Teaching use
Senior critical-thinking lesson, cross-curricular inquiry anchor, or ethics / decision-making sequence in English, Social Sciences, or Health contexts.
English / Social Sciences • Years 10-13 • Ready to teach
Advanced Critical Thinking: Decision-Making Frameworks
Guide ākonga to compare Te Ao Māori, ethical, evidence-based, and systems-thinking approaches so they can justify complex decisions with depth, cultural awareness, and long-term thinking.
Use this lesson as the senior bridge
This page is free to teach as-is. If you want to localise the case study, turn it into a debate, or generate an assessment-ready writing task, Te Wānanga can adapt the lesson while keeping the Aotearoa and mātauranga Māori framing clear.
- Swap in a school, iwi, hapori, environmental, or media issue that matters to your students.
- Generate differentiated planning frames for learners who need more support with comparison and justification.
- Save reusable versions for different year levels in My Kete, then refine them in Creation Studio.
Teacher planning snapshot
- Time: 1 extended lesson or 2 standard lessons depending on whether students write a final recommendation.
- Grouping: Whole-class framing, expert groups for each framework, then mixed groups for case-study application.
- Prior knowledge: Students should already know the basics of claims, evidence, and perspective.
- Kaiako focus: Keep students moving from “which framework do I like?” toward “which framework best fits this situation, and why?”
What to prepare
- Choose one complex scenario with genuine tension, not an obvious right answer.
- Decide whether students will present orally, write a recommendation, or produce a comparison table.
- Print or project the framework comparison guide and response scaffold below.
- Decide whether a Te Ao Māori lens will sit beside or lead the comparison discussion in your class.
Resources provided here
- Comparison of major decision-making frameworks.
- Case-study analysis structure.
- Support and extension pathways.
- Explicit curriculum companion for planning and moderation.
Ngā Whāinga Ako / Learning Intentions
- Compare different decision-making frameworks and recognise when each is useful.
- Understand how Te Ao Māori, ethics, evidence, and systems thinking can shape complex choices.
- Justify a recommendation using more than one framework and clear reasoning.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can explain how at least two frameworks would interpret the same scenario differently.
- I can identify strengths and limits of each framework for the decision being made.
- I can justify a recommendation using evidence, values, and long-term consequences.
Curriculum integration is explicit
Use the linked curriculum companion to show how this lesson supports critical reading, discussion, ethical reasoning, and evidence-based decision-making in Te Mataiaho. That keeps curriculum alignment visible for planning, reporting, and moderation.
Decision-making in Te Ao Māori and beyond
Te Ao Māori approaches to decision-making centre relationships, mana, intergenerational impact, kaitiakitanga, and responsibility to people and place. That does not make them “softer” than analytic frameworks. It makes them wider and more accountable.
This lesson asks students to compare approaches rather than flatten them. They should notice that evidence matters, but so do values, whakapapa, environmental consequences, and whose wellbeing is being weighed in the decision.
Frameworks to compare
1. Te Ao Māori framework
Ask how the decision affects whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, rangatiratanga, and future generations. This lens foregrounds relationships and collective wellbeing.
2. Evidence and reliability framework
Ask what evidence supports each option, how strong the evidence is, and where uncertainty remains. This lens stops students from mistaking confidence for proof.
3. Ethical decision matrix
Ask who is helped, who is harmed, what is fair, and whether the decision would stand up to public scrutiny.
4. Systems thinking approach
Ask what wider effects the decision creates, what feedback loops might appear, and what unintended consequences could emerge over time.
Suggested lesson sequence
- Anchor scenario: Introduce one complex issue with multiple stakeholders and no easy answer.
- Expert groups: Allocate one framework to each group and have them analyse the scenario through that lens.
- Jigsaw sharing: Reform groups so students must teach each framework to others.
- Comparison and tension: Ask where the frameworks align, conflict, or leave questions unanswered.
- Recommendation task: Students produce a justified recommendation using at least two frameworks.
Ready-to-use scaffolds
Framework comparison table
- Framework: Which lens are we using?
- Main question: What does this framework ask us to pay attention to?
- What it reveals: What becomes clearer through this lens?
- What it misses: What might this framework underplay or leave out?
- Decision impact: How does this lens change the recommendation?
Recommendation frame
- The decision we recommend is...
- From a Te Ao Māori perspective, this matters because...
- The strongest evidence for this choice is...
- A likely concern or counterargument is...
- Overall, this option is the most responsible because...
What to print / share / open
- Use the [Decision Frameworks Comparison Guide](/handouts/decision-frameworks-comparison-guide.html) as the main student-facing reference.
- Use the [Evidence Evaluation Framework](/handouts/evidence-evaluation-framework.html) if students need extra help judging the quality of source material.
- Bring in the [Logical Fallacies Detection Guide](/handouts/logical-fallacies-detection-guide.html) if students start relying on weak reasoning in their recommendations.
By the end of lesson one
- Students should be able to explain how at least two frameworks approach the same decision differently.
- Most students should have a draft comparison table or spoken explanation.
- You should know who can already synthesise frameworks and who still defaults to one-lens thinking.
Tautoko / Support
- Give students one partially completed framework table before asking them to compare across all four.
- Keep the scenario local and concrete rather than abstract.
- Allow oral recommendation before written justification.
Whakawhānui / Extend
- Ask students to rank the frameworks by usefulness for the scenario and defend the ranking.
- Challenge students to identify where frameworks contradict one another and how to resolve the tension.
- Move from recommendation into a formal argument, speech, or seminar response.
Whānau / hapori connection
Invite students to talk with whānau or trusted adults about how important decisions are made in their home, work, or community contexts. This helps them see that decision-making frameworks are not only academic tools but living practices shaped by values and relationships.
🌍 Inclusion & Accessibility
ELL / ESOL support: Pre-teach key vocabulary before the lesson. Provide bilingual glossaries where available. Allow responses in home language as a first step.
Neurodiverse learners: Chunk instructions clearly. Offer choice in how students demonstrate understanding. Use visual supports and structured templates.
Scaffold & extension: Offer scaffold tasks and entry-level supports for students who need them. Extend capable learners with open-ended extension challenges.
Curriculum alignment
- Social Sciences: Understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community challenges.