Courtenay

Pederson
EDTE 519
PROFESSIONAL
DECISION MAKING
MODEL
As a teacher, i t i s i mportant that I have a strong understanding
of my own personal bel iefs, as wel l as my professional duti es,
especial ly when i t comes to maki ng deci sions. It wi l l be
beneficial for me to have a compl eted model of my decision
maki ng process for me to refer to when I need a l i ttl e extra
assi stance wi th making a choi ce. As a teacher, I wi l l have to
make many deci sions i n my career, someti mes di f ficult ones.
Wi th thi s model , I wi l l be abl e to make an i nformed deci sion
wi th confi dence and know that I have taken al l of the
responsible steps to reach a concl usion. It i s i mportant for
each of my deci sions to have confi dence behind them i n case
others do not agree wi th the deci si on or see thi ngs i n a
di f ferent way. I wi l l know that I have made the ri ght deci sion
because I have gone through al l of the steps and consi dered al l
the necessary questi ons to make a good choi ce for those who
wi l l be af fected and those i nvol ved i n the process.
RATIONALE
Identify the
issue
Collect
information and
prior knowledge
Identify
ethical/personal
considerations
Consult with
colleagues
Consider various
options
Implement
decision
Reflect on
decision made
STEPS TO TAKE
Steps 1-3
Identify the issue


Collect information &
prior knowledge

Identify ethical &
personal considerations



Questions to consider
What i s t he pr obl em?
Who i s i nvol ved?
Wher e do I come i n?

What do I know about t he i ssue?
What do I know about t he peopl e
i nvol ved?
Who i s af f ected by t hi s i ssue?

What i s my r ol e i n f i ndi ng a sol ut i on?
How do my per sonal bel i ef s af f ect my
deci si on?
How wi l l my deci si on af f ect ot her s?
What ot her f actor s shoul d be
consi der ed bef or e maki ng a deci si on?


STEPS IN PROCESS
Steps 4-5
Consult with colleagues



Consider various
options

Questions to consider
Wi l l conf i di ng i n ot her s j eopar di ze
pr ogr ess or negat i vel y af f ect anyone?
How woul d col l eagues & peer s sol ve
t he i ssue?
Gat her mul t i pl e opi ni ons and i deas.


What ar e t he r i sks of each opt i on?
What ar e t he benef i t s of each opt i on?
How wi l l each deci si on af f ect t hose
i nvol ved?
How wi l l each deci si on af f ect me
mor al l y & et hi cal l y?
Ar e t he opt i ons r eal i st i c, f ai r, and
f eel l i ke t he r i ght t hi ng to do?


STEPS IN PROCESS
Steps 6-7
Implement decision



Reflect on decision
made
Questions to consider
What i s t he best way to i mpl ement
my deci si on?
Who shoul d know of my pl an to
i mpl ement t he deci si on?
Who wi l l assi st i n movi ng t he i ssue
f or war d?

How has my deci si on af f ected t hose
i nvol ved?
How has my deci si on af f ected me?
What i s my r ol e now t hat a deci si on
has been made?
Di d my deci si on r esol ve t he i ssue?
Wi l l I use t hi s same st r ategy i n t he
f ut ur e?

STEPS IN PROCESS
Overal l , I am a cari ng, fun, and happy i ndi vi dual . I have cl ose
fami l y ti es and enj oy bei ng around peopl e at al l ti mes. I am
becomi ng a teacher because I want to make a di fference i n ki ds
l i ves and be someone who they can l ook up to. My students are of
utmost i mportance to me and I focus on getti ng to know them so
that I can teach them to the best of my abi l i ty. I enj oy l earni ng
about cul tures, especi al l y Abori gi nal cul ture. I enj oy the outdoors
and tryi ng new thi ngs. When i t comes to deci si on maki ng, I can
someti mes be a bi t passi ve. I often rel y on others to gui de my
deci si on maki ng process, al though I am al ways abl e to make a
fi nal choi ce on my own. I si mpl y trust i n my col l eagues, peers, and
fami l y members to gi ve me good i deas and effecti ve gui dance. I
often change my mi nd about my focus and i deas, so thi s model wi l l
be benefi ci al for me to keep headi ng i n the ri ght di recti on when i t
comes to deci si on maki ng. I want what i s best for my students but
I al so know i t i s i mportant to be true to mysel f and fol l ow my heart
as much as possi bl e.
INNER LANDSCAPE
Approaches
I bel i eve I use a combi nati on of
the vari ous approaches when
maki ng a deci si on. More
speci fi cal l y, I resonate wi th the
Vi r tue approach i n bei ng honest,
courageous, trustworthy, and
l i vi ng wi th i ntegri ty. I al so
strongl y bel i eve i n the Fai rness
approach because i t i s i mportant
that I am consi stent i n the way I
treat peopl e. These two
approaches, al ong wi th other
personal and professi onal val ues
hel p gui de my deci si on maki ng
process.
BCTRB & BCTF
Connections
The BCTRB Standards and the
BCTF Code of Ethi cs are a vi tal
par t of my professi onal deci si on
maki ng model . Asi de from
deci si ons as a teacher, these
standards gui de me outsi de of my
career as wel l . These standards
have become a par t of who I am
as a professi onal and wi l l be
somethi ng to consi der each ti me I
make a deci si on i n my l i fe. I t i s
i mpor tant for me to be aware of
my duti es as a teacher and to
consi der the ethi cs behi nd each
step that I take.
WHAT GUIDES MY DECISION MAKING?
As a teacher, there wi l l be ti mes where I wi l l have to make
di ffi cul t deci si ons, whi ch mi ght put me i n an uncomfortabl e
posi ti on. However, i t i s i mportant that I act i n the best i nterest
of my students and resol ve i ssues effi ci entl y and i n a way that i s
fai r, honest, and the ri ght thi ng to do.
There may be ti mes that I have to make a deci si on that does not
pl ease every person i nvol ved. Thi s may gi ve me personal confl i ct
because I l i ke to make others happy and often wi l l base my
deci si ons on the i deas of others. However, i f the i dea offered i s
not what i s ri ght, or i f I feel that i t wi l l not resol ve the matter i n
an effecti ve way, I may have to go agai nst the opi ni ons of others.
I bel i eve I may be pl aced i n si tuati ons as a teacher that may
make me questi on my rol e i n the i ssue. I am a cari ng and
heartfel t person, therefore someti mes I may want to hel p others
when i t i s not necessari l y appropri ate for me to do so. If a
student i s goi ng through somethi ng di ffi cul t, i t i s someti mes
hard for me to take a step back as a teacher when i t i s not my
duty to be i nvol ved. The standards and code of ethi cs wi l l hel p
gui de me duri ng these di ffi cul t ti mes when I am unsure of what
my rol e i s i n certai n si tuati ons.
RECONCILIATIONS
Thi s professional deci sion maki ng model wi l l assi st me i n
maki ng i nformed deci sions as a teaching professional.
Regardless of the i ssue, I shoul d be abl e to i mplement a
confi dent decision that i ncl udes pri or background knowl edge,
consul ting col l eagues, consi dering opti ons, and i mpl ementation
to the best of my abi l ities. This model wi l l assi st me i n
del ivering a sol ution that i s ethi cal and that i s i n correl ati on
wi th my personal and professional moral s. Reflecting on my
deci sions wi l l hel p me determi ne i f any areas of my model need
to be adj usted or updated and I may conti nue to use the model
to the best of i t s abi lities. I may not al ways need thi s model as
a gui de i n my deci sion maki ng process but i t i s good to know
that I have some gui dance and questi ons to consi der when I
have a di f ficult decision to make. Ei ther way, I wi l l be confi dent
i n the choi ces and deci sions I have made.
SUMMARY