1. Chapter 11 Making Good Decisions

2. Making Good Decisions – Prepare
11-2
Decision making is the process of deciding among various alternatives
Identifying your goals
Every decision needs to start with your short and long-term goals in mind
LO 11.1

3. Making Good Decisions – Organize
11-3
Considering and assessing the alternatives
Develop a list of flexible alternatives
Assess your alternatives
Determine the possible outcomes of each
Determine the probability that those outcomes will take place
Compare the alternatives, taking into account the potential outcomes of each
LO 11.1

4. Making Good Decisions – Organize
11-4
LO 11.1

5. Making Good Decisions – Work
11-5
Making and carrying out the decision
Choosing among alternatives
Give the decision time
Make a mental movie, acting out the various alternatives
Toss a coin
Ask for advice
Learn to view indecision as a decision
Go with your gut feeling
The final step of decision making is to carry it out
LO 11.1

6. Making Good Decisions – Evaluate
11-6
Considering the outcomes
Did you make the right decision?
Consider the results
Reevaluate and consider alternatives if you find you are not happy with your initial decision
It’s not a bad thing to change your mind
LO 11.1

7. Making Good Decisions - Rethink
11-7
Reconsidering your goals and options
There is no single decision that is best – there are often many routes to the same goal
Ask yourself:
Are my decisions still producing the desired consequences?
Are my decisions still appropriate?
Are they consistent with what I want to get out of life?
Do my decisions fit with my personal mission statement?
LO 11.1

8. Deciding to Change Colleges
11-8
If you are considering transferring to a different college, consider:
Do you meet the admissions requirements?
What new requirements will you have at the next school?
What courses will transfer?
Is there an articulation agreement (official pact between schools that set out course equivalency) between your prior school and your new school?
LO 11.1

9. Problem Solving The process of generating alternatives to work on
11-9
The process of generating alternatives to work on
What is the problem?
What are the initial facts?
What is it that you need to solve?
What is the most critical aspect of the problem to be solved?
What can be ignored?
LO 11.2

10. Problem Solving Strategies Break the problem down into smaller parts
11-10
Strategies
Break the problem down into smaller parts
Work backward
Use a chart or graph to redefine the problem
Use analogies
Take a different perspective
Forget about it for a while
LO 11.2

11. Problem Solving
11-11
LO 11.2

12. Problem Solving Assess potential solutions
11-12
Assess potential solutions
Is there a way to refine the solution? Are there alternative approaches?
There is often no perfect solution
LO 11.2

13. Everyday Problems in Critical Thinking
11-13
Don’t assume that labeling something explains the problem
Don’t accept vague generalities
Don’t confuse opinion with fact
Avoid jumping to conclusions
Be skeptical of “common sense”
Don’t assume that one event causes another just because they occur one after the other
LO 11.3