Decision Matrix Explorer

Ethical Dilemma:

Step 1: Identify the Dilemma

• What is the core problem or choice you need to make?

• Who are the main people involved or affected by this decision?

Step 2: Gather Information

• What facts do you already know about the situation?

• What other information might you need? Who could you ask?

Step 3: Brainstorm Options

• List at least three different things you could do to respond to this dilemma. Don't worry about if they are good or bad yet!

Step 4: Consider Consequences

• For each option, think about the positive (+) and negative (-) consequences. How will it affect you and others?

Option 1:

(+)

(-)

Option 2:

(+)

(-)

Option 3:

(+)

(-)

Step 5: Make a Choice

• Which option will you choose? Why is this the best choice, considering your values and the consequences?

Step 6: Reflect

• What did you learn from using the Ethical Choice Compass to make this decision?

Mentoring Ethical Choices

Warm-up: What Would You Do? (10 minutes)

"Good morning, everyone! Let's start with a quick thought experiment. Imagine you're walking home from school and you find a wallet on the ground. You open it up, and you see there's some money inside, and an ID card with someone's name and address.

What do you do? And more importantly, why do you do it? What's going through your mind? Turn and talk to a partner for a couple of minutes about this, then we'll share with the class."

(Allow students to discuss in pairs, then bring the class back together to share a few responses.)

"That's great thinking, everyone. It's clear that even a seemingly simple situation like finding a wallet can bring up some interesting choices and reasons behind those choices. In life, we face decisions all the time – some are small, like what to have for lunch, and some are much bigger, with real consequences for ourselves and for others. Today, we're going to learn about a special tool to help us navigate those bigger, tougher choices: The Ethical Choice Compass."

Introducing the Ethical Choice Compass (15 minutes)

"Take a look at these slides: Navigating Moral Mazes. We're going to use them to introduce our Ethical Choice Compass. An ethical dilemma is a situation where you have to choose between two or more options, and often there isn't one easy 'right' answer. Your choice will impact yourself and others. We're going to break down how to approach these kinds of decisions.

Our 'Ethical Choice Compass' has six steps, which we'll go through together:

1. Identify the Dilemma
2. Gather Information
3. Brainstorm Options
4. Consider Consequences
5. Make a Choice
6. Reflect

Let's dive into each one."

Step 1: Identify the Dilemma

"This first step is all about understanding what the actual problem is. What needs to be decided? Who are the key people involved? For example, let's say your best friend asks you to lie to your parents for them about where they were last night. What's the dilemma here?"

(Allow for student responses. Guide them to identify the conflict between loyalty to a friend and honesty/rules.)

Step 2: Gather Information

"Before you can make a good decision, you need to have all the facts. What do you already know? What don't you know that would be helpful? Who could you talk to? In our example, what information might be useful to gather before making a decision?"

(Guide students to think about why the friend wants them to lie, what the parents' expectations are, school rules, etc.)

Step 3: Brainstorm Options

"Now, this is the creative part! We want to think of all the possible things you could do. Don't worry about whether they're good or bad ideas yet – just list them out. What are some options in our friend-lying situation?"

(Encourage a wide range of ideas: lie, refuse, suggest the friend tell the truth, offer to help the friend explain, etc.)

Step 4: Consider Consequences

"This is a really important step. For each option you brainstormed, we need to think about what might happen. What are the positive outcomes? What are the negative outcomes? How will this choice affect you, your friend, your parents, and anyone else involved? Let's take one of our options and think about its consequences."

(Pick one student-generated option and discuss its potential consequences in detail. Repeat for another option if time allows.)

Step 5: Make a Choice

"After carefully considering all the consequences, it's time to make your choice. Pick the option that you believe best fits your values and will lead to the most positive outcomes. You should be able to explain why you made that choice. It might still feel hard, but you'll know you've thought it through."

Step 6: Reflect

"Finally, after the decision has been made and everything has played out, it's important to reflect. What went well? What could have gone better? What did you learn from this whole experience that will help you next time? This step helps you grow and improve your decision-making skills for the future."

Applying the Compass: Guided Practice (20 minutes)

"Now it's your turn to use the Ethical Choice Compass! I'm going to hand out this Worksheet: Decision Matrix Explorer. We'll work through a new ethical dilemma together, step-by-step. Let's imagine this scenario:

You see a new student at school being teased and excluded by a group of popular kids during lunch. You know some of the popular kids, and you're worried about becoming a target yourself if you step in.

First, write this dilemma at the top of your worksheet.

Now, let's go through Step 1: Identify the Dilemma. What is the problem here? Who is involved? Write your answers on your worksheet."

(Guide students through each step of the worksheet, providing prompts and allowing time for individual writing, followed by brief class discussions on each step. Circulate and provide support as needed.)

Share and Discuss (10 minutes)

"Great job working through that dilemma! Now, I'd like you to turn to a partner or get into small groups and share how you filled out your Worksheet: Decision Matrix Explorer. Discuss any parts that were challenging, or any insights you gained from using the compass. What did you find most helpful?"

(Allow students to share and discuss. Emphasize that different people might arrive at different choices, but the process of ethical reasoning is key.)

"Remember, making ethical decisions is a skill, and like any skill, it gets stronger with practice. This Ethical Choice Compass is a tool you can use whenever you face a difficult decision."

Cool-down: One Takeaway (5 minutes)

"For our cool-down today, on a small piece of paper or in your notebooks, I want you to write down one key takeaway from today's lesson about making ethical choices. What's one thing you'll remember or one strategy you'll try to use?"

(Collect responses as an exit ticket.)