Instructional Model

Developing a Decision Education Course

Grade Level: 9-10

Length: Twenty-six Lesson Plans and Twenty Lesson Plan Extensions

About the Instructional Model

This model provides a comprehensive Decision Education course to support high school students in making informed decisions about all of the opportunities ahead of them. There are structured lessons, experiential learning opportunities, and portfolio assessments to help students explore the four domains of Decision Education and develop new skills and dispositions that will empower them as learners and leaders.

Students explore all four domains of Decision Education, including:

Recognizing and Resisting Cognitive Biases

Understanding how their brains process and interpret information to identify errors in their thinking.

Valuing and Applying Rationality

Developing self-awareness and self-direction to make decisions that are aligned with their goals and values.

Thinking Probabilistically

Evaluating possible outcomes to enhance their planning for life after graduation.

Structuring Decisions

Building skills and agency as decision makers, both individually and collaboratively.

Implementation

This model is designed as a standalone course for high school students. Including 30 hours of instructional time, teachers have time to take their students in-depth into decision-making skills and dispositions that will provide support as they plan for the future.

The course content can be modified to fit any academic schedule, for example:

  • One 50 minute class per week for the academic year
  • Two 50 minute classes per week for one semester
  • Five 40 minute classes per week for one quarter

This model can be used on its own or integrated with our other College and Career instructional models.

Resources

Developing a Decision Education Course – Scope and Sequence

Grade level: 9-10 | Length: Twenty-six Lesson Plans + Extensions

School Impact

This instructional model was developed based on Decision Education courses piloted at two schools:

  • Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early College High School in Concord, North Carolina, an admissions-based public high school with an Early College Program, where students earn a high school diploma as well as two years of transferable college credit or an associate degree at no cost to their families.
  • Livonia Middle/High School, a rural school in Livonia, New York serving grades 6-12.

Livonia: In the news

Livonia’s Incubator model was featured on News10NBC in Rochester, New York! Watch the segment and read the full news story.

Cabarrus: Key Stats

  • After participating in this model, Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early College High School (CKECHS) students’ decision-making practices and processes improved, as measured by the Brief Life Skills (EHV-A), with items such as “I think about the possible consequences before making a decision” and “I look for as much information as possible to make a decision.”
  • After participating in this model:
    • 92 percent of CKECHS students agreed their current efforts can impact their future positively.
    • 92 percent of CKECHS students agreed they can make complex decisions about their future.

Student quotes

Mental contrasting and resulting have helped me plan for my future. Mental contrasting has helped with reviewing my decisions and resulting has helped me review the outcome of those decisions.

10th Grader, Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early College High School

I have learned a lot about not only the importance of decisions, but what should go into decision-making and how decisions are made, like what goes on in our brain during that time. It has helped me a lot when it comes to planning my future and what I want to do in my life as I can make better decisions and think more critically when it comes to that process.

10th Grader, Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early College High School

I have learned how to separate the outcome of my decisions from the decision itself to more clearly see if the decisions I make are good.

10th Grader, Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early College High School

I liked the career and job planning aspects a lot, I feel like they really did help with how I want my future to go.

10th Grader, Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early College High School

The Alliance for Decision Education would like to extend our thanks to Andrew Rowe, Mark Bostrom, Julia Signorelli, and Joshua Trujillo at Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early College High School in Concord, North Carolina, as well as Nicole McGarry, Megan Hugg, Callianne Siegl, and Kate Delano from Livonia Central School District in Livonia, New York.

This instructional model was developed based on contributions and pilot programs at both schools.