Short, animated videos on the principles of Decision Quality carry the core Decision Skills content. Downloadable student activities.
Introduction to Decision Skills
Common behavioral biases that affect decision-making
Clarify the decision being made
Use your personal values to clarify decision options
Get creative when considering decision paths to follow
Gather the most useful information
A numerical tool to rate decision alternatives
Use a decision tree to complete, "I am choosing this alternative because..."
Get set to purposefully execute a decision
Iterate on the key elements of a decision
Take responsibility for actions and attitudes
Teenagers taking risks is natural development
Programs supporting educators in learning and teaching Decision Skills in a relevant, enjoyable, and valuable way.
9th grade summer bridge built around Decision Skills and run by school teachers.
9th grade course that teaches Decision Skills for students to get and stay on course for graduation.
A course that frames Decision Skills within the context of Health class and focuses on mental health.
A course tailored to your school's, organization's, or company's content and time requirements.
School leaders work an actual problem while guided through the Decision Quality process.
Teachers and staff learn how to bring Decision Skills to students and Decision Quality capacities to staff.
School counselors learn to build Decision Quality capacities in their students and colleagues.
Positive Pathways is a program developed with students who have faced difficult decisions that may have landed them in a precarious position in mind.
DEF offers support for the facilitation of Decision Skills activities, offering options tailored to different instructional timeframes. Don’t miss our videos and associated worksheets.
Printed high-quality materials and tools to support learning and teaching Decision Skills.
The Decision Island Booklet gives educators an engaging and adaptable tool to teach Decision Skills in any setting.
The critical elements of a good decision are highlighted along with some of the human biases that can compromise our decision making processes. Students love playing this game!
A simple worksheet that students can use to apply Decision Chain concepts.
Instructions and an example showing how to apply the Decision Chain worksheet for a specific decision.
A 2-sided graphic overview and reminder of the primary Decision Skills concepts.
The Fundamentals of Making Good Decisions Booklet
Inspires thoughtful decision-making. Available in two sizes.
The Chain is a framework with good decision elements.
Clarify the decision you're tackling by framing it.
Decisions are easier to make if we know our personal values.
Every problem has many possible solutions--learn how to choose.
Gather enough useful information to make a decision.
Does our decision make sense? Use decision tools to be sure.
Use simple techniques to make the decision a reality.
Get more of what you really want with expanded understanding of how to make a better decision.
Drive a wedge between stimulus and response by claiming Decision Power.
Size up the problem before making a decision.
There is a distinction between a good decision and a good outcome.
The decision process includes frame, build, evaluate, and improve.
Good decisions make sense and feel right.
Know your preferences, strengths, and weaknesses.
Our biases affect how we filter and interpret information.
Think ahead about certain decision circumstances and create policies how to handle them.
We should continue consciously sharpening our Decision Skills.
How people around us influence our decisions.
How we work together makes a difference.
A free, self-paced course to learn or teach Decision Skills. Sign up!
This 18 episode video series explores Decision Skills via a conversation between Roger and Nicole.
Slow down when making decisions. Understand the difference between decisions and outcomes.
Learn the 6 elements of a good decision and explore Decision Quality.
Our own human behaviors are subject to many types of behaviors.
Explains why a better decision is one that balances head and heart.
Highlights the Comfort Zone Decision Trap and how taking risks can be good.
Introduces the concept of Decision Frame and explores perspective.
Explore how scope and who a decision affects helps frame a decision.
Discusses the importance of Purpose for Decision Frame and introduces the Sunk Cost trap.
Describes how time frame and who is involved affect Decision Frame.
Explains the importance of being clear about your own values and that trade-offs are often needed.
Discusses the importance of creative alternate decisions should be brainstormed and refined.
Describes the role of uncertainty in decision-making: no one knows the future.
Explains how exploring possible decision outcomes helps make a better decision.
Learn more about probabilities, plus the Gambler's Fallacy and Wishful Thinking Decision Traps.
Shows how Sound Reasoning brings together values, alternatives, and information.
Demonstrates how to build a Decision Tree to explore probabilities and information.
Explores tools that help the step of actually following through with a decision.
Watch a recap of the Decision Chain and its role in the quality decision-making process.
Workshops for adults focus on mastering Decision Quality and applying it throughout a school district.
The Chain is a framework with good decision elements. Real life decision stories create opportunities to explore Decision Skills through relevant situations students want to talk about.
Student faces choice to pursue pro football or change schools to get support for learning challenges.
High school student uses Decision Skills to navigate life, choose extracurriculars, finalize college choice,
College student faces a decision: drop out of college to create a startup or continue college.
Student-created Decision Traps scenario presents a choice between friendship and romance
A Group Decision that Trekking Students Face
Students Struggle with Team Dynamics and Making a Decision
Student Presents Her Bungee Jumping Decision to Her Parents
Recent Graduate Faces Choices with Job Search and COVID Uncertainty
Climber Faces Choice to Summit or Save a Life
Music Students Face decisions on tour in Barcelona
How Decision Analysis Resolved a Real Environmental Challenge Removing Oil Rigs
Should this section of San Francisco coastal road be closed to cars or not?
Decision Skills Curriculum Integrated into Advisory, English, U.S. History
Schools and Districts Achieve Their Goals with DEF
DEF is evidence-based with formal studies of efficacy on outcomes like academic improvement and decision competence.
Decision Skills Enhance SEL, Critical Thinking, Creativity, College & Career Readiness, etc.
The CASEL model identifies responsible decision making as a key element. Decision Skills improve personal and social effectiveness.
Applying sound reasoning tools to make effective decisions and understanding uncertainty extend critical thinking in a relevant way.
A decision can only be as good as the best alternative. Decision Skills help creativity and create space to improve life outcomes.
Decision Skills are central to the skills employers are looking for. Students face challenging decisions regarding their future.
DEF materials are integrated in a variety of educational settings and used in support of different academic pathways.
Decision Skills include applying math to describe situations that are relevant to students' lives. Science and engineering require probability.
A variety of environments and audiences benefit when applying DEF tools and materials.
Wayfinder partners with DEF to Launch New Responsible Decision-Making Module
The goal is to make Illinois Tech the first university where decision quality is not just taught, but practiced institution-wide.
A diverse team of teachers and administrators from across the 4J district participated in the project team who worked the decision, including union leadership.
Future college students gain opportunites for decision education
AI meets decision science: DEF brings Decision Insights VIII into classrooms to help students frame, assess, and visualize thoughtful decisions.
At-Risk Youth feel empowered and less judged when learning Decision Skills.
Empowering youth and graduate students with practical decision-making tools through Stanford partnerships and scalable DEF curriculum
College students said that their Decision Chain course experience was significantly more satisfactory than other courses.
A year-long, rigorous study established the benefits of including decision education within a school’s US History curriculum.
DEF and the Eugene 4J School District together created an infographic combining equity sensitivity and the Decision Chain concepts.
With very little prep time, Joe Robusto successfully delivered a decision-making class with DEF support.
Companies like ASML, Intel, and Eli Lily conduct decision-making classes for the children of their employees.
Starting with the StrongStart program, a high school gradually integrated more and more DEF materials into their curriculum.
Sara says she relies on the Decision Workspace form for student in-take. She has also used the concepts with her parents and 911 callers.
A randomized study showed improved academic learning and decision-making competence as a result of StrongStart participation.
Currently a middle school teacher in Redmond, Oregon, Carrie shares her experience successfully implementing DEF materials with 6th graders in a summer camp.
Teacher applies Decision Skills training when facing cancer treatment
DEF's materials are scalable for a large group of students, plus applicable and relatable to college first years.
Equity is a core value-we need to consider a decision's likely impact on equity.
Decision Education is built on the foundation of Decision Science, the behavioral and normative fields of decision-making research.
Adopt Decision Quality as a school or district to teach Decision Skills to students and benefit the entire school community.
Join DEF and others in the movement for Decision Education to help improve the lives of young people with effective Decision Skills.
We teach students how to make thoughtful, informed decisions through practical, engaging Decision Skills programs.
Get involved and help bring practical, life-changing Decision Skills to more young people.
This blog shares practical guidance on teaching young people how to decide, not what to decide.
We equip students with practical Decision Skills that teach them how to make thoughtful, informed choices.
We are an organization focused on helping young people build brighter futures through strong Decision Skills.
We work with educators, schools, and youth-focused organizations who are committed to strengthening students’ decision-making skills.
Since our founding, we’ve been dedicated to bringing effective Decision Skills to young people through research-based programs and educator partnerships.
Our endowment provides long-term stability that ensures Decision Skills education remains accessible to students
Decision Skills enhance topics schools already need to address: SEL, Critical Thinking, Creativity, College & Career Readiness, etc.
DEF has demonstrated the value of Decision Skills in a variety of contexts. We can help achieve your goals in line with these experiences.
Equity is a core value - we care about the wellbeing of others and share a sense of fairness. Therefore, we need to consider a decision's likely impact on equity.
