I have chosen to discuss the decision-making strand of SPHE. The SPHE curriculum aims to ‘enable the child to make informed decisions and choices about the social, personal and health dimensions of life both now and in the future’. While studying this topic I focused on the Freedom to Grow: Children's Perspectives of Student Voice Article by Owen and Quinn. This article depicts the importance of children having their own voices and the role educators have to play in ensuring this.
I found this topic to be an interesting one as decision-making is a life skill which children begin to form at an early age. It develops and becomes an essential skill which the children will use throughout their life. Decisions are a crucial part of a person’s daily life; countless decisions are made every day. Each choice a person makes determines the type of life they will live and the type of person they will be.
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It depicts how children can sometimes be misunderstood and not taken seriously; there is a misconception that children are incapable of contributing opinions about their education. It also illustrates that educators should respect and encourage the child’s right to participate in educational decision-making using their student voice. This article aids our understanding of how children view their roles and opportunities to be involved in making decisions about their education and their learning. It suggests ways in which we as educators can effectively and respectfully engage children in matters which are important to them, this allows them to take responsibility for the decisions they make which will have a positive effect on their levels of engagement, motivation and personal