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Micro-Learning: The new trend

The new buzzword in the education industry is “micro learning.” Even though the term sounds relatively new to many, it has been around for decades. Experts believe that a student has an attention span of about 10-15 minutes. To be able to keep the attention of a student, effective teaching strategy is to “chunk” information into smaller pieces with recurrent but brief breaks. One of the primary reasons why micro learning is gaining so much popularity is because the concept makes it easy for the child to remember what they have been taught. The entire syllabus is segmented into smaller sections, helping them remember things more effectively in comparison to what they would remember if the classes were longer.

Micro learning and our brain:

Consider how children gather information outside of homeschooling. They get it in small snippets. They watch videos, access Facebook posts, Instagram, they talk to friends, check their emails, and the like. Everything is bombarded into the brain very quickly, but in small pieces. An average person’s brain is trained to focus on a specific information for a short period, absorb quickly, and then carry on to another bit of information. Parents must take advantage of this by developing or buying micro-learning modules that offer short snippets of information at recurrent intervals.
How can you use micro-learning?

One of the most innovative ways of teaching lessons is to come up with ways to make education interesting and fun for the child. For instance, you can:

  1. Hold quizzes every week to cross-reference knowledge.
  2. Allow the use of gadgets during study
  3. Encourage special interests
  4. When creating lesson plans, use videos accompanied by small text and occasional info graphics to explain certain elements.

All of these strategies are innovative and have seldom been practiced within the classroom.

The Con: Be careful about the casual ambiance

The model of classroom is based on the fact that children who are learning new subjects need a formal enviroment. This is normally not available in case of micro learning. It is slightly casual, which may make it difficult for the child to learn new things. Hence, it’s very important for parents to be able to maintain the right balance so they can reap maximum benefits.  

In the world of education, micro-learning is a new concept. It has several advantages as well as disadvantages. The advantages, however, outweigh the drawbacks by a big margin. Therefore, the technique is being embraced by homeschooling parents as well as schools to impart education and training to students. However, to make sure it is implemented successfully, it is important for parents to research well and come up with solid study modules.
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