Theories – Fundamentals

This worksheet aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of social attitudes by defining their structural components and analyzing their psychological functions based on Daniel Katz’s functional theory. Students learn to identify how attitudes help individuals navigate social environments, express identity, and maintain self-esteem.

Content and methods:

The worksheet employs a multi-step pedagogical approach, starting with a realistic class chat scenario to prompt initial reflection. It then uses structured multiple-choice tasks to clarify the cognitive, affective, and conative components of attitudes. Finally, the material introduces Katz’s four functions (adaptive, value-expressive, knowledge, and ego-defensive) through a social media-style infographic, requiring students to apply these concepts by categorizing the classmates' statements and reflecting on their own perspectives.

Competencies:

• Definition and differentiation of the structural components of attitudes (ABC-model)
• Analytical application of Katz’s functional theory to real-life scenarios
• Self-reflection and perspective-taking within social contexts
• Critical evaluation of the changeability of attitudes based on their underlying functions

Target group: grades 10 and higher + students of social education

Objective: The worksheet serves to educate students about the growing phenomenon of artificial intelligence addiction. Students should be made aware of the line between helpful support and compulsive use, reflect on their own behavior, and develop strategies for a healthy balance.

Content and methods: The content covers the concept of AI addiction, typical characteristics of dependency such as loss of control, tolerance development, and withdrawal symptoms, as well as psychological and neurobiological causes. This is supplemented by case studies on problematic and risky use, opportunities and risks of intensive AI application, and strategies for prevention and healthy use in everyday life. The methods include self-tests and self-assessments of one's own usage behavior, explanatory information texts, comparative case analyses, structured reflection phases on warning signs and possible courses of action, as well as creative transfer tasks such as designing rule posters with dos and don'ts.

Competencies:

• Self-reflection skills: Ability to critically evaluate one's own digital usage behavior
• Analytical skills: Identification of psychological warning signs and long-term social consequences of addiction
• Action skills: Development of usage rules and solutions for regaining self-control
• Health competence: Understanding the effects of AI on emotion regulation and general well-being

Target group and level: From grade 8 onwards

Objective: The worksheet raises learners' awareness of the potential of artificial intelligence to promote inclusion and accessibility. The aim is to understand how technological assistance systems can increase the independence of people with disabilities in everyday life.

Content and methods: The content includes an introduction to AI-supported assistance functions for people with disabilities, basic knowledge about this form of disability, typical barriers in everyday life, and ethical issues relating to data protection, accessibility, and the relationship between human and technical support. This is supplemented by practical case studies and the development of students' own app ideas as an application of what they have learned. The methods include the assignment and analysis of specific AI functions, theoretical impulses with hypothesis formation, empathic role-playing, scenario-based case work, creative project work on app design, and structured reflection and discussion phases on ethical aspects.

Competencies:

• Perspective taking: Developing empathy for the realities of life for people with disabilities
• Media and technology skills: Recognizing AI as a tool for assistive technologies
• Problem-solving skills: Transferring technological knowledge to complex everyday obstacles
• Ethical judgment: Critical examination of social conditions

Target group and level: Grade 8 and above

Objective: The worksheet aims to teach learners de-escalation and prevention strategies for dealing with violence. It is designed to raise awareness of the causes and forms of violence and to train learners in the ability to act professionally and non-violently in stressful situations.

Content and methods: The worksheet defines violence as the use of physical or psychological means to harm or control others. It identifies stress, overload, and a lack of de-escalation strategies as common causes. Prevention strategies are presented at the individual, team, and institutional levels. The methods include listening to an audio scenario, answering fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice questions, and creating an infographic in which learners are asked to develop de-escalation and prevention measures in a group setting.

Competences:

• Conflict management: Understanding and applying de-escalation strategies
• Self-reflection: Questioning one's own reactions in emotionally stressful situations
• Problem solving: Developing comprehensive solutions for violence prevention
• Teamwork: Collaborative development of strategies

Target group and level: Trainees in the nursing profession and others interested in deescalation strategies

Objective: The worksheet aims to teach learners about the concept of body image disorder and raise their awareness of the psychological effects of medical changes. It is designed to enable future nursing staff to provide sensitive support to patients experiencing shame, insecurity, and anxiety about their changed bodies.

Content and methods: The worksheet begins with a definition of body image and explains how a disorder develops. It initially focuses on the causes of body image disorders. It highlights the emotional and social effects such as shame and social withdrawal. Solutions such as professional support and self-help groups are mentioned. Learners are asked to summarize the text and answer open-ended questions about the effects of beauty ideals and media representations on body image. An exercise invites learners to reflect on their own body image and write a short letter to their body.

Skills:

• Psychological understanding: Learners understand the complex concept of body image disorder.
• Empathy: They learn to empathize with the emotional situation of patients with stomas.
• Self-reflection: They reflect on their own body image and its influence on their professional attitude.

Target group and level: Students and trainees

Objective: The worksheet aims to sensitize learners to the dynamics of power and self-determination in nursing care in order to practice preventive strategies against violence.

Contents and methods: The core of the worksheet is a role-play that simulates a stressful situation between a nurse and a patient. Learners take on roles such as caregiver, patient, and observer to first reenact the situation as it often occurs in everyday life and then develop a violence-preventive alternative. Detailed role cards provide guidance on portraying emotions such as fear, anger, and frustration. Concluding reflection questions serve to analyze the situations played out and transfer them to everyday practice.

Skills:

• Empathy: Putting oneself in the shoes of caregivers and patients
• Conflict resolution: Practicing preventive and de-escalating action strategies
• Self-reflection: Questioning one's own emotional reactions in stressful situations

Target group and level: The worksheet is aimed at people in nursing professions or in training.

Objective: The worksheet aims to enable learners to reflect on their own feelings in stressful situations and to provide them with strategies for dealing with emotional stress.

Content and methods: Learners are asked about the most common emotions in their everyday and asked to describe a stressful situation. A dialogue scenario between an overwhelmed nurse and a patient serves as an example. Methods include completing checklists and answering open-ended questions to reflect on one's own behavior. Finally, new coping strategies are collected and presented in a mind map.

Skills:

• Self-reflection: Analysis of one's own feelings and reactions
• Emotional intelligence: Understanding one's own emotional stress
• Problem solving: Development of coping strategies

Target group and level: The worksheet is aimed at trainees in nursing professions.

Objective: The worksheet aims to teach learners the basics of effective communication strategies in a selected context and encourage them to reflect on their own communication patterns.

Content and methods: The text describes key strategies such as active listening, “I” messages, and empathy. Methods include multiple-choice questions, filling out a table with examples of strategies, reflection questions about one's own experiences, and a reference to a YouTube video for further analysis.

Competencies:

• Communication skills: Understanding and applying effective strategies
• Self-reflection: Critically questioning one's own communication style
• Empathy: Understanding colleagues and patients

Target group and level: Students and trainees

Objective: The worksheet aims to explain the concept of different coping strategies to learners.

Content and methods: It defines a selected coping strategy. Methods include matching situations to strategies and open-ended questions for personal reflection.

Competencies:

• Understanding psychological concepts
• Self-reflection
• Analysis of behaviors

Target group and level: Students and trainees

SDG:

•  3: Good health and well-being: The worksheet promotes awareness of mental health and stress management.

Objective: The worksheet aims to teach learners about the different methodological approaches to emotion analysis and help them recognize, analyze, and reflect on emotions.

Content and methods: It explains four approaches to emotion analysis: self-observation, behavioral observation, physiological measurements, and conversation-based analysis. Learners are asked to test their understanding of the text using closed and open questions. A practical task asks them to draw a person showing signs of a selected emotion and guess what emotion it is. Finally, they are asked to reflect on a situation in which they felt this emotion themselves.

Competencies:

• Understanding psychological concepts: emotions and their analysis
• Analytical skills: identifying emotions based on various signals
• Self-reflection: recognizing one's own emotional states

Target group and level: Students and trainees

SDG:

• 3: Health and well-being: Understanding and reflecting on one's own emotions is important for mental health and well-being.
• 4: Goal - Quality education: The worksheet promotes emotional intelligence and empathy as part of a holistic education.