t’ be afraid to suggest a “far-out” idea Encourage everyone to contribute • • • • • The Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities—www.sacsc.ca 6 Overhead 2 Consensus Voting On the count of three everyone shows their support for a decision by voting with their fingers. Five Fingers - Total support Four Fingers - Really like the idea Three Fingers - Generally support the idea but have some reservations Two Fingers - Could live with the decision but have concerns A Fist - No way. . . absolutely cannot support the decision. A decision will not pass if one or more people raise a fist. The Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities—www.sacsc.ca 7 Decision-Making Steps—Card Sort Activity Make cards from the following list. Provide one card set per group. DEFINE THE GOAL OR PROBLEM IDENTIFY AND ASSESS RESOURCES AND CONSTRAINTS IDENTIFY ALTERNATIVES AND OPPORTUNITIES MAKE A DECISION PREPARE AND IMPLEMENT AN ACTION PLAN DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THE GOAL HAS BEEN ACHIEVED The Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities—www.sacsc.ca 8 The Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities—www.sacsc.ca 9