What is it about?
Effective decision making is a life skill. Adolescence is a key developmental period for strengthening the brain circuits that underlie effective decision-making skills. School presents an ideal environment for direct instruction and frequent practice of decision-making skills. We have developed a learning curriculum that involves active student participation to strengthen decision-making skills via a wide variety of content-specific classwork.
Featured Image
Photo by Marcus Wallis on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Using this curriculum, students show evidence of improved decision-making skills, including increased consideration of the number of factors that are relevant to their decision, the resources needed to make a particular decision, and both the short-term and long-term consequences of decisions.
Perspectives
Youth who have frequent and engaging practice with critical thinking and problem solving can apply these skills to significant life choices. We are hopeful that this research will encourage educators to consider the role they can play in building and sustaining effective decision-making in adolescents
Tricia Shelton
Seton Hill University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Development and Testing of a Curriculum to Improve
Decision‐Making
Skills in Middle and High School Students, Mind Brain and Education, November 2022, Wiley, DOI: 10.1111/mbe.12339.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Abingdon High: Homecoming
This free, online visual novel for Android gives adolescents practice with decision-making skills in an online format.
Working For Kids: Building Skills Website
The Working for Kids: Building Skills website offers resources and information promoting healthy brain development in youth, preschool through young adult.
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
