Getting to know and understanding emotions

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

The worksheet introduces pupils to the complex interplay between human psychology, biology and modern technology. It examines how humans experience emotions and whether artificial intelligence (AI) is capable of “understanding” them.

Content and methods: Learners first explore the basics of our emotions. They then learn more about how AI works to read emotions in an informational text. Afterwards, they take a closer look at the current possibilities of AI in a video clip. In both cases, learners are given comprehension questions. Finally, learners read a diary entry about a selected emotion. The learners work out whether the text was written by AI or by a human being.

Competencies:

• Technical competence: Acquisition of specialist knowledge about biological chain reactions and technological pattern recognition
• Judgement skills: Critical reflection on the use of emotion AI in the classroom and evaluation of ethical and practical consequences
• Analytical skills: Examination of texts (diary entry) for emotional authenticity and differentiation between human language and AI-generated structures

Target group and level: 8th - 10th grade

With the help of the worksheet, learners engage with the content of a film in a structured manner before, during and after viewing it in order to develop a deeper understanding and to reflect on and transfer what they have seen.

Content and methods: 

The worksheet begins by testing prior knowledge of the film. While watching, the pupils complete multiple-choice tasks to actively engage with and consolidate their understanding. After the film, transfer tasks are used for further processing and reflection on the topic.

Skills:

• Activating and building on prior knowledge
• Concentrated extraction of information from a visual medium
• Analysis, reflection and transfer of film content

Target group and level:

Grade 7 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