This article examines various aspects that should be considered when engaging in any type of decision-making process.
Appropriate Subject Area(s):
Careers, business studies; any area that involves having to make serious, consequential decisions
Key Questions to Explore:
- What are the critical decision-making criteria?
- What unnoticed biases may be at play?
New Terminology:
Hindsight bias, resulting fallacy
Materials Needed:
Copies of the article for the students
Introduction to lesson and task:
We all are faced with critical decisions at some point in our lifetime. Frequently, when young, we lack a disciplined and thoughtful way of determining which alternative is best. As we gain experience in this area, we develop a comfort with a certain approach to decision-making. With this comfort, however, can come unnoticed biases which affect our decisions. This article examines decision-making and some of the aspects that affect our ultimate choice. This lesson will have the students consider their decision-making strategies, compare them to those of their peers and then examine other considerations which should be examined during a decision-making process.
Action (lesson plan and task):
- Begin the lesson by asking the students to take a moment and think of a time when they were asked to make an important choice or decision.
- Have volunteers offer their example.
- Once some of these have been given, ask the students, without consulting others, to write down their preferred decision- making process – in other words, what things do you consider before you make your choice and how do you sort those items?
- Once they have done this, pair up the students and have them exchange their ideas.
- With this completed, have each pair join another pair and repeat the process, with each student noting items of interest to them personally.
- Conduct a plenary session during which the foursomes report back to the class as a whole and present ideas that they found important and interesting.
Consolidation of Learning:
- Hand out copies of the article to the foursomes, ask them to read and discuss it and prepare their reactions for a brief report to the class.
Success Criteria:
The students will:
- demonstrate an appreciation of the need to have an effective decision-making process;
- indicate an understanding of some of the biases that may enter into any decision-making process.
Confirming Activity:
- Have each of the foursomes report their reactions to the article and then hold a plenary session during which time the students can indicate how these discussions have affected their personal decision-making process.