What is Responsible Decision Making?
The ability to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. Responsible decision making skills allow you to make a reasoned judgment after analyzing information, data and facts, identify solutions for personal and social problems, anticipate and evaluate the consequences of actions, and recognize how critical thinking skills are useful both inside and outside of school.
How will this help our students?
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Demonstrating curiosity and open-mindedness
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Learning how to make a reasoned judgment after analyzing information, data and facts
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Identifying solutions for personal and social problems
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Anticipating and evaluating the consequences of one’s actions
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Recognizing how critical thinking skills are useful both inside and outside of school
What Strategies can be used at home to help with Responsible Decision Making?
Factors in Decision Making
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Time: “How much time did you have to make a decision?”
“Was this a spur of the moment decision?”
Values: Prioritize your student’s values when making a decision. Your student may choose a social life over school work based on values. Be able to understand their values, but respectfully debate the counter argument.
Priorities: Students need to be aware that their decisions are based on their priorities, which in turn are based on their values. Utilize time management skills to discuss what needs to be accomplished or prioritized in a given week.
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Five-Part Decision Making
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Identify: Ask your student to determine what the problem is. Give them time to discuss and narrow down the problem to be solved.
Analyze: Ask your student to break down the problem into parts. What is at the root of the problem?
Brainstorm: Ask your student to come up with possible solutions to this problem. This will help understand their values/priorities.
Evaluate the solutions: Create an if/then chart for each suggested solution.
For example; if you want to receive a better grade, then you will have to improve upon exam preparation.
Reflect: Take some time to reflect with your student on what went well, did a better result occur, are you better prepared if this situation happens again
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Resources to Download
Responsible Decision Making at Home
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Responsible Decision Making at School
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Responsible Decision Making on the Bus
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How are Beloit Turner students feeling about Responsible Decision Making skills?
Students in grades 2-12 take a Life Readiness self-reflection survey 3 times per year. The survey is meant as a reflection for students to think about what is easy and what is difficult for them. This survey does not identify whether or not they can use these skills, but rather how difficult it is for them to use them.
Most Difficult Most Easy
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The School District of Beloit Turner has developed these resources, strategies, and data processes from years of learning and researching the best practices around College, Career, and Life Readiness. The following resources were studied as a part of developing the above.
Redefining Ready! - National College and Career Readiness Indicators
WCSD Social and Emotional Competency Assessment
Social Emotional Learning and the Brain