Building Up to High Stakes Discussions
By: Shelby Clark and Madora Soutter (Villanova University)*
In our work with teachers implementing The Good Project lesson plans, we’ve seen that real-life dilemmas are among the most powerful springboards for intellectual risk-taking— the ability to engage with uncertainty (e.g. asking questions, sharing ideas, admitting confusion) despite the possibility of being wrong or judged. The Good Project’s dilemma-based secondary school ethics curriculum invites students to grapple with questions that have no easy answers (Should a doctor treat a patient whose actions have caused harm to others? Should a teenager join a protest even if it goes against their family’s views?) and to tolerate ambiguity while weighing competing values and perspectives.
In one classroom in Poland, these dynamics unfolded vividly. The teacher began class by reminding students that they were discussing short films about people who had faced difficult life choices. “Share what you learned,” she said. “What were their goals? How did they overcome challenges?” One group debated Muhammad Ali’s choices and the sacrifices behind his success; another analyzed a woman who gave up performing to become a teacher. Moving between tables, the teacher asked probing, open-ended questions: “Was that an obstacle?” “Why did she change her goals?” “Is it okay to change our goals?” Each question nudged students toward deeper ethical reflection rather than simply summarizing the video.
As students wrapped up their conversations, the teacher invited a shift in perspective. “Now,” she said, “look at the same people from a different angle. When anyone in the world makes a decision, it doesn’t affect just that person. Who else does it influence?” Students began naming family, friends, communities, and even strangers. Slowly, the discussion expanded outward as they considered ripple effects: how Ali’s choices influenced his family, or how an immigrant’s decisions shaped people she’d never met. Soon, the conversation turned toward sacrifice: what are we willing to give up for others’ happiness? Students’ engagement was piqued as they grappled with the reality that ethical decisions always carry costs and consequences.
As the class neared its end, the teacher guided them back to reflect on their learning. “What do you need to consider when judging an action?” she asked. “Your values, your goals, your responsibilities?” Students talked through examples (cheating on a test, caring for parents, deciding on careers) and she smiled gently when one suggested that small choices don’t require ethics. “But even choosing a hamburger,” she reminded them, “affects the environment.” The lesson ended not with resolution, but with recognition—that every decision, large or small, shapes not only our own lives but also the lives of others around us.
When students confront real-life dilemmas like these, they practice taking intellectual risks: naming uncertainty, revising their thinking, and voicing authentic opinions even when they might be challenged. At The Good Project, teachers often use the “5Ds” framework to support this process:
Define: Recognize the dilemma.
Discuss and Debate: Explore options and possible consequences with others.
Deliberate: Reflect personally on what matters most.
Decide: Make and, if appropriate, act on your decision.
Debrief: Reflect afterward—what did you learn, and what would you do differently next time?
An important element of the lesson plans for students is often that the dilemmas are based in “real-life” and that the students are able to voice their own opinions without their being a right answer:
“There's a lot more, like, expressing your ideas than, like, the right answer... it's not just like saying what is correct, but like saying how you feel about it and like your conversation.”
“Yeah, so the dilemmas really resonated with me. Solving them and discussing what we would do in their place made me understand more about myself.”
“The good project really shows situations that really could happen in our daily life - realistic situations that we could have in our daily life.”
Students noted how engaging in these lessons, particularly in dilemma discussions, built empathy and tolerance for multiple perspectives:
“The Good Project showed me many different people and their problems and let me solve them how I would without having a right or wrong answer. This helped me grow in my ways of thinking immensely.”
“It has also taught me that most things don't have a single solution, especially when I hear from my other classmates.”
“We had to actively listen and discuss each opinion [and]it brought in a lot of perspectives. I noticed, as the classes progressed, that when someone said one thing my brain would take a whole new path.I would think of it in a totally different way.”
Together, these reflections reveal how dilemma-based teaching normalizes uncertainty as part of learning. Students learn that risk-taking isn’t about having the right answer—it’s about engaging with complexity, listening deeply, and allowing new understanding to emerge.
*This is an outtake from our forthcoming book on creating Cultures of Risk-Taking (Clark & Soutter, in press).