Products

These teaching materials will familiarise you with the basic needs as formulated by William Glasser in his Choice Theory. We assume that all people have the same basic needs. Therefore, at the level of needs, it is quite easy to understand each other. It becomes more difficult when we try to fulfil these needs, because everyone has different ideas on how to do this. Therefore, in the next step we want to take a closer look and encourage you to think: How can we meet our own needs as well as possible, while also taking into account the needs of others? Finally, because we think it is important to learn from history, we want to look at how different people in past times have tried to fulfil their basic needs and whether they have done so in a way that has been good for everyone else.

How did people in the past fulfil their needs and did they always show respect for others? In these short films, we explore this very question. Here you can watch short historical episodes that were essential for our path towards democracy. These films are produced by pupils. Of course, their teachers helped them write the film script and there was also active support from experts in the film studio.

This is about the present! We want to strengthen our democracy and its values! Therefore, we want to invite you to be critical, to question things and to keep an eye on your own basic needs and those of your fellow human beings. And because a lot of things are easier when you play, we have created this exciting game for you. To play it, you need the others. After all, the point is to find out how good cooperation can work. And of course your smartphones will also help you to play this game successfully.

By playing this game you learn more about how you can use your skills in needs and strategies to promote democratic values and make a meaningful contribution to the community!

The Module Guide contains all the necessary materials and information to implement the products of the European Heart Project in the classroom. The use of the materials is described in a lively and practical way, to show possible applications in the classroom and to present further possibilities of living democracy within the school culture.

The four planned modules are:

Module 1:

Basic knowledge of William Glasser’s theory of the five basic needs and the relevance of adaptive and maladaptive strategies in this context.

Module 2:

In-depth suggestions on how to implement the concept in your everyday school life in the classroom and in your cooperation with colleagues.

Module 3:

Use of the materials in school at different levels:

• In a school subject
• Cross-curricular
• In targeted projects

Module 4:

This module is dedicated to the topic of school culture: How can the materials be used to make a positive contribution to strengthening democratic values, respectful interaction and participation within the school culture?

The HEART Online Platform serves as a virtual learning environment where young users as well as teachers, headmaster and representatives of out-of-school youth facilities are able to find all materials developed in this project. Teachers can familiarise with the concept step by step and search for suitable teaching materials.

The HEART Mobile Application is developed for Android mobile devices. The users (pupils) are able to download and have direct access to selected parts of the material hosted by the Online Platform.

To make it more fun, the online platform is based on the principles of gamification by applying typical game elements in a non-game context. These game-typical elements include experience points, high scores, progress bars, rankings, virtual goods or awards.

Mobile application for mobile smart phones and tablets