How can microlearning improve accessibility and inclusion in teaching?

Flexibility in Learning Pathways: Microlearning breaks down content into bite-sized modules, allowing students to choose their learning paths based on their needs and preferences. This flexibility caters to a wide range of learning styles, paces, and abilities. Accessibility Features and Assistive Technology: When designing microlearning content, instructors can easily incorporate accessibility features, such as closed captions, screen reader compatibility, and alt-text for images, to ensure that the content is accessible to students with disabilities.

Microlearning is based on extensive research showing that humans are not able to absorb large quantities of new information without *processing* it into their long-term memory. After about 8-12 minutes, even the most skilled auditory learner has trouble keeping up. This is why most educational videos are trending toward being under 12 minutes and more toward 3-6 minutes. The key is a tight cycle of ingesting new information, processing it in some way (through reading, writing, speaking, drawing, mapping, etc.), and then bringing in new ideas to layer on top.

Microlearning, such as flashcards/mnemonics, audio clips, or video-based learning, is the most effective way to enhance accessibility, cater to diverse learning styles, and enable personalized, inclusive teaching experiences. Its easily digestible content makes it the go-to solution for modern-day learners.

It's good for different types of learners and can be used anytime, anywhere. It helps people remember what they learn and doesn't cost much. Also, it makes education fair for everyone. It gives simple and clear learning materials. It allows for real-time lessons and teamwork between online and in-person classes. It doesn't matter where you are, who's teaching, or what time it is. So, microlearning makes learning easier and fair for everyone.

Microlearning is an educational approach that involves delivering content in small, focused segments. These bite-sized lessons are designed to be easily digestible, typically lasting a few minutes. Microlearning aims to provide quick, specific information or skills, making it convenient for learners to absorb and apply knowledge in a short amount of time.

Microlearning can improve accessibility and inclusion in teaching by breaking down complex concepts into smaller, digestible chunks. This allows learners with different abilities and learning styles to access and understand the content at their own pace. Microlearning is also flexible and can be delivered through various formats, such as videos, infographics, or quizzes, accommodating diverse learning preferences. By providing bite-sized, easily accessible learning materials, microlearning promotes inclusive education and ensures that everyone has equal opportunities to engage with the content and succeed in their learning journey.

Microlearning is a dynamic educational approach that delivers bite-sized content, fostering quick comprehension. Its concise modules, often multimedia-rich, cater to short attention spans. This method promotes efficient knowledge absorption, making learning engaging and convenient, particularly in our fast-paced digital era.

Microlearning adds another learning modality. Learners have access to smaller bits of information and are able to make a use whichever resources fits how they learn and which topic with which they may have challenges.

The concept of Microlearning encompasses a learning paradigm focused on breaking down educational content into brief, easily consumable segments that can be accessed at any location and time. The proliferation of mobile devices and the emergence of mLearning underscore the growing significance of this approach, especially in the context of continuous, on-the-go learning. This microcontent-driven learning strategy not only offers unique benefits but also introduces a set of educational challenges. These challenges include adapting to various learning scenarios, tailoring content for individual needs, and addressing the evolving landscape of education.

In my experience, we would only struggle if we try to teach concepts as a whole. Rather, we help the students understand better when we break the big bunch into smaller chunks. For instance, in Teaching English, the concept of finding the grammatical name and function of a given expression will be confusing to learners if it's not broken down into sub-units

It is an amazing idea for learners to explore, venture into experimenting and discovering different things through this method,but my question is…. How will the teacher do the follow up🤷🏼♀️⁉️

When learners experience long periods (more than 12 minutes or so) of 'information dump' through lecture, video, or some other form, many begin to feel overwhelmed. For some learners, this window can be much shorter (e.g. 5 minutes or so). When learners feel overwhelmed and like they can't keep up, they begin to internalize a narrative that they are 'not good students' or 'not smart', even though it is likely that the majority of students are feeling this at the same time (even the so called 'good students'). Creating space for people to process ideas, speak to their own experience, and thereby form solid understandings of the content, they start to feel powerful. They start to feel like they are learning, like they are 'good students'.

Microlearning, a game-changer in education, fosters accessibility and inclusivity. Bite-sized lessons cater to diverse learning styles, accommodating hectic schedules. With mobile-friendly formats, it transcends geographical barriers, democratizing education. This engaging approach ensures knowledge retention, making learning an inclusive journey accessible to all, anytime, anywhere.

Especially with younger learners , teaching content with students micro learning in mind is beneficial because their concentration and attention spans changes very fast. You have to make your content impactful and change it through the lesson by adding a variety of learning that will grab attention and support cooperation through learning in a way where it is student oriented.

The key is a tight cycle between: (1) intaking new information / ideas, and; (2) processing the information / ideas into the network of knowledge, skills, and experiences that the student already possesses. Sports is a great analogy: we don't lecture on proper basketball shooting form for an hour at a time. Instead, we give a few key pointers and we have players *shoot the ball*. We then give feedback in micro-chunks (e.g. 'bring your elbow in', 'use your off-hand as a guide, not to push the ball', 'use your legs more for power, hands for precision'), and then we have players *shoot the ball* over and over again. The cycle is tight, with an almost seamless blend of performance and feedback.

Designing effective microlearning experiences involves condensing content into bite-sized, engaging nuggets. Begin with clear objectives, use multimedia for variety, and ensure interactivity for active engagement. Consider diverse learning styles, maintain a mobile-friendly format, and incorporate real-world scenarios. Keep it concise, fostering quick absorption of information. Blend humor or storytelling to enhance retention, creating an impactful and enjoyable learning journey.

Being a good teacher or trainer requires you to be able to ask engaging questions. Try to include open-ended questions that require your learners to think outside the box. The micro-teach is a great opportunity to show your questioning skills. Question time also gives you a break from the flow of teaching, and takes the pressure off you for a little while!

Microlearning might be considered as the quintessential approach to teaching with purpose. It gives everyone involved the possibility to improve their capacity and to have in-depth understanding of the concept or lesson in question. Moreover, it can help maximize the learning outcome and keep a continuous positive attitude toward learning from the students. However, microlearnnig should be planned with purpose and objectively used. Even though the teaching and learning approaches are diverse are and the tools to practice it are numerous if the contents do not reflect the different aspects of the students' difficulties you might end losing instead of gaining.

Planning minutely is the key for successful microlearning. Each learning outcome needs to be broken into smaller chunks and paths to achieve this need to be decided upon. Ways to assess understanding will have to be decided upon. As the smaller chunks will ultimately make a whole, these need to be put in proper sequence to ensure vertical growth and proper understanding. Any conceptual gap will lead to misunderstandings.

I've found it very helpful in increasing learning activity, but needs a combination of other methods that allows a facilitator to provide support to learners.