Interview With Robin Gregory and Brooke Moore, Co-Authors of “Sorting It Out: Supporting Teenage Decision Making”

Pictured: Robin Gregory and Brooke Moore.

In their new book, Sorting It Out: Supporting Teenage Decision Making, authors Robin Gregory and Brooke Moore provide practical advice for helping teenagers develop critical decision-making skills. The book draws upon decades of research in decision science and psychology to outline strategies that parents and educators can use to guide young people through the often challenging process of making wise choices during the tumultuous teenage years. 

Joanne Calder, a middle school teacher and former Decision Education Teacher Fellow, has worked with Gregory and Moore on developing materials to help students and teachers learn about making wise decisions. 

The Alliance recently had the chance to talk to Gregory and Moore. In this Q&A, the authors discuss some of the key insights from their book and share their motivations for tackling this important topic.

Q: What are the main lessons you wish students had related to decision-making?

A: We wish students had lessons where they are asked to apply a framework like the six Decision Maker Moves that helps them think through a decision by making intentional choices based on their values. Starting the process by framing the decision means that they consider the context and not necessarily accept the decision as initially presented. Then getting clear about what matters in this context is a great way to help them identify their own emotions and values rather than focusing on what matters to everyone else. Generating options beyond the most obvious, the third move, helps expand possibilities for action and encourages innovation and creative thinking. Then considering the consequences of those options and how each will achieve more or less of what matters helps students to address trade-offs and reflect on the likely outcomes of their choice. And the important sixth move, staying curious, is key to knowing that changing your mind when new information or a new perspective emerges is a sign of learning and not weakness. The Decision Maker Moves, and other frameworks like it, help youth to integrate their feelings and engage in more reflective thinking and to become more of who they are and want to be.

Q: How can young people develop effective decision-making skills at an early age, and why is this important for their future success and well-being?

A: We have seen teachers teach decision-making at all ages and stages, from K-12 and through trade schools or universities. Many such lessons that teachers have been using are available at www.deltalearns.ca/decisions. However, any adult in a child’s life is a potential decision mentor, and we lay out many invitations to practice this in real life situations in our book Sorting It Out: Supporting Teenage Decision Making. The younger the child is, of course, the smaller the scope of their decisions, starting with what clothes to wear or what games to play, but quickly—more quickly than the adults in their lives might like—the opportunities for higher-stakes decisions present themselves. Practicing thoughtful processes for making decisions is important because the more practice youth have, the more likely they are to rely on those skills when faced with a high-stakes decision. The more confident youth are in their own agency and decision skills, the less likely they will be to rely on unsafe sources and advice.

Q: In what ways can parents, teachers, or mentors play a role in guiding and supporting young people as they navigate various decision-making processes, and why is this guidance crucial during this developmental stage?

A: In our book, Sorting It Out: Supporting Teenage Decision Making, any adult who works or lives with kids can be a decision mentor and support youth as they navigate decision-making by:

• Listening to and valuing a young person’s perspectives and ideas.
• Supporting them in learning to use their agency and voice wisely.
• Encouraging consideration of the short- and long-term outcomes of their choice.
• Helping them to set realistic goals and expectations.
• Giving them space and opportunities to positively impact their world.

In order to do these things in a way that supports effective, values-based decision-making, the decision mentors must have practiced their own decision-making skills. Then once the mentor learns which phase of the process the youth is in, they can ask supportive questions designed to draw out the youth’s own values, encourage creative options that avoid the trap of binary thinking, and link causes and consequences to the articulated values. The approach is designed to provide a framework that becomes a habit, helping youth to shape and move intentionally through their decisions.

Q: What impact on society do you think there would be if the Alliance succeeds in its mission to ensure Decision Education is part of every single student’s learning experience?

A: If this task succeeds—which will only occur if many other sources in addition to the Alliance come on board—and decision skills begin to be viewed as an essential part of education (in schools and at home), both youth and adults would find the space to broaden their points of view and to incorporate more curiosity, compassion, and thoughtfulness in their lives. Decision Education necessarily includes learning to listen deeply to diverse perspectives, to seek common ground, and to recognize that dialogue is an essential tool for thoughtful engagement. If community and global leaders had this education from childhood, they would be less vulnerable to cognitive traps and their decisions would be more inclusive, less reactionary, and would more fully account for the multi-dimensional impacts of the choices we make rather than focusing so strongly on a single concern.

Thanks to the authors for their work bringing Decision Education to classrooms and homes. Many of the lessons in this book, especially the six Decision Maker Moves, relate to the four K-12 Learning Domains of Decision Education. Learn more here.

Interested in joining the movement to help bring Decision Education to more students? Check out our Teacher Resources for lesson plans and implementation models, or explore our Decision Education Advocates Community to get personally involved.