Trade-Offs — Season 1, Episode 2: Malcolm Decides
Family, Kids • 30 min • 1 season, 15 episodes
Episode synopsis
Malcolm is thrilled to win “Paper Carrier of the Month,” but his $15 gift certificate quickly leads to a tough decision. With several appealing options and only one chance to choose, he works through five steps of decision‑making—defining the problem, listing alternatives, setting criteria, evaluating options, and making a final choice. The episode shows how careful thinking helps Malcolm pick what’s truly right for him.
About Trade-Offs
Trade-offs was an AIT program designed to improve economics instruction in the United States and Canadian schools. The series of fifteen lessons, for children from 9-13, helped students think their way through economic problems and increased their understanding of economics. On a broader scale, it helped them become more effective decision makers and ultimately more responsible citizens. Each lesson consists of a 20-minute color television/film program plus teacher's guide material to facilitate classroom follow-up. Each program begins with a short segment that identifies key points that students and teachers should watch for. This is followed by the dramatization of a fundamental economic problem relevant to the daily life of the student. Special visuals emphasize the economic principles and reasoning processes involved. The last portion of the program introduces, but does not resolve, another problem, and ends by posing a question to the viewers.