Module One - Making Decisions

• decision making, choices, conflict resolution

Students will know that:

• making decisions is an integral part of life.

Students will:

• identify and practice various effective decision making strategies.

Students will:

• value peaceful decision-making processes.

Students may:

• participate in decision-making situations.

• The teacher and students may use a variety of scenarios to practice making decisions using a decision tree, consensus strategies, and role playing.
• Using relevant scenarios, have the students role play various ways to use peaceful means to resolve conflicts.
• The teacher may wish to refer to the profile of Adriane Paavo in the previous module (or other story) and discuss it in terms of making decisions to help people in developing countries and/or making decisions about safety in the work place.
• The teacher may choose to develop a decisions making project with the students designed to help where help is both needed and wanted or make a change in the school or community.

Module 1: Activity Guide

Present the class with a scenario such as the following:

A class wants to go for a field trip to the Science Centre. The School Board has agreed to provide a bus, but will not cover the admission to the Science Centre. The students decide to have a "White Elephant Sale" to raise the needed money. Students donate articles from home which are no longer needed or wanted. These are offered for sale to the students, parents and teachers in the school. Enough money is raised to pay for the admission for each student.

Decision tree

Draw a tree on a sheet of chart paper. Write the question at the top of the tree in such a way that it may be answered with either a yes or no (e.g., "Should we have a Christmas concert?"). Below the question, write yes on one side and no on the other. Under the yes and no, have the students list all the possible consequences of each decision. Have the students consider all the consequences and come to a decision.

Decision making by consensus

Reaching a consensus is a preferred method of decision making in many cultures. It is used by many Asian business persons in making group decisions.

The teacher and students may choose a problem. Have students working in groups. Each group must reach consensus on the problem facing them.

Entrepreneurship and decision making

Use the following case study to illustrate entrepreneurship and problem solving. Present Part 1. Brainstorm for solutions. Share the suggestions with the class. Read Part 2.

Read Part 3 to show how the children were entrepreneurs when they took the initiative to learn to read because they realized that having this skill would enhance the business.

Street Kids International

Part 1

"Street Kids International" is a company that was started by a man who wanted to do something to help the street children in developing countries. He wanted to find a way to provide employment for these children so they could earn money for themselves and their families. He started a courier business, delivering mail to embassies in a large city. The children used bicycles to deliver packages. There was a problem. Most of the children could not read. How would they know where to deliver each package?

Part 2

His solution was to use the flags of the embassies. He requested that each embassy include a picture of that embassy's flag. The children knew the embassies by the flags they flew and were able to deliver the correct packages.

Part 3

The children were very grateful for an opportunity to earn money to help support themselves and their families. They soon realized that if they could read and write the company would be more efficient. They made the decision to learn to read and write. (Note: In developing countries evening classes are sometimes held for children who have to work during the day to support themselves and their families)

Adapted with permission from:

Street Kids International
56 The Esplande
Suite 202
Toronto, ON
M5E 1A7
(tel) (416) 861-1816
(fax) (416) 861-9386

In the discussion concerning the above case study, ask questions like the following:

• What were the problems?
• Why did these problems exist?
• What risks did the man who started "Street Kids International" take?
• What did he hope to achieve?
• In what ways was his idea of the embassy flags a good one?
• What good things came out of the project?

• How would you feel if you had to work every day to support your family?
• How would you feel if you had to go to school at night? (In developing countries it is sometimes the case that children are able to find employment when adults cannot. There are rules that regulate work conditions for adults, but they do not necessarily apply to children. Some factories prefer to hire children so that they do not have to meet the rules regarding working conditions.)

Lin Yuan Yuan who grew up in Beijing, the capital city of China, speaks Chinese very well. She studied English when she went to university and speaks English very well too. She is very good at working with people from different cultures. Some people say that if you are doing business with people of other cultures you have a definite advantage if you know about the other culture and the other language.

She set up a company in Beijing for making mango juice. However, mangoes grow in only in tropical climates where there is no cold winter season, not in Beijing a map. Lin Yuan Yuan knew she would have to get the mangoes from another country. She found a good supplier in the Philippines. She arranged for the mangoes to be shipped to Beijing. She set up a factory in Beijing where the mangoes are made into juice and bottled. Because of her skills, Lin Yuan Yuan is able to communicate with people from both countries. Using an atlas or wall map, try to determine the best way to ship the mangoes from the Philippines to Beijing.

Discuss with the students the above case study, using questions like the following:

• What questions did Lin Yuan Yuan face?
• What decisions did she make?
• In what other ways might she have solved her problems?
• How did knowing 2 languages help her?

The teacher and students may wish to identify a local school or community issue that requires decision making. Have the students apply their skill to those issues.

Conflict resolution

Conflict resolution involves negotiation and compromise. It also involves helping students to realize that they must own their part in situations.

Students can learn appropriate ways of phrasing their feelings. For example, rather than saying, "You make me mad," they could say, "I am mad." Rather than saying, "I don't like you," they can say, "I don't like what you are doing."

When working through the conflict situations, have the students role play conflict scenarios. During the role play, "freeze frame" the action to discuss how the situation is unfolding. Ask the students who are observing the role play about the suitability of words and actions. Draw out possible words and actions, and proceed with the role play.

There may be several possible ways to resolve conflict. Some solutions may have positive results and others negative. Help students understand that there are many ways of resolving conflict.

Use the video Freedom From Violence Series: Resolving Conflicts Peacefully for staff inservice.

Use drama in context to develop understandings about conflict resolution. Family conflict situations include:

• differences in opinion about which television show to watch;
• disagreement about whose turn it is to do chores such as clearing the table or washing dishes;
• differing wants creating disagreement about where money should be spent; and
• siblings objecting to watching younger children.

• disagreements over equipment;
• aggressiveness on the playground; and
• students disagreeing about who should play with whom.

Set up procedures for dealing with conflict in the classroom.

• Cut out two pair of feet, each a different colour. When a conflict occurs between two students or a student and the teacher have each stand in the other's feet. Discuss what it is like to be in the other person's feet.
• Stand in another's feet to explore how other people feel, for example, city kids, farm kids, kids from the reserve, boys, girls, parents, principals, farmers, etc.
• Establish a peace desk or peace table. When a conflict arises between two students have them sit across from each other and talk about the issues and their feelings.
• When a conflict arises between two students have them stand side by side and look at an object on a table, not at each other. Have them talk to the object about their feelings and the issues.
• Role play conflict situations taking on various roles.
• After discussing conflict and conflict resolution as it relates to the students and their lives at home and school, discuss conflict in the community, province, country, and world. Use current events.
• Give the students the following procedure for thinking through problem solving:
  • listen and gather information;
  • clarify and paraphrase;
  • identify the problem and state what can be done;
  • brainstorm;
  • evaluate - do a reality check;
  • develop a plan - reevaluate.

Arthur's Birthday Marc Brown (ELA)
The Best Worst Christmas Present Ever Budge Wilson (ELA)
Can I Keep Him Steven Kellogg (ELA) (logical thinking)
Clever Tom and the Leprechaun Linda Shute (ELA)
The Green Toenails Gang Marjorie and Mitchell Sharmat (ELA)
Ida and the Wool Smuggles Sue Ann Alderson (ELA)
I Want a Cat Tony Ross (ELA)
I Want a Dog Dayal Khalsa (ELA)
Jack and the Whoopee Wind Mary Calhoun (ELA)
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub Audrey Wood (ELA)
The King's Cat John Tarlton (ELA)
Rinehart Lifts Farrar R.R. Knudson (ELA)
Six Crows Leo Lionni (ELA)
Starshine Ellen Schwartz (ELA)
The Warrior and the Wise Man David Wisniewski (ELA)
The Wise Queen Anthea Bell (ELA)