CHOICE THEORY
Sessions #1-4
January 12-16, 2009
Developed by
Dr. William Glasser in 1998
STUDENT GOALS:
• To become more responsible for your
behavior
• Be more tolerant of others
• To understand why & how to make
choices
• How to get along better with the
people in your lives
STUDENTS WILL GAIN
EXPERIENCE IN:
• Speaking
• Listening
• Creative Thinking
TOPICS:
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Respect
Creativity
Self-Evaluation
Trust
Acceptance
Negotiating Differences
Character
Friendship
Session 1 - Meetings
Page 1 – Monday, 1/12/09
TOPIC #1: A MEETING
• What is a meeting?
– What are some of the reasons to have a
meeting?
• How is it different from being in class?
• When have you ever been to a meeting?
• Who do you know who goes to meetings?
CHALLENGE THE
TOPIC:
• If we could talk about things that
would help our friendships, where
would we start?
• Think about what rules we should
have for conducting our meetings, so
that everyone feels included & gets
the most out of these meetings?
Page 1 – Monday, 1/12/09
ASSIGNMENT #1:
INTERVIEW 1 ADULT
Over the Age of 25 & ask:
• What kinds of meetings do you go to?
• Do you enjoy meetings?
– Why?
– Why not?
Page 2 – Monday, 1/12/09
Your Special Skill
• Imagine that you have decided to
apply for a job. As part of the job
application, you have been asked to
identify one thing that you do
particularly well & to write an essay
convincing the employer to hire you
based on this special talent.
Session #2
Choice Theory
Page 3 – Tuesday, 1/13/09
SHARE INTERVIEWS
FROM ASSIGNMENT #1
Student Introductions
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Name
Culture
Age
Hobby(ies)
Goals
TOPIC #2:
CHOICE THEORY
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What is choice?
What choices do we all have?
What is a theory?
Why do we have theories?
What is one good choice you have made?
What are some choices you made that
later turned out to be mistakes?
CHALLENGE THE
TOPIC:
• Why do some people have a hard time
making a choice?
• What questions do you ask yourself
to help you decide if you are making a
good choice?
• What are some of the important
choices we make in life?
Page 3 – Tuesday, 1/13/09
ASSIGNMENT #2:
• Choice Theory believes that:
– “Everything we do is a choice.”
• Ask 3 other people’s opinions about this
statement & write down what they say.
• Write down your opinion about the theory.
• Do you agree or disagree with what others
said?
Session #3 - Needs
Page 4 - 1/14/09
SHARE PEOPLE’S
THOUGHTS ABOUT CHOICE
FROM ASSIGNMENT #2
Student Introductions
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Name
Culture
Age
Hobby(ies)
Goals
TOPIC #3: NEEDS
• What are needs?
• Who has needs?
• Which needs are the same for
everyone?
• What do you need to be happy?
CHALLENGE THE
TOPIC:
• What do people do if they don’t have
what they need?
• Why is it important to know about
what people need?
ASSIGNMENT #3:
Page 4 – Wednesday, 1/14/09
• The 5 needs as defined by Glasser are:
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Survival
Love & Belonging
Freedom
Fun
Power
• Write a paragraph about your favorite
subject or activity in school and why you
think it is useful or how it satisfies at
least 2 of your needs.
Session #4 - Survival
Page 5 – Thursday, 1/15/09
SHARE FAVORITE
SUBJECT OR ACTIVITY
FROM ASSIGNMENT #3
Student Introductions
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Name
Culture
Age
Hobby(ies)
Goals
TOPIC #4: SURVIVAL
• What is survival?
• What does survival of the fittest mean?
• How is this “law” applied in different
cultures & in the animal kingdom?
• When could your survival be threatened?
• What rules do you follow to keep yourself
safe from harm?
CHALLEGE THE TOPIC:
• What is man’s greatest threat to
survival?
Page 5 – Thursday, 1/15/09
ASSIGNMENT #4:
• Basics of survival:
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Conservation
Cooperation w/others
Guidelines for safety
Creative problem-solving
• You are stranded in a forest all by yourself with
only matches & a gallon of water.
• Write a paragraph about what you would need to
survive & what you will have to do to get it.
Accessing Classroom
Assignments
From The Internet
Page 6 – Thursday, 1/15/09
clevelandhs.org
• Click on - Teachers/Staff
– Click on - Staff Directory
• Scroll down to & Click on - Laverne Potter
• Scroll to bottom of page
– Click on your class
– Click on – See Homework
• Click on link or handouts from the
assignment you need.
WORK ON
“MY SPECIAL SKILL”
Friday, 1/16/09
Working on Computers
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