Later in the day, when she has to leave school early, she may blame me as she goes home without the birthday card for her sister. She made her decision to skip class knowing she had to leave school early, but, although I had less knowledge (I didn’t know she had to leave early), I had more power. It was easier for her to agree with my decision and then blame me later, when it turned out to have been the wrong one for her.
When there are decisions to be made about what learners will or won’t do, I think the most fruitful thing I can do is accept the learner’s decision, and bring the fact of making the decision to the foreground. "I see you’ve made a plan."
Most decisions made in math class are not life changing. Should I use a pencil or a pen? Should I solve this proportion in four steps or three? Should I cancel here or multiply across and reduce the answer? Should I come late to class after my doctor's appointment, or just go home? How can I get help with this computer program? The consequences of making the wrong decision are not great, and the increase in self-confidence and sense of control over the learning process far outweigh any consequences of making the wrong one.
On the other hand, I have an opinion about all of these things. If called on to make a decision about them, I can quickly decide which would be the better course in a given situation. My job is to refuse to make those decisions; my job is to get out of the way so the learner can make them, and reinforce the learner’s confidence in his ability to make decisions that work for him. When a learner comes and says, “What shall I do?” I say, “Your choice. What are you thinking about?” He can outline his thinking with me as an audience, perhaps asking a question for clarification, but at the end of it, I say, “Your decision. What will you do?”
One way to bring decision making out of the “hidden” curriculum and into the forefront is to make my own process transparent. Many parents have told me that they had very little idea about what being a parent entailed until they had their first child; in the same way, most students have very little idea about what decisions a teacher makes; indeed, I had no idea until I became a teacher myself. Because I know that so many of my decisions are hidden from my students, I talk about how and why I decide to present things in certain ways, explain the department thinking on test policies, and so on.
I also tell learners how their plans influence my planning. When Rita says, “I’m going to get a coffee, then could you look at my work?” I can say, “Okay. I should be finished working with George by then. If you’re back in 10 minutes, I’ll mark it for you. If not, it’ll have to wait, because I have to get on to my next class.”