Skip to content

Are You Listening Actively?

Run the Are You Listening Actively? MicroSim Fullscreen

You can embed this MicroSim in your own course website with this iframe:

<iframe src="./main.html" width="100%" height="497px" scrolling="no"></iframe>

About this MicroSim

Are You Listening Actively? is an interactive MicroSim for this health-education textbook.

Students apply active listening behaviors by selecting which actions in a short scenario show active listening.

Use the controls in the panel below the drawing to interact with the model, then talk through what changed and why. The MicroSim is width-responsive and can be embedded in any course page with the iframe shown above.

Bloom's Taxonomy level: Apply (L3) — demonstrate, practice, use

Lesson Plan

Audience

This MicroSim is designed for Grade 2. For the K-3 bands the teacher typically drives the activity on a shared screen; older students can explore the MicroSim independently.

Learning Objective

Students apply active listening behaviors by selecting which actions in a short scenario show active listening.

This activity targets Bloom's Apply (L3) (demonstrate, practice, use).

Suggested Use (about 10 minutes)

  1. Warm up (2 min). Ask students what they already know about the topic and let one volunteer describe what they see on the screen.
  2. Model it (3 min). Demonstrate the interaction once, thinking aloud so students hear the reasoning behind each choice.
  3. Guided practice (3 min). Invite students to try the interaction and to predict what will happen before they act.
  4. Discuss (2 min). Ask why the result came out the way it did, connecting the on-screen result back to the learning objective above.

Check for Understanding

Have each student (or pair) explain their result in one sentence, using the vocabulary from this chapter. Look for reasoning that matches the Apply-level objective rather than a lucky guess.

Specification

The full specification below was extracted from Chapter 7: Influences, Decisions, and Personal Goals.

Type: microsim
**sim-id:** active-listening-checklist-microsim<br/>
**Library:** p5.js<br/>
**Status:** Specified

Bloom Taxonomy: Apply (L3)
Bloom Taxonomy Verb: demonstrate, practice, use

Learning objective: Students apply active listening behaviors by selecting which actions in a short scenario show active listening.

Canvas layout:
- Top area (120px): Short scenario text, e.g., "A teacher explains a new hallway safety rule."
- Middle area (260px): Four action cards students can mark as "Active Listening" or "Not Active Listening": "Looking at the teacher and staying quiet," "Waving hands and talking to a friend," "Asking 'why do we do it this way?' after the teacher finishes," "Nodding to show understanding"
- Bottom area (120px): Infobox with feedback and running score

Interactive controls:
- Click each action card to mark it
- Button: "Check My Answers"
- Button: "New Scenario" (cycles through 3 total scenarios)
- Button: "Reset"

Default parameters:
- Scenario 1 active; no cards marked yet

Data Visibility Requirements:
  Stage 1: Show scenario and four unmarked action cards
  Stage 2: Student marks cards, clicks "Check My Answers" -- correct cards turn green, incorrect turn orange
  Stage 3: Infobox explains each answer: "Looking and staying quiet shows active listening because it shows attention," "Talking to a friend is not active listening because attention is elsewhere"
  Stage 4: Student clicks "New Scenario" to try a fresh set of four actions

Behavior:
- Score tracks correct identifications across all three scenarios
- Feedback always names the specific active-listening behavior involved

Instructional Rationale: This is an Apply-level objective, so the design asks students to apply the concept to new scenario actions rather than simply recall a definition, matching the "demonstrate active listening in a variety of situations" benchmark.

Implementation notes: Use p5.js. Keep scenarios varied (home, classroom, playground) so the skill transfers across settings.

References