Ready for action?
Resources
Human Resources
Parents, policy-maker or school principal (from the school community).
Preparation
Arranging a meeting with a policy-maker.
Goals, messages & concepts
Specific goals
- Learn about difficult decisions made by familiar people and/or experienced policymakers.
- Gain familiarity with different decision-making strategies.
Specific messages
- Decision-making is a complex process, some of which is done consciously, and some of which is influenced by unconscious and irrational factors. Awareness of the various factors can help to make more informed and successful decisions.
- In every decision lies a certain degree of risk; we must weigh the benefit we will gain against the price we will have to pay.
- A decision becomes more difficult and complex when it affects other people, not just the person making the decision.
Main terms
- making informed decisions
- rational factors
- irrational factors
Practices & skills
STEM practices
- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
- Asking questions and defining problems
Soft skills
- Empathy
- Learning failure is a part of learning
Management skills
- Planning
Course of activity
step 1
Students will interview a parent or relative about an important or difficult decision they've had to make which has affected the rest of their life. They may ask how the decision was made, what/who helped make the decision, are there any regrets, or what they think would have happened if they had decided differently. They should record a video of the interview to share.
step 2
Next, students will interview a decision-maker in the school community. They will ask what makes something a 'big' decision, whether you need to learn how to make good decisions, and if so, how?