Decision-making Process Unit - Grade 9

Decision-making Process

Time Frame

This unit will take approximately three to four hours to complete. The number of class periods will vary depending on whether the teacher is working with 30, 45, or 60 minute periods.

Foundational Objectives and Learning Objectives

Level A - Extend Knowledge Base

Foundational Objectives

Students will understand that there are many ways of taking a leadership role in health promotion.

Students will acquire and evaluate multiple sources of information.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• list health-enhancing behaviours that have increased, in the general population, due to the positive effects of health promotion
• identify the determinants of health
• identify strategies of health promotion
• list leadership skills that can be used in health promotion
• identify selection criteria and use them to evaluate sources of health-related information
• list and apply strategies for evaluating health-related information.

Level B - Make an Informed Decision

Foundational Objectives

Students will develop the lifelong practice of making health-enhancing decisions.

Students will acknowledge the role health promotion plays in decision making.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• assess their current use of leadership skills for purposes of promoting health
• generate strategies/alternatives to promote health in their community
• establish criteria and use them to evaluate alternatives/strategies (CCT)
• establish a goal related to health promotion in their community.

Level C - Carry Out Action Plan

Foundational Objective

Students will practise planning to promote responsible health action.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• construct clear, achievable goals and plan to meet them (IL)
• design an action plan that promotes health
• identify the skills and traits of a support person who can monitor leadership skills in promoting health
• identify criteria and use them to assess the design elements of an action plan
• identify criteria to evaluate the implementation of an action plan
• revise their action plan based upon specific criteria (CCT).

Unit At a Glance

Instructional Strategies/Methods	Teaching Notes
Direct Instruction: structured overview	Provide students with a list of the required and optional units or topics for grade 9 Health Education. Optional units may be selected based upon student need, community need, teacher expertise, availability of resources, and student interest. Review the perspectives or themes introduced earlier in the Middle Level: Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Affirm Standards Commit Self Support Peers Inform students that the focus for grade 9 is 'promote health' and that they will be designing and carrying out action plans throughout the semester or year. Post a wall chart of the Decision-making Process and the six steps within Levels A, B, and C. Explain that during the year students will: acquire and evaluate Health Education information to make sure they have the facts they need to make informed health-related decisions gain skills in decision making for health, recognizing that it is not always easy to make wise decisions practise applying Health Education information appropriately and responsibly in order to carry out their plans to promote health.
Interactive Instruction: brainstorming	Ask students to generate a list of health-enhancing behaviours that have increased in the general population, in part due to health promotion strategies. They may list such examples as: increased use of seat belts (buckle up) increased use of headlights on motor vehicles during daylight hours (lights for life) increase in the physical activity of walking (participaction - walk a block a day) increase in designated non-smoking areas in public places. Remind students that in grade 7, they designed and carried out action plans that featured personal commitment, and in grade 8, they designed and carried out action plans that featured peer support. In other words, they began with themselves in grade 7 and then moved beyond 'self' to 'peer' in grade 8. Now, in grade 9, they broaden the scope of their skills further to include the 'community'. The term community can apply to their school, their neighbourhood, or their town/city. In grade 9, students design and carry out a minimum of two action plans that promote health. They may implement an action plan in any of the required units and any of the optional units offered in a particular school year. The three sample units in thi s curriculum guide all include designing, implementing, and evaluating action plans (the Decision-making Unit, the Tobacco Industry Unit, and the HIV/AIDS Education Unit).

Student Assessment Techniques Throughout Step 1, students are reflecting on what they already know about health-enhancing behaviours that have increased as a result of health promotion strategies. The activities to this point in the unit essentially act as a needs assessment for t he teacher.

Decision-making Process Level A - Extend Knowledge Base 2. Research the issue. Find the facts. Learning Objectives Students will identify the determinants of health. Students will identify strategies of health promotion. Students will list leadership skills that can be used in health promotion. Students will identify selection criteria and use them to evaluate sources of health-related information. Students will list and apply strategies for evaluating health-related information.

Instructional Strategies/Methods	Teaching Notes Refer to the wall chart of the Decision-making Process and indicate the progression from Step 1, into the research and fact finding of Step 2.
Direct Instruction: mini-lecture or guest speaker	Health Canada has developed a Population Health Promotion Model that deals with the who, what, how, and why of population health promotion. Saskatchewan Health has developed Population Health Promotion Model: A Resource Binder to support the use of this model. The Population Health Promotion Model outlines nine determinants of health which are: income and social status social support networks education (employment and) working conditions physical environments biology and genetics (and gender) personal health practices and coping skills healthy child development health services. The factors listed above affect our health and well-being. Activities of health promotion exist within these broad determinants of health. The health promotion co-ordinator in your health district may be a suitable guest speaker to introduce this porti on of the Decision-making Process Unit.
Direct Instruction: mini-lecture or guest speaker	The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion outlines five ways to take action in promoting health. They are: build healthy public policy create supportive environments strengthen community action develop personal skills reorient health services. The Population Health Promotion Model (Diagram 1), located in Appendix 9-A, may help visual learners understand the connections between determinants of health and health promotion strategies. The following list provides examples of how these strategies are used in Saskatchewan initiatives to reduce the number of people who smoke. These strategies are in response to the fact that tobacco smoke is the cause of many health problems (Populat ion Health Promotion Model: A Resource Binder, Saskatchewan Health, June 1997, Page D2). Strengthen community action train-the-trainer programs, where community members are trained to conduct smoking cessation programs Build healthy public policy municipal bylaws restrict smoking in workplaces or public areas Create supportive environments environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) campaigns to reduce smoking by pregnant women, in child care spaces, and in workplaces Develop personal skills school programs dealing with smoking and peer pressure Reorient health services employer sponsored workplace smoking cessation programs to treat smoking addiction. The health promotion co-ordinator in each health district may be able to describe initiatives in the local health district that illustrate each of the five action strategies.
Interactive Instruction: brainstorming	Students have evaluated print and non-print resources (e.g., video, television) throughout grades 6-8. It is suggested that grade 9 students evaluate both the sources of information and the information about leadership skills found in electronic form o n the Internet. If access to the Internet is limited or unavailable, print and non-print formats can certainly be used. Begin by asking students to brainstorm a list of leadership skills that they think are necessary to promote health in the community. Their suggestions may include the following: ability to motivate others ability to solve problems and overcome obstacles ability to support others ability to work with others as team players ability to act as positive role models ability to plan and organize ability to take healthy risks with conviction and courage. Use the wall chart of the Decision-making Process to reinforce the idea that Step 2 of Level A, Extend your Knowledge Base, emphasizes researching a topic and finding additional information. Indicate to students that their research will focus on the to pic of leadership and sources of information found on the Internet.
Direct Instruction: mini-lecture	Begin by reviewing the criteria used to evaluate sources of health-related information. Provide each student with a copy of the Sample Checklist for Evaluating Health-related Sources of Information (Grade 9) in Appendix 9-B. Remind students that information available on the Internet is not always posted by experts. Any person who has the skills to create a web page can author and post information on the World Wide Web. Encourage students to be critical readers, listeners, and viewers, as they evaluate sources of information about leadership skills. Provide each student with a copy of the Sample Checklist for Evaluating Health-related Information, located in Appendix 9-C. Compare this checklist to the grade 8 checklist and discuss the added criteria. Remind students that, on the Internet, they are likely to encounter advertising. Businesses and individuals use the Internet as a means of selling their books, courses, and videos about leadership skills. Encourage students to be critical consumers of the information they will locate.
Direct Instruction: demonstration and Interactive Instruction: peer partners	Provide students with a list of web site addresses. A starter list includes: www.demon.co.uk/mindtool/leadsid.html www.sentex.net/~casaa/resources/student-leadership/ leadership-styles.html www.sentex.net/~casaa/resources/student-leadership/ spot-the-student-leader.html Arrange students in pairs and have them evaluate one or two of the above sites using the checklists provided. It may also be appropriate to ask pairs of students to search for and evaluate one or two other web sites. The extent of the assignment will d epend on the school, the community, and access to the Internet. Teacher demonstrations of the following will help ensure students' success in the assignment: the process of searching a topic, evaluating the web site as a source of information, evaluating the information found on the web site, and completing the two checklists. The demonstration also provides an opportunity for the teacher to outline expectations and to inform students that their work, as submitted on the checklists, will be used as assessment data for determining their Level A mark. Have students prepare a one-page summary of the leadership skills outlined within each web site.

Student Assessment Techniques The learning objectives of Level A can be assessed by using a variety of strategies, such as concept webs or other visual representations. The peer-partner completed checklists are the most appropriate means of assessing the degree to which students c an evaluate health-related information and its source. Student Evaluation Techniques for Level A of the Decision-making Process Assessment is the process of gathering data. Evaluation is the process of making a judgement and assigning a mark based upon the data. Use the data collection instruments filed in each student's folder. In this unit, those include concept webs or othe r visual representations, and two checklists. Assign a mark that reflects what the data indicates about the degree to which the student has attained the learning objectives of Level A. One-third of the student's mark for the Decision-making Process Unit w ill be based on Level A achievements, one-third on Level B achievements, and one-third on Level C achievements.

Decision-making Process Level B - Make an Informed Decision 3. State the challenge. Explore alternatives and consequences. 4. Make a decision. Set a personal goal. Learning Objectives Students will assess their current use of leadership skills for purposes of promoting health. Students will generate strategies/alternatives to promote health in their community. Students will establish criteria and use them to evaluate alternatives/strategies (CCT). Students will establish a goal related to health promotion in their community.

Instructional Strategies/Methods	Teaching Notes
Direct Instruction: structured overview	In Level B of the Decision-making Process, students explore the possibilities for promoting health in their communities. They will use the information they have gained about determinants of health, health promotion strategies, and the leadership skills necessary to promote health. Teachers can use the wall chart of the Decision-making Process to review Steps 3 and 4.
Interactive Instruction: small group activity	Arrange the class in small groups of four. For best results, the small groups are made up of the pairs of students who prepared a one-page summary on the leadership skills included in each of the web sites they evaluated. Using their summary sheets, as k each small group to compile a joint list of leadership skills that they learned about on the Internet. Debrief the small group activity by compiling a class list of leadership skills. The list may include some of skills that the class brainstormed in Level A and may also include such additions as: ability to check expectations and follow through on them ability to request time lines and follow through on them ability to set short-term targets and attain them as steps to achieving a goal ability to treat all people with respect ability to help others develop their potential ability to speak and behave in a positive manner ability to listen to differing points of view.
Indirect Instruction: personal reflection	Develop a four or five point Likert rating scale that includes the leadership skills that the class members have identified. Allow space for students to add comments. See Appendix 9-D for a sample. Distribute the rating scale and instruct students to do two things: use the rating scale to rate their current level of skill for each leadership skill write in comments about situations, and possibly dates, when they recall using a particular skill(s) to promote health. Advise students that the thoroughness with which they complete the assessment instrument will be used in determining their mark for Level B of the Decision-making Process Unit. Also, inform students that this self-assessment information will be used by them later in the unit when decisions are made about appropriate health promotion action.
Direct Instruction: mini-lecture	See Appendix 9-E and the Population Health Promotion Model (Diagram 2). This 'building block' explains the elements of 'What', 'How', and 'Who' that make up the complete version of the Population Health Promotion Model. Use the concept of a 'building block' to present examples of strategies to promote health that address specific determinants of health. Provide examples that are appropriate for grade 9 students and for their community. Some examples are listed below. These examples are going to be examined again, later in the unit. Outline each example on a separate sheet of flipchart paper. To address the determinant of health, Income and Social Status, students might choose to Strengthen Community Action by collecting used hockey equipment and distributing it to young people who are unable to play hockey due to the expense of the e quipment. To address the determinant of health, Physical Environment, students might choose to Build Healthy Public Policy by working with their health district, town council, and recreation board to create a smoke free hockey rink or recreation centre. To address the determinant of health, Physical Environment, students might choose to Create Supportive Environments by establishing criteria and using them to inspect the safety of school playground equipment. To address the determinant of health, Education, students might choose to Develop Personal Skills by planning and attending a half-day youth leadership convention at their school. To address the determinant of health, Education, students might choose to Develop Personal Skills by planning and conducting presentations in Elementary Level classrooms about the health risks of smoking. Conclude the mini-lecture by emphasizing that health promotion exists within the larger context of the determinants of health. Tie the mini-lecture to the next activity by reminding students that grade 9 Health Education is taught and learned with a fo cus on promoting health. Also, remind students that they will be designing and carrying out a minimum of two action plans throughout the year or semester.
Direct Instructions: mini-lecture and demonstration	Draw attention to the wall chart of the Decision-making Process and Step 3 of Level B, Make an Informed Decision. Step 3 involves three things: stating a challenge generating alternatives to meet that challenge exploring the consequences of each alternative. Lead the class through these three steps of decision making in the following manner: Provide students with the following classroom challenge: 'Our challenge is to acquire the leadership skills we will need to promote health in action plans later in the semester or year.'. Refer to the alternatives explained during the previous mini-lecture and posted on flipchart paper. The alternatives are all possible and plausible ways for grade 9 students to promote health, but the task is to decide which one is best suited to meeting the challenge. Remind students that in grades 6-8 they explored the short-term consequences and the long-term consequences of alternatives as a means of selecting the best alternative to meet a specific challenge. Indicate that comparing alternatives, by referring to specific criteria, is another way of selecting the best alternative to meet a specific challenge. In order to compare the alternatives as described, provide such criteria as: time Which alternative can be completed in the time available? cost Which alternative can we afford? support For which alternative do we have adequate support? challenge Which alternative best meets our challenge? skills For which alternative do we have the prerequisite skills? Introduce the matrix as a tool to assist in evaluating alternatives based upon specific criteria. Insert the alternatives along the first column of the matrix and the criteria along the top row. The terms low (poor), medium, and high serve as a simple rating scale. Produce the matrix on the chalkboard or flipchart. Criteria ------------ Alternatives Time Cost Support Skills Challenge Hockey equipment L M-H M M Smoke-free facility L M-H L M Playground equipment M H L M Leadership convention M M-H H H Presentations on smoking L H L M The rating of each alternative will vary from class to class and from one community to another, particularly in terms of support. Some ratings will be fairly consistent with those completed in the sample matrix above. The challenge is to develop leadership skills. Therefore, the leadership convention rates high in terms of the question, 'Does this alternative match our challenge or help us meet our challenge?'. Planning skills and communication skills are needed to arrange a half-day student convention but there are not a lot of other prerequisite skills needed. Therefore, the leadership convention rates high in this category. It would rate poorly or low as a n alternative if students needed to acquire numerous prerequisite skills before they could begin. Such is the case with the smoke-free facility option, and the presentations on smoking option, where considerable prerequisite skills are needed regarding pu blic speaking, presentation skills, and others. Similarly, in the playground equipment option, students need to acquire background information about equipment before they can start. In terms of time, the option of presenting information on playground equipment to Elementary Level classrooms rates low because that alternative requires a great deal of preparation time. Likewise, working with town councils, recreation boards, and hea lth districts toward a smoke-free facility requires a great deal of fact-finding and research, as well as time to attend many meetings. It rates poorly or low in terms of the criterion of time. Options rate high in the cost category if there are no costs involved. Demonstrate the process by completing the matrix. Analyze the completed matrix to determine the best alternative. Conclude by suggesting that evaluating alternatives using specific criteria is one more way students can examine consequences as a means o f selecting the best option.
Interactive Instruction: talking circle/ circle of knowledge	Review the elements of an effective goal statement. Using a talking circle, give each student the opportunity to suggest one element. Record the students' suggestions. Write the challenge statement on the chalkboard or on flipchart paper where all students can see it. It acts as the beginning point for creating a goal statement. 'Our challenge is to acquire the leadership skills we will need to promote health in our community.'
Indirect Instruction: personal reflection and Interactive Instruction: peer partners	The goal statement needs to be more specific than the challenge statement. Refer students to the self-assessment of their leadership skills, which they completed at the beginning of Level B of this unit. Instruct each student to write a goal statement that is more specific than the challenge statement because it identifies one or two leadership skills that the student needs to acquire or improve (i.e., leadership skills that they rated as a 1 or 2 on the rating scale). Note: Each student's goal statement will be similar to, 'My goal is to acquire the leadership skills of _____________________________ and ______________' or 'My goal is to acquire the leadership skill of ______________ and practise the leadership skill of _____ ____________'. Move students into pairs to do two things: help one another refine their goal statements, if necessary make their goal statements more specific by adding a date. Note: Goal statements will begin to look something like, 'My goal is to acquire the leadership skills of _____________ and ____________ by (date)___________ because I will need them to promote health in two action plans later in the semester or year.'. Remind students that goal statements are to be realistic. If the leadership convention turned out to be the best alternative, how much time will they need to organize the convention? If planning requires a month and the leadership convention is where t hey will acquire and/or practise leadership skills, then the date in their goal statement will be after the leadership convention date. Ensure that students date and sign their goal statements. They are to be submitted as part of their Level B assessment. Before filing the goal statements into each student's folder, compile a class list of the leadership skills that are identified in t he goal statements. This list will be used in Level C as the class designs an action plan.

Student Assessment Techniques Gather the assessment data located in each student's folder. Level B assessment data includes Assessing My Leadership Skills for Promoting Health and a goal statement. This information can be used to determine the degree to which each student can asse ss the current use of leadership skills and can establish a goal. To assess students' abilities to generate alternatives to promote health, provide each student with a copy of the Population Health Promotion Model (Diagram 1) and ask students to outline one or two strategies to promote health in their community. Stud ents might prepare the outline in a written paragraph or on an audio tape. Indicate that their suggestions cannot be the same ones that were provided as examples during the mini-lecture in Level B. To assess students' abilities to establish criteria and evaluate alternatives, add a second portion to the assignment suggested above, asking students to list four or five criteria that one might use in determining which of their health promotion strat egies is best for them, and for their particular community. These assessment suggestions are closely aligned to the learning objectives and to the way students spent their time in class as they worked toward achieving the learning objectives. It is important to remember that the purpose of assessment is to dete rmine what students know or the degree to which they have attained the learning objectives for this particular portion of the Decision-making Process. Student Evaluation Techniques for Level B of the Decision-making Process While assessment is the process of gathering data, evaluation is the process of making a judgement based upon that data. Assign a mark that reflects the students' achievements as presented in the assessment data. Students' marks for Level A plus Level B make up two-thirds of their marks for the Decision-making Process Unit. The remaining third of the mark will be determined in Level C.

Instructional Strategies/Methods	Teaching Notes
Direct Instruction: structured overview	Using the wall chart of the Decision-making Process, review the classroom activities that corresponded to the steps of Level A and Level B. Provide an overview of what students will encounter throughout Level C. In this unit, students will design an ac tion plan as a whole class. For example, they might choose to plan a leadership convention. Individual students should work to improve their own leadership skills in their parts of the group project.
Direct Instruction: mini-lecture and Interactive Instruction: discussion	Review the elements of an effective action plan as presented in Level C of grade 6. Prepare students to design their action plan for acquiring and practising the leadership skills they need to promote health throughout the remainder of the semester or year. For reference, post the list of leadership skills compiled from the students' goal statements in Level B. To keep the large group on track, it may be helpful to outline the students' ideas for action plans on the chalkboard where all can see the planning details as they emerge. Use the elements of who, where, what, when, why, and how as organizers. See Appendix 9-F for a Sample 5WH Checklist for Planning. This is a generic checklist that includes the elements of an effective action plan. Have students delete questions that may not apply to this planning session. Like wise, be sure to add specifics that apply to the students' plan. Bring closure to the planning session by drawing the students' attention to the fact that they will be called upon to use some basic leadership skills as they formulate their plan, carry it out, and then evaluate it. Encourage students to be mindful of their current skills and strengths as they decide who will do what.
Indirect Instruction: personal reflection	The next step is for each student to select a support person to monitor his or her development of leadership skills. As a class, generate a list of traits of an effective support person. From this list, prepare a one-page handout to give to each studen t. (This information was presented initially in the Decision-making Process Unit for grade 6 and examined further in each of grades 7 and 8.) Next, ask each student to list the leadership skills they rated as a 3 or 4 on the rating scale when they assessed their current level of leadership skills for promoting health. These are leadership skills that they use moderately well or very well. Give each student a worksheet such as the sample in Appendix 9-G, Selecting a Support Person to Monitor Leadership Skills. After listing traits of an effective support person and identifying his or her own skills, have eac h student name a person who would make an effective support person during the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the action plan. Students should pay particular attention to their explanation of why this person would be an effective support perso n (e.g., a good support person is one who uses these skills better than I do so I can learn from him or her). Advise students that this worksheet will be filed in their folder and used as Level C assessment data.
Direct Instruction: mini-lecture	Before moving into the last stages of Level C of the Decision-making Process, review the following important information: assessment is the process of gathering information evaluation is the process of making a judgement the action plan is assessed in the design phase the action plan is evaluated after the implementation phase the action plan design elements are assessed using a rubric the action plan implementation is evaluated using a rubric.
Interactive Instruction: peer practice	Divide the class into small groups and have each group use the Sample Rubric for Evaluating the Elements of an Action Plan to Promote Health, found in Appendix 9-H, to assess the design elements of the class's action plan. If this peer practice assignment is done in class, each small group will need a copy of the rubric and can use the copy of the action plan posted on flipchart paper. If it is a homework assignment, each small group will need a handout version of the acti on plan. If the class worked in pairs or small groups to design certain elements of action planning, those same groupings may be very effective for this peer practice assessment activity. Advise students that their signed and dated assessments will be used as part of their Level C assessment data.
Interactive Instruction: reflective discussion	Provide each student with a copy of the Sample Rubric for Evaluating the Implementation of an Action Plan to Promote Health, as provided in Appendix 9-I. Each student will also need a copy of the action plan developed by t he class. Have students discuss the rubric and any necessary refinements. For example, are additions needed to evaluate an action plan for promoting health as compared to one for committing self or supporting peers? Have students make refinements as neede d.
Interactive Instruction: co-operative learning groups	Have students carry out the action plan and pay particular attention to the leadership skills they need to practise and improve.
Independent Study: homework	Have students use the sample rubric to evaluate the implementation of their plan. Ensure that students sign and date their evaluation instruments, as they will be used as part of their Level C assessment. Review the Sample 5WH Checklist for Planning (Appendix 9-F). Focus on the planning questions, 'When might we know that we have been successful?' and 'Why will this idea work?'. Very few plans turn out perfectly. These ques tions are good starting points for revising a plan.
Interactive Instruction: talking circle/ circle of knowledge	A talking circle or circle of knowledge is suggested so that each student has an opportunity to contribute. Ask each student, one at a time, for one idea they have about how the plan might be revised to work even better another time. Record responses. Continue the circle until all students have had an opportunity to speak and all ideas have been expressed. Debrief the circle by using the students' ideas about revisions and by identifying recurring themes for revision. Suggestions about revising action plans might include: we need to be more explicit about who is assigned to particular tasks we need to arrange ourselves in committees we need to set regular meeting dates as working groups or committees to make sure we are on track we need an earlier deadline at meetings, we need a definite agenda to keep us on track. Close Level C of the Decision-making Process Unit by referring to the wall chart of the Decision-making Process. Draw attention to Step 6. It includes two parts: evaluate progress and revise as needed. Suggest that revising can actually take students back to Step 1 of Level A, Reflect on what you know about the issue. Leave students with the thought that the Decision-making Process, in practice, is quite cyclical.

Student Assessment Techniques In this portion of the unit, the class designed a plan to promote health by improving their leadership skills. To assess the degree to which each student has achieved the ability to construct goals and design action plans, it is appropriate to provide students with a goal statement and ask them to use the elements of an effective action plan to outline an action plan to attain the goal statement provided. Each student's completed copy of Selecting a Support Person to Monitor Leadership Skills is an ac ceptable means to assess achievement of the ability to identify traits of a support person. In each student's folder is located his or her assessment of the design elements of the class plan, as well as an evaluation of the degree to which the plan was implemented. These sources of assessment data correspond directly to the student's ability to evaluate design elements and implementation of an action plan, and complement the instructional strategies and methods that were used. The concept of revision was introduced at the end of Level C. Asking students to write a short paragraph or prepare an audio tape about necessary revisions to the class action plan is a way to assess this learning objective. Student Evaluation Techniques for Level C To this point, two-thirds of the student's unit mark has been determined in Level A and Level B. Use the assessment data gathered throughout Level C and assign a mark that is determined by the student's work and that can be directly supported by the d ata. Using the marks in each of Levels A, B, and C, assign a mark for the Decision-making Process Unit.