DEF x TSE - Sparking Insight: Decision Science at The Socratic Experience
Our collaboration with The Socratic Experience (TSE) began in the 2024 school year with the launch of a bold new course: Decision Science, a senior STEM elective co-designed by Jayne Besjak, a TSE guide, and Chris Spetzler, DEF’s Executive Director.
This course marked a major milestone—not only for TSE’s innovative online learning community, but for the field of Decision Education as a whole. Together, we created a course that blends scientific inquiry, ethical reflection, and real-world application through the lens of Decision Quality.
A Socratic Approach to Decision Science
As its name implies, The Socratic Experience is rooted in meaningful conversation and collaborative exploration. Students don’t just receive information—they engage deeply with it, asking tough questions, listening to one another, and co-constructing understanding. The Socratic model is a perfect match for Decision Science, where dialogue, reflection, and perspective-sharing are essential to learning how to decide well.
The course begins with foundational questions:
- What are decisions?
- How does the Decision Chain work?
- What are Decision Traps, and how do we avoid them?
From there, students move into increasingly complex topics like risk, ethics, identity, and multi-party decision-making—all within a supportive, student-driven learning environment.
Continuing the Momentum in 2025
This year, DEF’s Stefanie McLaney joins Chris Spetzler to co-guide the 2025 cohort through their Decision Science journey. Just one month in, students are already immersed in Decision Island, an interactive way to explore the components of the Decision Chain and begin building strong decision-making habits.
"How do we translate scientific knowledge into effective policy—or personal insights into quality decisions? What is a 'good' decision?"
This is the guiding question of the course—and the kind of thinking we believe all students deserve exposure to before stepping into adulthood.
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