My World of Work

You are here

Home

Making decisions

Bookmark

Download files

Making decisions lesson plan files

Getting started

Learning intention

  • I will learn about the steps involved in making a career decision

Success criteria

  • I can reflect on the steps I have taken to make decisions in the past
  • I can discuss and make decisions about my own career

Before you start

Resources

  • Front screen computer required for presentation
  • Pupil IT access useful for next steps activity (we recommend you use the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox or, in the case of Internet Explorer, version 10 or later)
  • Printer
  • Making decisions worksheet
  • PowerPoint presentation

Duration

These are suggested timescales only and will vary dependent on your group

  • 5 mins: Introduction to making decisions
  • 10 mins: How do I make a decision?
  • 15 mins: How do I make a career decision?
  • 10 mins: Review

Suitable for

This topic is suitable for:

  • Preparing for the world of work
  • Those seeking college or university places
  • Those seeking training from a training provider
  • Those undertaking leadership courses

Experiences and outcomes

Designed to meet

Health and wellbeing across learning

Planning for Choices and Changes:

Potential to meet

Health and wellbeing across learning

Mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing:

Literacy across learning

Listening, talking and reading:

Technologies

ICT to enhance learning:

Career Management Skills

Self

  • I make positive career decisions

Strengths

  • I draw on my experiences and on formal and informal learning opportunities to inform and support my career choices

Horizons

  • I understand that there are a wide variety of learning and work opportunities that I can explore and are open to me

Networks

  • I use information and relationships to secure, create and maintain work

Suggested activities

Introduction 

5 mins

Split the class up into groups of 4

Ask each group to brainstorm and list all the decisions they can think of based on one of the timescales below:

  • Group 1: What decisions did you make yesterday?
  • Group 2: What decisions did you make last week?
  • Group 3: What decisions did you make last month?
  • Group 4: What decisions did you make in the last year?

Discuss each group’s answers with the class.

How do I make a decision?

10 mins

  • Ideally one group will have identified ‘buying a mobile phone as one of the decisions they’ve made (if not, another example can be used) 
  • Discuss with the class what steps they would take to decide what phone to buy (if stuck, prompt with ideas such as: speak to friends, try out a friend’s phone, try out in a phone shop, research online etc.)
  • If time allows, provide each group with the ‘My decisions' worksheet. Ask groups to fill this in, describing what steps they would take to decide what phone to buy. Use the completed example in the PowerPoint presentation to help illustrate the task.  
  • Consider what factors might influence their decision e.g. friends, money, family, mobile network, visual appeal, compatibility etc

How do I make a career decision?

15 mins

  • Now provide each person with a ‘My decisions’ worksheet and ask them to think about what steps they would take to make a career decision (this can be tailored to a specific career decision such as subject choices). Ask them to think about what factors might influence their decision. They can discuss this in their groups 
  • Discuss each group’s answers with the class 

Review

10 mins

  • Reinforce and draw comparisons with key points such as: speak to other people, carry out research, work experience etc. Emphasise that if they are willing to spend time making a decision about what phone to buy, they should spend the same and more thinking about their career

Next steps and related activities

In a follow up lesson young people could carry out some independent work to consider how the decision making process they’ve created would translate into an action plan for themselves
Consider completing the Strengths and profiling activity