On December 6 and 7, Delta Secondary School’s Paige Hansen hosted a decision scientist and local teacher who led Grade 12s in two sessions about decision making and the importance of making good choices as they move into this next very exciting time in their lives. Brooke Moore (District Principal, Learning Services) and Robin Gregory (University of British Columbia) introduced a decision-making framework called the Decision Maker Moves (DMM) and illustrated how each of the six steps can be used to improve the choices they make. Brooke and Robin’s hope is that these young adults would begin to apply the DMMs to a wide variety of choices, ranging from minor decisions made every day to the larger choices that can create stress, confusion, and frustration.
The DMMs are based on decades of research in the decision sciences and mirror common sense. A group of Delta educators helped to shape them years ago in collaboration with Robin and his colleagues. As shown in the graphic below, the DMMs offer a sequential order to making complex decisions well – in particular, clarifying the decision framework and what matters in the context of a choice before beginning to create and evaluate alternative actions.
The examples Brooke and Robin offered highlight three main messages:
- The human brain operates in two different modes, one fast and automatic and another more reflective and effortful. Both modes are essential, but our fast intuitive system can often introduce errors to our decision-making process. Slowing things down can help.
- Choices are based on values – what matters to the person – and a good choice is one that leads to a positive difference to one or more of these values. And for most decisions multiple values will be impacted, which is part of what makes decisions tough.
- Choices are improved when collaborative; for 12th graders, bringing in the views of parents, teachers, and friends is important. Visual tools (such as a consequence table as Brooke and Robin discussed with the students) provide a place to make all the thinking from the DMMs visible for these collaborative discussions.
The Decision Maker Moves help cut through confusion and replace the stress of solving decision problems with the excitement of creating decision opportunities. The goal of this hand-out is to encourage parents as well as their kids to become familiar with an easy-to-grasp, flexible process that will lead to making better choices. This approach makes it easier for youth to improve their decision-making skills and recognize the power of their own decision-making opportunities. We hope to encourage teenagers to recognize they have the power to make a choice and not just go along with old habits, social media, or the unexamined advice of friends.
After the workshop the students shared their reflections about how their perspectives on decision-making have changed. Many mentioned shifting from a mindset of fear, rigidity, or impulsiveness to a more thoughtful, reflective, and confident approach. They now see decision-making as a skill that can be learned and improved through strategies such as taking time, considering personal values, and using tools like lists or frameworks. Here are the top three themes they shared in their reflections.
- Taking Time and Reducing Pressure: Many students mentioned they used to feel rushed or pressured to make decisions quickly. Now, they believe taking time to reflect, think critically, and explore options leads to better outcomes.
- Flexibility and Reassessing Decisions: Several students highlighted learning that decisions aren’t permanent and that it’s okay to change their minds. They now view decision-making as an ongoing process rather than a single, rigid choice.
- Confidence and Self-Discovery: Students expressed increased confidence in their ability to make decisions and discovered that their choices can be guided by their own values, goals, and interests rather than external pressures or expectations.
Supporting the young people you care about as they sort out their choices – listening to them, talking with them, sharing stories– will enhance their lives. As educators and parents, we care deeply about supporting and encouraging teenagers as they discover their own voice and use this agency to express themselves more fully in their world now and in the one they are creating. That evening, the speakers met with parents to teach them the same Decision Maker Moves. These ideas are explored in more detail in Brooke and Robin’s book “Sorting It Out: Supporting Teenage Decision Making” (Cambridge University Press, 2024). You can access free download-ables like the consequence table and other tools here: https://www.sortingitout.ca/.
Sessions such as these support the district’s vision and mission, and help students to develop critical and creative thinking which drives success.
