Decision Making
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At high school you will become much more independent as you begin to make decisions about your home life and school life. In order to make good decisions we need to evaluate our options and think about the consequences and how our actions might affect other people.
Process for making a decision:
1. Identify your decision/ problem - What do you need to make a decision about?
2. Think about the options available - What are your options? If you have to make an important decision like what high school you want to go to, then you should make a list of all your options.
3. Evaluate the options - What are the positives and negatives associated with each option? You may want to write them down so you can compare them. Think about what the consequences might be? Will they be positive or negative consequences?
4. Choose the best option - Be clear about why you chose this that option.
Adapted from Kids Matter (2013, p. 2)
Process for making a decision:
1. Identify your decision/ problem - What do you need to make a decision about?
2. Think about the options available - What are your options? If you have to make an important decision like what high school you want to go to, then you should make a list of all your options.
3. Evaluate the options - What are the positives and negatives associated with each option? You may want to write them down so you can compare them. Think about what the consequences might be? Will they be positive or negative consequences?
4. Choose the best option - Be clear about why you chose this that option.
Adapted from Kids Matter (2013, p. 2)
Peer Pressure
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Sometimes your decisions may be influenced by peer pressure. Once you start high school peer pressure can be difficult to deal with as you try to fit in and make new friends (Kids Helpline, 2012). Peer pressure may be negative and attempt to influence you to do something that is not healthy for your personal wellbeing. However peer pressure can be positive when a friend influences you to make a decision that will have a positive effect on your wellbeing.
Remember your wellbeing includes both physical and emotional factors. For example: someone that pressures you into smoking would be having a negative impact on your physical wellbeing. Whereas a friend that pressures you to try out for the school soccer team would most likely have a positive effect on your emotional and physical wellbeing. However it is important to make sure that you avoid negative peer pressures that could lead you to making decisions that may negatively impact your wellbeing.
Activity 1: Have a look at the following resources and then answer the following questions. Make sure you understand the difference between positive and negative peer pressure.
Peer Pressure: http://www.kidshelp.com.au/teens/get-info/hot-topics/peer-pressure.php
YouTube video: Peer pressure: positive or negative?
Remember your wellbeing includes both physical and emotional factors. For example: someone that pressures you into smoking would be having a negative impact on your physical wellbeing. Whereas a friend that pressures you to try out for the school soccer team would most likely have a positive effect on your emotional and physical wellbeing. However it is important to make sure that you avoid negative peer pressures that could lead you to making decisions that may negatively impact your wellbeing.
Activity 1: Have a look at the following resources and then answer the following questions. Make sure you understand the difference between positive and negative peer pressure.
Peer Pressure: http://www.kidshelp.com.au/teens/get-info/hot-topics/peer-pressure.php
YouTube video: Peer pressure: positive or negative?
Have you ever been influenced by negative peer pressure? What happened afterwards?
Have you ever been influence by positive peer pressure? What afterwards?
What strategies will you use to avoid negative peer pressure?
Activity 2: Use the decision making process to make appropriate decisions from the given scenarios. Use the template below to record your responses. Ask a responsible family member or teacher to comment on your decisions, what did they think about your decisions?
You are given the following scenarios:
Scenario 1: Your best friend offers you a cigarette and says that it is the cool thing to do. What do you do?
Scenario 2: You are given a math homework sheet that has revision for your exam the next day. But on the same night your favourite T.V show is on. What do you do?
Scenario 3: You want to stay up all night reading your favourite book or playing your favourite video game, but you have school the next day. What do you do?
Scenario 4: You find out that one of your best friends has been bullying another kid at school? What do you do?
Have you ever been influence by positive peer pressure? What afterwards?
What strategies will you use to avoid negative peer pressure?
Activity 2: Use the decision making process to make appropriate decisions from the given scenarios. Use the template below to record your responses. Ask a responsible family member or teacher to comment on your decisions, what did they think about your decisions?
You are given the following scenarios:
Scenario 1: Your best friend offers you a cigarette and says that it is the cool thing to do. What do you do?
Scenario 2: You are given a math homework sheet that has revision for your exam the next day. But on the same night your favourite T.V show is on. What do you do?
Scenario 3: You want to stay up all night reading your favourite book or playing your favourite video game, but you have school the next day. What do you do?
Scenario 4: You find out that one of your best friends has been bullying another kid at school? What do you do?
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making_responsible_decisions.docx | |
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Make sure you also check out the establishing and maintaining relationships link on this website to learn ways for making friends.
References
References: Kids Matter. (2013). About good decision-making, retrieved from https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/sites/default/files/public/KMP_C2_HCMD_AboutGoodDecisionMaking.pdf
Kids helpline. (2012). Peer pressure, retrieved from http://www.kidshelp.com.au/teens/get-info/hot-topics/peer-pressure.php
Page developed by Katelyn Carter
Kids helpline. (2012). Peer pressure, retrieved from http://www.kidshelp.com.au/teens/get-info/hot-topics/peer-pressure.php
Page developed by Katelyn Carter