"Thinking About Decisions"
Robert J Swartz
Problems with Our Thinking About Decisions
- Deciding too quickly, without thinking through other options
- Failing to consider alternatives (multiple ways to wait, defer, negotiate, etc)
- "Myside bias" -- thinking about things only from our own perspective
- making decisions based on immediate self-interest rather than long-term self interest
scattered and sprawling
fuzzy
Studying Good Decision Makers
- Understand why a decision is needed.
- Consider as many options as possible.
- fluency
- flexibility
- originality
- elaboration
- consider consequences, their likelihood, and their significance
- weigh the consequences against our values
- remain open-minded even after deciding
- Remind ourselves of key questions and the order for answering them
- Why necessary?
- What options?
- What consequences?
- How likely consequences?
- Value/weight of consequences
- Pro/con compare/contrast
- How do I carry out?
- write down our thinking in answering these questions -- pros, cons, options, info
- collaborate to bring in new perspectives, disagreement, etc.
Teaching Students to Be Skillful Decision Makers Making Skillful Decision Making Stick
- Making explicit the strategy for skillful decision making -- on the board, on a flip chart or poster
- Guide through the strategy
- Have students work collaboratively
- Use a graphic organizaer
- Ask students to describe/evaluate their thinking
- Ask students to develop a plan for future skillful decision making
- Prompt students to think through other decision-making issues using the same strategy
Assessing Students' Decision-Making Abilities
see chart on page 65
could also use strategy you taught as a rubric
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